Summer is here, and for many of us, that means vacation! Errr, a vacation for our family, and more work for us moms, amirite!?
With young kiddos, a vacation can be a lot of work: packing, trying to maintain a schedule, etc., etc. The one thing that can either make-or-break, my vacation, is how my house feels when I walk in the door.
Vacations are ultimately so fun and full of memories (and chaos), and when I finally return home, I want to feel at peace. If there is clutter and piles of junk everywhere, that is not peaceful – that is stressful. So, if you are like me, and want to return to a peaceful home after a vacation, follow these five tips!
5 tips for returning to a peaceful home after vacation
- Empty ALL of the trashcans. The worst is walking through the door and asking, “What is that smell!?” To avoid going on a hunt for a rotten piece of food, make sure you empty every single trashcan (kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.).
- Throw away expired foods from refrigerator. Even though the food may be contained in the refrigerator, smells can still leak. If the food is not going to be edible when you return, toss it now. There is no reason to keep the clutter and risk that stench. If you can, pack those near-expiring items to eat on your travels and kill two birds with one stone!
- Clear Counters. Piles and piles of random stuff on your counters = clutter, and clutter = stress. Clear those countertops and put everything in their home, not just in another pile in a drawer or cabinet.
- Laundry. Do as much laundry as possible, before you leave. Even if you are somewhere that has a washer/dryer that you can use, you will most likely have a lot of laundry to do once you are home. Avoid having endless loads of laundry waiting for you to tackle. Keeping laundry at “zero” will allow your family to have plenty of clean clothes for your return, and less work for you. (This goes for dishes, too!)
- Make the beds. Making everyone’s beds on a daily basis helps every room feel cleaner and put together. Coming home from a trip and seeing your comfy bed nicely made is like its just sitting there waiting to hug you and welcome you home. Make those beds so when you come home you can snuggle in and get some good rest after your latest adventure!
- Bonus! If you have someone watching your home, your pets, etc., write instructions for them on your computer, save the file, and print it out for them. This makes it easy for them to read, but also makes it easy for you to use again in the future.
If it seems overwhelming to do all of these tasks before you leave, then simply add all of these to-do’s on your list, and tackle one item at a time. Eat as much food from your refrigerator the week before you go. Tackle 1-2 piles of clutter/laundry each day. Ask your partner/kids to help! and finally…enjoy your vacation!
