This idea sprouted from 2 needs: My need for clean bathrooms and my need to make my kids clean them for me. I would like to say that I had a benevolent feeling of preparing my kids for real life by teaching them the basics of bathroom cleaning but really it was just me needing a little help. In all fairness, though, the process of teaching any chore is, at the beginning, more work than actually doing the job alone. But, once child chore-mastery is gained, I feel sure my part in the process of cleaning bathrooms will get easier... surely... right? Well, it is getting better. S-l-o-w-l-y. In the words of Han Solo, "Short help's better than no help at all."
The Bathroom Rotation is a system that divides the work of cleaning the bathroom into stages. Each person (or team) is assigned a stage and is responsible to clean that portion of each bathroom in the house. For instance:
Team 1 is in charge of Prep and Sweep. This is the beginning stage of bathroom cleaning. Put everything away, clear off counters, shake and remove rugs, remove all items from the tub/shower area, empty the garbage, get everything off the floor and sweep away all hair, lint and dirt.
Team 2 is in charge of Wet Cleaning: Clean the sink, tub and shower.
Team 3 is in charge of the Toilet room: Clean the toilet including the seat, base and the wall and floor surrounding it.
Team 4 is in charge of Finishing: Clean mirrors, cabinet fronts, mop the floor and return removed items to their places.
Team 1 begins in the first bathroom. In my home it is the Master Bath. As Team 1 finishes in there, they call Team 2 to begin in the Master and Team 1 moves on to the next bathroom, and then the next. As each team finishes their first bathroom, they call the next team to begin. All teams will finish up at different times, but they will also start and different times. Working efficiently, each team will usually work for about the same amount of time.
To make things easy, I printed and laminated a card for each stage. This card can be carried around with the team as they clean. On it is listed the steps in completing the assigned stage and the supplies needed to do the work. I have enough supplies on hand that no team needs to share with another. You can see my cards below; but your bathrooms are different and you will need to modify these or make your own.
Another option is to post a chart of stages and supplies in each bathroom eliminating the need to carry a card around as you go. My preference is the cards since I have some younger children for whom reading a complicated chart is overwhelming.
Each time we clean bathrooms, stages are rotated so everyone learns to do every job in the bathroom. I have a rotating chart in my cleaning closet and I store the work cards there as well.
Our family has been using this system for about 1 year. My children think it's as good as any other way to clean bathrooms, but I like it better. We rally together and we get the work done quickly. We now can clean all 3 bathrooms in 20-30 minutes on a good day. One hint for speed: We still have enough liberty in America that we don't have a toilet police. You need to face the fact that your bathrooms will only ever be sparkling clean if you do all the cleaning yourself. Don't expect perfection... even from your teenagers. Expect them to do their best, but don't harp on every little thing. You are on a team too and soon the rotation will come around to you and you can scrub each area until it shines if you want. Just remember that the whole reason for a bathroom rotation really isn't to get "short help." It's to lovingly train your children in the essential skills for life.
No comments:
Post a Comment