Have you seen the Perfect Housewife with Anthea Turner?. In Australia you can watch it on Foxtels Discovery Health channel on Mondays. I really like it mostly because she has some good ideas that help to inspire me to get things sorted in my own home. I also like it because the people featured on the show have houses in a much worse state than mine and in a sad way that kind of makes me feel good!. While some people might think Anthea is a bit anal I love her over the top atittude to homemaking.
I’ve just been over to the Perfect Housewife website and came across Anthea’s top ten tips…… here they are:
Follow them and you too can become a perfect housewife or househusband…
1. You can’t run a home that’s a mess, so first of all you have to de-clutter it. If it’s not beautiful, useful or seriously sentimental, it goes. Charity shop or bin - you decide!
2. There’s no getting away from it: you have to clean. People who say “oh, my house is a bit of a mess, but I’m really clean” are talking rubbish because you can’t have a tidy house if it’s not clean.
3. Make the house into a home. Consider your house from an aesthetic point of view. Rearranging furniture, adding some candles, or making even small tweaks can really make the difference.
4. Run a home like you would a small business and treat it with the same seriousness. If you’re job-juggling, then it’s obviously more difficult than if you’re a full-time housewife/husband. If you are a housewife, take pride in that.
5. Storage is important. Whether it’s cushions you only use outside in the summer, or blankets that only come out in the winter, you’ve always got to think of where to store them. Try vacuum-packing to save space. Wicker baskets are marvellous for putting things in. If everybody knows where everything is kept you can avoid wasting time looking for things.
6. Think about how you run your home. Could it be done more efficiently? In the series, one househusband keeps all his shoe-cleaning things in a lounge drawer but, of course, he cleans his shoes in the kitchen. Be practical.
7. It’s also about team work. When children get to a certain age they can help by putting dirty washing in the right place and making their own beds. The first rule of management is delegation. Don’t try and do everything yourself because you can’t.
8. Don’t use too many household cleaning products which are harmful to the environment. Try cleaning with vinegar, or just use one damp cloth swilled in cold water and one dry cloth. For cleaning windows and mirrors, you can’t beat scrunched-up newspaper, dampened down with some white vinegar and water.
9. Avoid wastage. If you’re cutting up a lemon, put the left-over half into the dishwasher. It adds a little ting and sparkle in your wash.
10. Domestic paperwork (bills, guarantees, insurance) is very important, so don’t avoid it! A proper family diary with everyone’s events and parties in it really helps organise the household.
