How to Teach Housekeeping to Teenagers
Adolescence is a period of transition. During adolesence, young people learn the basic skills they will need in order to function as adults. Housekeeping is one of the most basic things that all adults need to know how to do proficiently. Housekeeping is much more than just keeping your quarters clean. To housekeep efficiently, you need to know how to clean, operate machinery and perform basic repairs. Teaching these skills to your teenagers or teenage students takes patience, but is well worth the effort.
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Instructions
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Explain to your teenagers (or teenage students) the importance of good housekeeping. Tell them about the safety and health hazards that can result from poor housekeeping. If you are dealing with a teenager who seems less than interested in learning, use extreme examples, such as news stories where people were sued after someone slipped on their slippery floors, in order to catch their attention.
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Show the teenagers where to find all the equipment commonly used in housekeeping. Show them how to locate the mop bucket, mop, wash cloths, broom and garbage bags in the house or building they will be cleaning in.
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Show the teenagers how to use the housekeeping tools they will be using. Do not assume the functionality of these tools is obvious or intuitive; the functionality of a mop bucket, for example, can be hard to understand at first. Explain to the teens that you need to drain mops slightly before putting them on the floor, and that you need to empty mop buckets after you use them. Also explain that you need to pick up swept dirt and put it in the garbage, because simply sweeping things into the corner is not sanitary.
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Show the teenagers which tools are used in which areas. Explain that mops and brooms are used on floors, wash cloths are used on counters and tables, and dishwasher fluid goes in the dishwasher.
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Demonstrate housekeeping skills to the teenagers. Have them watch as you load a mop bucket with water and sanitizer fluid. Have them watch as you sweep dirt from the floor into a dustpan, then mop the floor with a damp mop. Show them how to place dishes and dishwasher fluid in the dishwaster, or alternatively, fill the sink with water and sanitizer fluid.
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Provide the teenagers with clear guidelines for when they need to clean up after themselves. Set rules that conform to your own household standards for cleanliness or, if you are training teenagers for a job, set rules that conform to the standards of whatever organization they work for. For example, if you want dishes cleaned after every meal and floors cleaned at least twice a week, type these rules up on a piece of paper and post it in the kitchen.
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References
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