If you happen to be a parent with a college-aged child coming home for the summer, you know the very specific pain that can only come from a year’s worth of unwashed clothing dumped in the laundry room. The return of the college kid also heralds sleepless nights, a sink full of dishes, and the whirlwind they refer to as their “bedroom.” While they do deserve a break after a hard semester away, that break doesn’t need to wreak havoc on your own lifestyle for months. After a few days (up to a week if you’re the forgiving type), it’s time to have a little talk about household management. All natural cleaners and a good discussion can make a big difference for a home that lies in the wake of a returning college kid.
Don’t think of this talk as the assignation of a ‘chore list.’ Most college-aged people have been used to doing things their way for the duration of the past school year. Approach the subject more as a sharing of household duties that should be applied to any home they live in – be it yours or theirs. While you’re at it, you might mention why you’ve chosen to go with all natural cleaners instead of the standards.
First and foremost: don’t do their laundry for them. The offending pile might be bothering you by sitting in the laundry area untouched, but this is their responsibility. By all means, give instructions and tips! Provide them with the best all natural cleaners to preserve the color of their clothes while eliminating the odors and stains. If they have a difficult stain or a delicate item, feel free to step in and help. However, any adult who wishes to live on their own in the future needs to know how to take care of their own laundry. If your college-aged child is taking care of their own laundry, the summer visit will be much easier on you in the long run.
The kitchen is often another annoyance that leads to parental headaches when a student comes home for the season. Chances are high that you were the same way at their age – thinking that dishes only need to be done once or twice a week at most. All natural cleaners for the kitchen provide a solution to the nuisance of dried food bits or grimy pans left overnight. These cleaners are formulated to be more effective, as well as easier on the environment. In regards to your offspring’s impressive mess making capabilities, a simple talk about how a messy kitchen gives you a migraine should help in most cases. Again, these discussions about cleanliness shouldn’t be aimed at making them feel bad or shrugging off your least favorite chores. Instead, take a tone that highlights the independence that comes with caring for one’s personal space.
Speaking of personal space, there probably isn’t much you really can do for the pile of clothing, papers, and technology once referred to as a bedroom. Your arsenal of all natural cleaners can help you get the smell out once they leave, but during the visit, your college kid is likely to leave their bedroom however they prefer it. Breathe deep, and remember that this disregard of tidiness will likely pass in a few years. For now, you’ve started them on the path of smaller laundry loads and a healthier kitchen.
Once the summer is over, send them back to school with a few bottles of all natural cleaners to keep them on track with basic cleanliness. Pure & Gentle offers kits of various sizes with the all natural cleaners your student needs keep their own living area clean without taking up much space. A bottle of eco-friendly all purpose cleaner isn’t only right for your home; it’s absolutely perfect for the dorms. Hopefully the summer vacation at the parents’ sends your child back to school with a cleaner way to keep things tidy, as well as the recognition that chores aren’t only for mom and dad. May ‘Mount Laundry’ be sorted quickly, and remember to enjoy the company of your college kid!
