Housecleaning in the 21st century

From the fluctuations of the housing market to the rising cost of a college education, to the increasing necessity of a graduate degree, Americans find it necessary to work harder and harder to sustain their households. For most families, a dual income household is absolutely essential. Those who can afford to have one parent just work part-time or from home should consider themselves fortunate.

While most two-adult households require both partners to work, there is also a rise in single parent households. With so many ways a household can be structured, there are some things that never change. The kids still need to be taken care of and the house still needs to be cleaned. With the high paced lifestyle so many struggle to balance, the housework seems to pile up more than ever.

Traditional gender roles have gone by the wayside, with career women and single parents and stay at home dads. Even these revised norms have changed in recent years, with fluid zone coverage and extended family support networks. The more a household relies on each other the more important it is for each member to be able to take care of any area of household and income responsibilities. Of course, with all the work a household needs to keep running right, everyone can use a little help.

Whether that means hiring someone or just consulting house cleaning tips online, most Americans are ready to admit that they can’t do it all alone. There are tons of great online resources, from a downloadable house-cleaning guide to quick and easy recipes to stain removal tips. Bleach alternatives and lemon and baking soda, there are a host of home remedies you’ll find in a stain removal guide. There are also great forums where you can research things like fifteen-minute meals for fewer than fifteen dollars. Knowing how hard Americans are working to keep their households moving, even your smartphone has chimed with in with great homecare and recipe apps available for download.

Even with all the access to tips and data the Internet provides, a lot of people are finding that the best solution for their housecleaning needs it to bring in backup. There are a number of great cleaning services to choose from, so if you decide this is the best fit for your family you should definitely do your homework. The Internet can tell you how to take care of a lot of your home needs on your own, as well as help you research which cleaning service is right for you.

Dave Bonner lives with his beautiful wife in the western Philadelphia suburbs. His wife is completing her PhD, while Dave holds the walls up doing double duty as a small business owner and, when possible, “stay at home dad” to their adorable eleven-month-old puppy, Ally. When he isn’t running his business, doing dishes, or washing laundry, Dave enjoys taking Ally to the park and trying to fit in a good book where his busy schedule allows.