Being a queen of the hearth has so many advantages, whether you live alone or have a large dependent family. If you don't know how to clean, cook, or sew, learning to master these skills can be challenging. The trick is to start small and avoid overworking yourself. By working hard and being patient, you will be closer and closer to the finish line.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Household Chores and House Maintenance
Step 1. Determine a daily routine
If you want to create and maintain a clean, clutter-free home paradise, there are several chores to devote to every day. Thankfully, they take up little time, so you can take care of them while working outside the home or having small children.
- To reduce stress as much as possible, schedule these daily tasks to be done at a specific time. Organizing yourself could help alleviate some of that anxiety that assails you when you want to do a thousand things in a single day.
- Household tasks you should make time for on a daily basis include making the bed, opening the mail, and sweeping or vacuuming the floor.
- Other household chores need to be done as you go along with the basic ones. These include putting away scattered items all over the place (to keep the mess from getting worse), cleaning while you cook, and fixing stains right away.
Step 2. Plan a weekly schedule
Some household chores only need to be done once or twice a week. Instead of rushing to get them all done at once, try to break them down, assigning certain tasks to certain days. You will surely feel more relaxed and do a better, more thorough job.
- Clean the bathrooms once a week. Make sure you wash all towels and bathrobes and disinfect toilets, bathtubs and sinks. Empty the trash cans, clean the mirrors, dust off the light fixtures, and sweep the floor.
- Even the bedrooms only require a thorough weekly cleaning. Put away anything that has been placed on the desks or bedside tables. Wash your sheets, pillowcases, and blankets. Empty the trash can, dust all surfaces and vacuum.
- You should vacuum the living room, kitchen, and dining room daily or every other day, while other household chores, such as dusting, washing carpets, and cleaning mirrors, can be done once a week.
Step 3. Experiment with different types of home hygiene items
Of course, each product has different characteristics, and some are more effective than others. In addition, there are cleaners that work best in certain rooms, while in others they are useless. If you're not getting the desired results and a room's conditions leave a lot to be desired, consider whether the product you're using is doing its job and look for better solutions.
- Compare cleaning items containing man-made chemicals to organic ones. Nowadays, many prefer to clean with products based on natural ingredients instead of using classic ones. Nevertheless, it must be said that all detergents have pros and cons, so it is not said that an organic one is better than an artificial one. On the other hand, it's not a problem to try several times and find out what you prefer.
- Ask your friends for advice or do some research online to find other solutions. Test several products before choosing the ones listed.
- Be especially careful when choosing products - they should be useful for the specific materials you will be cleaning, such as wood, glass, ceramic, plastic, and so on.
Step 4. Learn to do a little bit of everything
Unlike housewives of yesteryear, a modern hearth queen needs to know more about the necessary repairs in the home. You don't have to figure out how to maintain all of your home systems and devices, but learning how to fix basic problems is a smart move.
To begin with, the toolbox you have at home should contain a hammer and several types of screwdrivers. These tools will help you with simple tasks: hanging pictures, repairing items such as toys, furniture, drawers, and so on
Step 5. Organize your realm
The number one enemy of a housewife is clutter. If you want to have a home that anyone would envy you, you need to keep everything in place and in order. Discover the techniques that allow you to save space and the other skills necessary to have everything under control.
- This is especially important if you live in a limited space.
- To start, get rid of all the unnecessary things, then organize the ones that remain based solely on your needs.
Step 6. Learn how to do your laundry properly
If you want to become a skilled housewife, this household chore will be at the heart of your priorities. You may already know how to do it, but you should still continue to learn new techniques to improve the routine and make it more efficient.
- You could divide this activity over the course of the week, just like you did with cleaning the house. For example, you can wash bathroom towels on Tuesdays, sheets and pillowcases on Wednesdays, and all other extra towels and blankets on Thursdays. Clothes should be washed as needed, which means you may need to do this every day.
- Read the labels before doing the laundry and follow the instructions given.
- Not sure if a dress will fade when washing in the washing machine? Test by wetting a small portion of it and dabbing it on a white towel.
- Wash colored and white items separately. Also, set aside heavily soiled items to wash them yourself.
- Pre-treat stains and soak heavily soiled clothing in a sink or bucket full of water. Wait for 30 minutes before washing them.
- Use the recommended amount of detergent and choose the right wash cycle for each individual load.
- Set the temperature of the water and the dryer based on the color and type of fabric. The fibers that can shrink should be washed with warm or cold water and dried in the air, just to give an example. Cold water is ideal for bright colors, while warm water is best for washing whites.
Step 7. Learn a few tricks
Once you've mastered the basics, always keep your ears peeled for new tips and ideas - they'll help you become a great housewife, especially if you're starting from scratch. Of course, some tips are more valid than others, so you should try them out before bragging about your new find to friends.
- For example, cover the dirty wheels of your stroller or shopping trolley with old plastic shower caps before taking them indoors.
- Wrap a chenille brush around the neck of bottles containing condiments to absorb drops and prevent scale build-up.
- Fill holes in walls and furniture with steel wool to prevent mice or other animals from entering.
Part 2 of 3: In the Kitchen
Step 1. Get started on the right foot, without stress
If you already know how to juggle the stove, then you won't have much difficulty. If not, start from scratch by cooking simple dishes and following less elaborate recipes. You can gradually improve your technique, as you will gain more confidence. Don't think that you have to get good overnight: this will lead you to have too high expectations and mistakes will weigh on you.
Use books specifically designed for novice cooks, otherwise look for easy recipes online. Those with pictures showing what to do step by step are often particularly intuitive
Step 2. Take a course
Find out about free or cheap cooking ones in your area. Try to take the lessons that interest you specifically, and skip the ones that will teach you things you already know or don't want to learn.
- Find out on the internet or in your city to find out where to find such courses.
- You can ask a relative or friend to teach you the basics of cooking.
- Look for cooking schools in your city. Sure, you may not want to waste time and money on these classes, but some offer single courses at a discounted price.
Step 3. Find out what you prefer to do
Not all housewives enjoy cooking, but learning to enjoy this activity can motivate you to improve. Try to find a culinary aspect that you are passionate about, or that interests you at least a little. Cultivate basic skills, but, in the meantime, still try to dwell on what you prefer.
- Your passion could be as simple as baking cookies or making light meals.
- On the other hand, you may find that the most unusual creations inspire you, such as the preparation of gluten-free dishes or preserves.
Step 4. Make any necessary changes
You may have acquired excellent cooking skills, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to show them all off every single day. Know when to cook simple meals and when to work to impress your family or guests. Learning to use your skills in order to improve and pamper the people you cook for should be another aspiration.
- For example, if you're cooking for fussy kids, focus on dishes that suit them instead of trying to hit them with elaborate dishes they won't even taste.
- When cooking for guests, find out about their food allergies or special diets in advance and plan the menu accordingly.
Step 5. Experiment
Once you get used to and learn how to cook, start using your skills and knowledge to experiment, creating tasty recipes and dishes. Some tests will be successful, others may turn out badly. The important thing is to keep working hard: at a certain point the unsuccessful dishes will count on the fingers of one hand, while the exquisite ones will be the order of the day.
Part 3 of 3: Sewing and Other "Lost" Skills
Step 1. Learn the basics of sewing, king of lost skills
If you've never heard of the most common points, don't worry - you're not alone. At the very least, though, you should learn how to sew hems, repair small tears, and sew on buttons.
- Learn several basic stitches, including straight stitch, back stitch, zig zag stitch and basting stitch.
- Invest in a sewing machine. As you gain more and more skills, it will come in handy to have your own. You will not regret the purchase. Repairing clothes and creating projects from scratch will be much easier if you learn to sew both by hand and by machine.
Step 2. Try to acquire good dexterity
Of course, sewing isn't the only lost domestic skill. There are many others that you can discover. It is not necessary to master them all, but choosing a pair that you would like to try will allow you to deserve even more the title of “queen of the hearth”.
- The ideas are many. For example, you could be gardening, crocheting, or knitting.
- You may also want to check out community craft websites, such as Pinterest, for more ideas.
Step 3. Sign up for a course
You can learn a lot on your own, but sometimes it's best to take a few classes to get the basics of an activity or improve on the ones you already have. Search for cheap courses in your city or choose one online.
