While there are others, three basic areas occupy a great deal of most homemakers’ time. They are (1) cleaning and home care; (2) food, including buying and cooking; (3) clothing, laundry and repair.

How do you plan your cleaning? Dirt never takes a holiday. Thus, many feel that some “light cleaning” is needed each day​—dusting, straightening. This often saves much time and energy when the time for “heavy cleaning” comes, as scrubbing floors or furniture. If things do not get as dirty, they will be more quickly cleaned. Also, a little cleaning relieves the mind about the appearance of the home, and the family sees a daily concern for their comfort.

When you plan your cleaning, avoid needless redoing. If you dust the furniture in a room and then sweep the floor or toss blankets in the air while making a bed, what happens? Dust and lint are thrown over the furniture you had just wiped clean. Planning saves work.

Consider, too, your methods of dirt removal. First, think: ‘What do I want to accomplish? Do I just want to move the dirt around?’ Obviously, if you just push it around, it will be there tomorrow, along with a little more. Equipment varies, but the preferred method is to gather the dirt, pick it up and put it outside the house. Thus, while a feather duster has uses, it throws dirt in the air, whereas a damp cloth picks it up, removes it.