All aboard: Family friendly tips to make your cleaning projects a snap

(BPT) - Winter is over. The birds have finally come back, the weather is warm enough to get outside and barbecue, and your annual golf outings and boating trips are already starting to show up on the calendar. But while you’re looking forward to all of these things, you’re probably not as excited about another staple of these warm weather months – cleaning projects.

So you can get the deep cleaning out of the way and get outside to enjoy the warmer weather, here are some quick tips to help make your home sparkle from Laura Johnson, home economist at appliance manufacturer LG Electronics:

* Divide and conquer. To prevent feeling overwhelmed by the idea of cleaning the entire house, start with the rooms your family or guests are in the most. Common areas including the kitchen, family room and main bathroom are the best places to start.

* Get organized. Making a list can help you break larger chores down into smaller ones that are more manageable. For instance, if the family room needs to be cleaned and picked up, break it down into smaller parts of the task that you can delegate, or do just one each night. These tasks could include organizing a bookshelf, putting blankets and pillows away or vacuuming.

* Take on the laundry. One of the most time-consuming chores for many is laundry, but it doesn’t have to be! It’s time to wash and put those winter clothes away for another year and refresh your warm-weather clothes that have been in storage for far too long. For example, LG makes washers that come with their proprietary TurboWash technology, which can help free up more time to spend with your family on fun warm weather activities. It saves you up to 20 minutes per load, even with larger loads of laundry, all without sacrificing performance. These ENERGY STAR certified washers from leading brands like LG also come with an ultra-large capacity of five cubic feet, which allows you to do more laundry in fewer loads.

* Make it a family affair. To help involve kids in cleaning, make a list of all the chores you want to accomplish. Then, pick the ones that are age appropriate and put them out on a table or on a wall. Roll a pair of dice to see who gets to pick first and have everyone (parents included) select their chores. This will allow the kids to choose what they think they might enjoy, instead of simply cleaning because their parents made them.

* Provide an alternative. To further engage kids, have an alternative goal within whatever chore they’re assigned or have picked for themselves. For example, when organizing a bookshelf or kitchen cabinet, they can help alphabetize the books or spices, sort by color, etc.

“With the right planning and the best tools, cleaning doesn’t have to be such a daunting chore,” Johnson says. “Turning chores into fun family activities will save time so you can get outside and enjoy the warm weather season.”