The thought of automating my household duties sounded amazing! It sounded like if I just figured out the systems, I could program them into a robot and my house would always stay clean without any effort, on my part!
… right??
…
Most people do not, in fact, own robots to clean and run their house. I am no exception.
And, despite this being my own website, I am technologically inept.
No Robot is Coming.
It was disappointing to realize no robots were given out to people who have figured out systems for their house.
Then I realized, I AM the robot: the automated care-taker of my house.
It took me a long time to automate things, and I am still on my journey toward full-automation, especially when it comes to laundry. Maybe robots can’t do laundry either: that’s why they don’t wear clothes.
Anyway!
Here are my top 7 ways to automate my home:
Do the dishes after each meal.
In the morning, I unload the dishwasher while the kids eat breakfast and I heat up my bone broth. That way, no babies are climbing in or on the dishwasher, it is ready for breakfast dishes when the kids are finished, and my broth is hot for me to sip when I’m finished unloading and I can start my day!
Run the dishwasher when it is full.
… or at least every night.
I cook most meals for our family and I am not concise in my dish usage. Most days, I run the dishwasher after lunch dishes are added. I unload it and reset as part of cooking dinner. When the day is over, I set it to delay start and it runs while I’m sleeping. It’s an essential part of having clean dishes to unload each morning.
Sort laundry by person.
My main objective with laundry is to get it washed. I might not care for the clothing the best of any person, but there are always clean clothes to be worn, even if they’re still in the basket.
Each person has a basket with their name in the bottom so that when I’m sorting laundry into baskets to wash, I don’t have to think about whose laundry goes in what basket. Usually, there are 5 people’s clothes and a load of towels.
Having designated baskets and a pre-determined way of sorting makes laundry that little bit easier, which I am all for.
Use auto-pay for utilities.
I know I’m going to pay my utilities in full each month, so I’m saving brain space, checks, stamps, and envelopes by paying them automatically.
Go through the mail as it comes in.
I don’t get my mail every day, because it’s a block away and I don’t leave the house every single day. But when I do get it, I make sure to go through it right away. About 90% goes right into the trash, 5% gets set aside to get shredded (I shred my personal information at the bank for free. Maybe your bank offers members free shredding too!),and I maybe have 5% that is personal mail, like birthday cards, one-off bills, or books from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Going through the mail immediately has kept my piles away. It used to be such a huge task, and it got bigger every time the mail was brought in. Now, I go through it and trash what I know I don’t need – which is nearly everything.
File papers immediately.
When Jeff and I first got married and I was setting up our house, I thought I needed to use a huge, detailed filing system. I labeled folders for each kind of utility, insurance, and job. Every home-care paper, appliance manual, and tire rotation, too. I spent the better part of a week setting up this cabinet from our piles of papers (this was before I automated a single thing) and stood back to admire it: a file cabinet full of garbage I didn’t know I could throw out.
My filing now is a magazine holder with colored files labeled for bills, prescriptions, coupons and receipts, health insurance, and then one each for mine and Jeff’s personal papers. We use (really I use, and we each benefit) these for things we want to keep track of, but don’t need to have out all the time.
All of my papers have their place and it makes it so easy to find what I need.
Order groceries from Walmart for delivery.
Grocery shopping with 3 kids is no joke. I may get into it more when they’re older, but until they can all use a public restroom on their own, I’d rather let someone else shop for me. So I grocery shop on my phone.
I have been a fan of Walmart’s grocery pickup for years. I was doing it before Covid made it cool.
Now, with three kids, getting out to go anywhere at a specific time and then not getting out of the car feels like as much work as actually shopping with them. So, I weighed the cost of getting them delivered vs. getting all of us into the van to go pick them up and it seems to cost me less to get it delivered.
I usually get groceries delivered every week. Over the course of a year, that costs less than $2 per delivery. When compared to spending 30+ hours in the car, using gas, bundling kids up and driving in the winter, I’m saving buckets. So yes, I subscribe to Walmart+ for free shipping and delivery. Because I would rather have the time and not have to get 3 kids in and out of the van, even if I don’t get to pick out my own avocados.
There you have it!
My top 7 ways I’ve automated my home! Each one helped me on its own, but put together has my house running well, without things piling up on my counters or taking large amounts of energy to reset.
If you try any of these ideas in your own home, come back and comment! I want to know how it’s going!