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Living at home can be pretty cushy when you’re a teen. Mom is usually around to take care of things if teenagers are feeling overloaded with school, sports practices, maybe planning that big transition to college or just yearning to move out and start the next stage in life.

For some kids, however, there may be little awareness of how much their parents do, so cleaning and taking care of a home can come as a shock if it hasn’t been part of their normal routine. Things like stocking the toilet paper, lining up the next meal and just cleaning in general — this is all valuable information to share with your child.

A study by the University of Minnesota confirms that teaching a child about cleaning and associated responsibilities is a helpful tool in alleviating anxiety. Additionally, it helps develop empathy and builds feelings of accomplishment and well-being. The study notes that children who help with cleaning are more likely to successfully complete school and go on to more financially stable careers and relationships, due to their ability to understand consequences and create healthier environments.

Here are a couple easy-to-implement life/cleaning lessons. The number one cleaning tip is never make a trip empty handed. Start your child young with this simple lesson and it will serve them well throughout their lives. “Grab your clean laundry on the way to your room” and “Remember to take your dirty dishes to the kitchen on your way” will prove extremely helpful.

Next, the basic concept of trying to get double use from a situation is good thing to teach. For example, you notice your kitchen drain is a bit slow and maybe a bit stinky. Grab some baking soda and white vinegar. To practice the double-use technique, rub some baking soda on your favorite cutting board over the kitchen sink, then pour some white vinegar on it. The vinegar disinfects the board, while the soda and vinegar also clean your drain, killing nasty odors and removing small buildup. Rinsing the cutting board with really hot water will also clean any residue and smells. This is commonly known as sweetening your drain.

This same concept can be used when taking a bath. Baking soda is good for the skin, while neutralizing and providing a safe cleaning mechanism to for the tub. Just add a cup or less of baking soda to a hot bath and have the kids wiggle around for a quick way sanitize to the tub. Afterwards, sweeten the drain by pouring a little vinegar down when emptying tub.

Introducing this double duty aspect to thinking about situations will reap solid rewards for your youngsters. When they cook themselves a meal it will hopefully become second nature to start cleaning up while things are cooking away and they are waiting to eat. It is easy to load the dishwasher and put away ingredients, tidying up in general while killing a few minutes waiting for supper to be ready.

Try introducing this concept as a competition with themselves and other family members to see how many things they can get done in a short amount of time. It’s an easy way get things done around the house and will help them later as working adults. Employees who are able to multitask are always a sought-after resource. If they choose to go to college, it will help them through class assignments and keep their living quarters organized.

A perfectly clean home isn’t necessarily the goal. However, keeping things tidy and livable for themselves and roommates will help to facilitate a more productive and healthy life. That old adage “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” describes the peace derived from an orderly living environment — a worthy goal in today’s stressful world.

We should begin teaching our children about cleaning when they are still toddlers. Simple tasks like picking up their toys can provide an opportunity to nurtures confidence and the satisfaction of a job well done. Making it a household game builds up the family dynamic. Be sure to rotate chores so things don’t get stale. Rewards for a good job can serve to create a positive mindset towards cleaning.

Showing your child how to complete these tasks and following up with praise will build healthy communication that will help with life’s little challenges, as well as the big ones.