Martha Stewart reports that the majority of Americans, according to a recent survey, do most of their housecleaning on Saturday morning.

It makes sense. Who wants to come home after a long day at work and clean the toilet? And who would choose to prepare for the week ahead by scrubbing the kitchen floor on Sunday night? Saturday morning seems like the lesser evil. You can get your chores out of the way and then take some time with family and friends.

The Successful Parent suggests getting kids to help. “Saturday cleaning can be grueling on many levels,” they admit. “You may hate it because you’ve already worked all week. Your kids hate it because . . .  Well, they just hate it.”

The Sentinel shared the memories of a mom who grew up with that custom and rebelled against it. “I tried the Saturday cleaning day when my husband and I had four young children.,” she wrote. “It was an impossible task, I wished that Saturdays had never been invented.”

The writer at HouseTweaking used to clean on Saturdays till she hired a professional cleaning service. “Initially, I felt extremely guilty and hoity-toity about hiring help,” she admits. “But the first time I came home to a clean house that I hadn’t cleaned, all negative feelings subsided.”

Take back your Saturday

What if you didn’t clean on Saturday? What if instead you had professional cleaning technicians taking care of that for you? Here are just a few of the things you could do instead:

  • Enjoy local seasonal celebrations. Here in Northwest Arkansas you could visit the Tontitown Grape Festival, attend reading groups for all ages at local libraries, check out the Roots Festival, or get the full experience of the County Fair.
  • Take part in sports challenges. Races, archery competitions, swim meets, mountain biking festivals, basketball tournaments, and of course professional, college, and high school games go on year ’round.
  • Take a hike, a paddle, or a climb. Northwest Arkansas has a wide range of beautiful venues for outdoor adventure.
  • Visit family fun attractions. The Amazeum, Gator Golf mini golf, Locomotion Family Fun Center, local bowling alleys, trampoline parks, splash parks, ice skating at the Jones Center, laser tag at Modern Mission — there is no shortage of fun places to go indoors or out.
  • Kick back and relax. Even if all you do is relax at home with a good book or a favorite movie, it feels great to chill in a clean house.

Take back your Saturday and spend it having fun with your family. It’s worth it.