I try to stick to a schedule that works for me- I have seen plenty on Pinterest but it is not realistic for me to only vacuum once a fortnight! I also tried to do a room by room clean, but it annoyed me to have to get the window cleaning items out on two days, or the vaccuum cleaner out more than once. My list below does mention specific rooms, but this is more of an add-on then a complete focus on one area as I vaccum the bathroom, kitchen and bedrooms on Thursdays and will clean all windows on a Tuesday.
Making (and sticking) to a cleaning schedule was one of my Pinterest Resolutions and so I have mixed and matched some different ideas.
Here is what I have found works for my time, attention span and house layout needs. I also do a deep clean every month, usually on the first Saturday of the month, based on different area of the house.
I can only put aside 30 minutes during the day to clean, but some of the chores can be done at night time and so I have planned this accordingly. I have also assigned some of the more difficult tasks for when my eldest son is at preschool, so that there is less chance of him walking over a wet floor or interrupting a more difficult task that I can do during my younger son's naptime.
Life gets busy, so I have left some room for rescheduling my list. If someone wants to call in for coffee or one of my boys needs to go to the doctor, I won't put it off simply because it is my cleaning time! At the same time, I have learnt not to procrastinate and make excuses for doing other things. It is all about finding a balance.
Some tasks require more attention that one thirty minute span, or items that can be done less frequently, so I have taken this into consideration. My husband also helps out with specific tasks such as gardening, house maintenance, making the boy's lunches and doing dishes, so I have not included these on my list.
Sundays are my no housework day, where I can enjoy time with my family, get some craft done, and do my meal planning for the following week.
Daily tasks:
Wipe down all food surfaces
Hang out a load of washing, fold and put away
Tidy up paper piles and computer desk
Load and unload dishwasher
Take out the rubbish
General pick up of toys, books and general mess when the boys are in the shower
Vacuum living and dining areas- with two boys I tend to vacuum around our dining table and in the toy area daily, but leave the full vacuum until Thursday.
Monday: Bathrooms. Clean showers, bathtub, sinks and toilets. Clean all towels, bathmats, facecloths.
Tuesday: Windows and Glass. Clean all windows, bathroom and bedroom mirrors, and glass partition in kitchen.
Wednesday: Dusting and Ironing. Dust all surfaces during 30 minute block during the day. Iron for 30 minutes at night when the boys are in bed.
Thursday: Floors. Vacuum house, mop bathrooms, laundry and kitchen, sweep out garage.
Friday: Kitchen. Wipe down fridge, microwave, oven and all bench surfaces, tidy up pantry.
Saturday: Bedrooms. Strip beds, clean sheets, put new linen on all beds. Tidy up clothes, toys and dresser surfaces.
First Saturday of each month: Monthly task. This is from Of The Hearth, and I follow this for my monthly deep clean. I find this more useful than a spring clean, as it seems more manageable to do something once a month rather than putting it off until Spring. Looks like I will be in the bathrooms tomorrow!
How have you found a cleaning schedule that works for you? Do you have one task a day, or leave housework until the weekends? I would love to know how you manage cleaning, leave me a comment below.
I like that you have sweeping the garage floor once a week, I am currently working on cleaning out our garage and I haven't swept that floor in AWHILE. Yikes... So, since I've put so much work into it, I should add sweeping it as a once a week chore. I do my cleaning a little differently, but it is always neat to hear how others do theirs.
ReplyDelete