Cleaning Up - Week 1: Create a Cleaning Schedule

Just thinking about cleaning the entire house in one day makes me exhausted. For Week 1 of our cleaning series, we are going to make the task of cleaning a little less daunting by creating a cleaning schedule. Having a cleaning schedule allows you to tackle a little bit each day. It also reduces the amount of cleaning you have to do if company is coming over on short notice. Anything that reduces stress in life is welcome in my mind!

There are many different ways you can create a cleaning schedule. I have my cleaning tasks split into Daily, Every Other Week, and Deep Clean.

DAILY
Make Beds, Wash Dishes, Wipe Kitchen Counters and Table, Tidy Clutter
With the exception of making the beds, I do these tasks right before I go to bed. By doing this, I wake up feeling like I can truly start my day instead of having these simple tasks already on my to do list.

EVERY OTHER WEEK
Week 1:                                          Week 2:
Mon - Garbage/Recycling             Mon - Garbage/Recycling
Tues - Master Bath                        Tues - Microwave/Toaster
Wed - Half Bath                             Wed - Dust
Thurs - Guest Bath                        Thurs - Vacuum
Fri - General Laundry                  Fri - Sheets & Towels
I felt like cleaning the same areas every week was too much, so I created my weekly cleaning schedule to operate over a two week period. This allows me to be able to spread out the tasks over 10 days instead of just 5. You'll notice I don't have anything scheduled for Saturday or Sunday. I use Saturday as a catch up day (it is rare that I actually do every task on its assigned day for an entire week) and also for my Deep Clean tasks (more on that later). I think Sunday should be spent with family, so that is why nothing is scheduled on that day.

DEEP CLEAN
January: Office                  July: Family Room
February: Coat Closet       August: Master Bedroom
March: Kitchen                  September: Guest Bedroom
April: Pantry                      October: Kids Bedroom
May: Garage                      November: Bathrooms
June: Living Room             December: Laundry Room
I have devoted one room for each month of the year. It just so happened to work out perfectly for the number of rooms we have in our house. When I say deep clean, I am talking about the tasks you probably wouldn't do every week, like wiping blinds and baseboards, cleaning the fridge, freezer, and stove, etc. Now yes, I realize some of you just realized I only have scheduled once a year to clean my fridge (in March, when I have scheduled to clean the kitchen). If it is July and I notice the fridge could use a good cleaning, I am more than likely not going to wait until March to clean it and that is okay. But by having a schedule, I know it will get cleaned at least once a year. 

Printable Check Sheets
I have created check sheets for my cleaning schedule so that I can mark off when I complete each task. It helps me keep track of what I have done, in case I miss a day. Also, I don't do all of my Deep Clean tasks on one day, so I have a check box for each type of task for each room. I have included my check sheets for you here. Feel free to follow my schedule and print them as they are (Weekly or Deep), or download and edit them to fit your family (weekly Schedule is on the first tab and the Deep Clean Schedule is on the second). Below are previews of the printable schedules:

 

Test Your Schedule
Commit to your cleaning schedule for at least a month. At the end, evaluate what worked and what didn't work and make changes accordingly. You may find that it makes more sense for you to vacuum the upstairs and downstairs on different days, or clean the guest bathroom only when company comes because nobody in your house uses it.

Cleaning Schedule Alternative
If you don't want to get this detailed in creating a cleaning schedule, commit to cleaning for a set amount of time each day. Set a timer for 15 or 30 minutes. Whatever you can get done in that amount of time is what gets done.


Next week, we will cover stocking a cleaning caddy.