Create a Simple and Easy Cleaning Schedule For Your Home

You might hear me mention this several times but I feel like cleaning my house is the very road leading to insanity. Seriously? You do the laundry, only to turn around and find MORE dirty clothes. You spend a ridiculous amount of time in the kitchen to get it spotless and sigh a great sigh of relief… 30 minutes later… THERE ARE DIRTY DISHES! It’s like there is a messy troll that lives in my house and creates chores for me to do. 

That’s how it feels anyway, the truth is I have three rambunctious boys, am pregnant with our fourth baby and my husband works an insane amount of hours. We do what we can. And that’s why I needed a simple and easy cleaning schedule. 

Something that worked for our family and how we operated day-to-day but didn’t take all of my time. I know there are some that like to clean but this mama isn’t one of them, I will do almost anything else. But I do love a clean house so I had to figure out something. 

Before we get started, let me say that the routine I am about to share is what works for me. How you are going to be successful you need to figure out what works for you. You don’t necessarily need to reinvent the wheel but adapt or piece together a working system that grooves to your specific rhythm. 

That might look like cleaning the whole house in one day, doing basic maintenance throughout the week, and then repeat. You might do a little a day or split it into a morning and evening routine. The bottom line there is no right or wrong way to clean and maintain your house, the goal is to keep your sanity and keep it manageable so you can put your focus on other things that are probably far more enjoyable. 

What to Clean & When

Alright, so if you are like me you get overwhelmed by the constant revolving list that is house cleaning and deep cleaning every nook and cranny. Therefore, I had to hash out what needed to be done daily, and weekly as well as those things that only needed to be done once in a while like monthly or twice a year. Remember we want a simple and easy cleaning schedule, something that allows for those times when our routine gets out of whack or life happens. 

Let’s get to it.

Daily Cleaning Schedule

Tasks to do daily

• Clean the kitchen 
• One load of laundry
• Make beds
• Check floors and vacuum/sweep if needed
• Pick up toys and clutter
• One chore from the weekly cleaning schedule

I split my daily cleaning schedule into a morning and early evening routine while doing that one chore from my weekly schedule sometime during the day, preferably in the morning so it’s done and I can focus on other things. 

Morning Cleaning Schedule

• Unload the dishwasher
• Load the dishwasher (if necessary) usually while I am making breakfast
• Start one load of laundry
• Make beds
• Vacuum and/or sweep the main area (I have three big dogs, one small dog, two cats, and three boys… yea… it’s necessary especially with hardwood floors.)
• Put previous day’s laundry away if necessary

Evening Cleaning Schedule

• Put toys away and tidy the main area (15 mins tidy time) before dinner
• Clean up after dinner (15 mins to put food away, load dishwasher, etc)
• Fold laundry and put away (putting the laundry away is dependant on whether my boys are in bed already or not so sometimes that happens in the morning)

Breakdown the daily cleaning schedule

Cleaning the kitchen

I sometimes feel like my entire mental health is correlated to the state of my house but especially my kitchen. The more dishes there are, the more tense and anxious I become. Clean kitchen, I feel like everything is right in the world. The problem is, I hate doing dishes and so does my husband, we despise it, don’t ask me why because I have no logical rationale for that but that’s our reality

It’s really sad to think this is a daily task but what are you going to do? 

To keep the kitchen manageable, I include tasks for this area in my morning and evening cleaning schedule. Again, I hate it but I love a clean kitchen so…. Moving on, usually in the morning while I am cooking breakfast I put away the load from the previous night while also tidying as I cook… if I can. If I can’t, it’s not a big deal because I can either do the dishes after breakfast or ignore it until the evening if I am running behind. I, at least, wipe the counters down and contain the mess (dishes) to a small area near my sink.

Laundry

Last one.. I promise

Seriously I love the laundry memes, they may resonate with me a little too much sometimes.

When I see a big pile of laundry I tend to run in the opposite direction and then the folding and putting away doesn’t happen for a very long time. Sometimes the clean pile disappears only because we are pulling our clothes out to wear (cough, cough…) Needless to say, doing a laundry day doesn’t work for me, maybe it does for you and that’s great, you do you! 

So I start a load in the morning, pop it in the dryer sometime during the day and then deal with it in the evening. Doing one load a day makes it feel much more manageable and doesn’t consume your whole day. 

There are times that I can get it done before our bedtime routine starts and I can put it all away, other times I don’t get to it until the boys are asleep so I fold, put away what I can without disturbing the kiddos and save the rest for in the morning. Usually, the laundry that needs to be put away in the morning takes less than five minutes to do so it’s not a big deal for it to be tacked onto my morning cleaning route. 

Making the beds

Okay, I’m going to be honest, I really don’t do this step at this stage of my life. I do help my boys with their beds; it takes less than five minutes and is a part of their morning routine for getting ready for the day. 

I don’t make my bed because my one-year-old and occasionally my three-year-old still naps. Our bed tends to be their napping area, that’s where they seem to get the best rest so I roll with it. So I don’t see the point in making my bed when in just a few short hours I am going to mess it up again. As a result, I just let my bed be messy and “not made” for now. Once we are out of the little kid/nap phase, making my bed might become a thing but for now that’s what works for our family and it doesn’t bother me so we move on. 

Vacuum/Sweep

This task is on both my daily and weekly cleaning schedule. Daily is more of a check the status of my floors and sweep if necessary. As I said, I have quite the circus here so normally I do a sweep of the main area because that’s where 95% of the traffic is. Then vacuuming or sweeping bedrooms can go on the weekly cleaning schedule. 

Put toys away and our 15-minute tidy time

My kids aren’t quite old enough to grasp the idea of cleaning up in the evening without a little help. Since that’s the case here at my house, after I make dinner, I set the timer for 15 minutes, and the kids and I go around the main area and tidy up. If we got any toys out in the main area, we put those away as well. 

When we first moved to the house we are currently in, we had the toys in the living room and that was a nightmare for me! Every day it looked like a toy bomb had gone off, even though we rotate boxes of toys. For my sanity, I converted our guest bedroom into a playroom. Hands down the best decision I have made in a while. Having a playroom confined the mess and all I have to do is shut the door if we have company and the boys can keep the projects they are working on intact for a little while longer.

Anywho, just a 15 minute tidy-up is all we do before dinner, the kids seem to be more focused because it’s clean up and then straight to the table for dinner. 

Weekly Cleaning Schedule

This is that one chore a day schedule, just to keep up with the house but break it down so it feels manageable. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, I would love to clean the house all in one day but that’s not realistic for me. 

Doing too much one day means a two or three day recovery and I have lost all the progress. So one chore a day keeps the dirt and dust bunnies away. I get to maintain my sanity as well as stay within the limit of what I can do AND not be in pain.

Why did I mention this? Well I don’t want you reading this and thinking you have to do exactly what I do or what anyone else does. I am showing you what I do hoping that it will give you some kind of reference so you can figure out what works best for you. Only you will know what will work and what won’t. This post is only to serve as inspiration or a base where you can start. Of course, if my schedule works for you then take it and run with it. 

The goal is for us parents to have a little less stress in our lives.

So here is my weekly cleaning routine:

Monday	Bathrooms
Tuesday	Dust & Boys’ room
Wednesday	Vacuum & Playroom
Thursday	Master Bedroom
Friday	Tidy, organize
Saturday	Mop
Sunday	Family day, we chill today

I feel like this is fairly self-explanatory, my daily and weekly cleaning schedules are based on the setup of my house. The daily schedule deals mainly with the main area/ high traffic area of my house; my living room, dining room, and kitchen. On the other hand, my weekly schedule deals with the rest of the house; the bedrooms, bathrooms, and the floors as a whole.

Monthly cleaning schedule

Obviously this consists of the chores that don’t need to be done all the time but just needs a checkup once in a while. This includes:

• Vacuuming the couch
• Cleaning the vacuum
• Washing bed sheets
• Cleaning out fridge
• Cleaning out the kitchen cabinets

Stuff like that. Check out my editable cleaning schedule printout. I print it out so I can check off what has been done so far and what I have left before the end of the month. 

Feel free to add what applies to you and subtract what doesn’t. 

Bi-annual cleaning

Our bi-annual routine is a lot like my monthly routine… sort of. The items on this list are things that need doing but will probably take longer than 15 or 30 minutes and go under the “spring cleaning list.” For me, this bi-annual cleaning happens in April and October and includes:

• Cleaning the oven; inside and behind it.
• Cleaning behind the refrigerator
• Cleaning the windows

These are things I have to enlist the help of my husband so we can just make the day out of this list. Because our daily and weekly cleaning routine keeps the house neat and tidy, we can skip a day and it won’t blow up the house.

Tools in your cleaning arsenal

• Cleaning cloths- I just use old dish towels or clothes. Nothing fancy here.
• Toilet scrubber
• Vacuum/broom- I have a Dyson vacuum (an older canister vacuum), a regular broom/dustpan, and a microfiber broom
• Mop- I use Moppsy Pro, I have saved so much money on this bad boy. It’s super easy to use and I don’t have to mess with the dirty mop water.
• Blueland cleaning products- I love this company, they strive for little to zero waste. Super simple, three cleaners; all purpose, bathroom, and glass/mirror. 
• Disinfectant: I dilute On-Guard with water in a spray bottle. 

One tip to make your cleaning schedule work, no matter what your schedule is…

One word… declutter. It’s hard to clean around the clutter and may mean that you are spending more time picking things up which means less time cleaning. Or worse, before you realize it you are spending another day just cleaning and feel like you haven’t made a dent. 

This is something that when you start the decluttering, you might feel like that problem is getting worse before it actually gets better. However once you have decluttered your house, you will be surprised how much easier it is to clean and maintain your house. To avoid the overwhelm that can certainly happen during the initial decluttering process, go one room at a time. 

If there is a room that is bothering you the most, start there; start a box for things to donate/sell, another for trash/stuff that’s broken, etc. I absolutely love the minimalist approach, everything has a specific place. If it doesn’t then you either find it a space in your home and if there isn’t space for it then you need to get rid of it, or get rid of something else to make the space. 

This is another aspect that makes cleaning a breeze because you don’t have to think where everything goes or where you are going to stuff it. You already know where it goes because it has a home or place in your house. Another plus is that your kids will be able to help clean as well since everything has a place, they will pick up on where everything goes because it goes to the same place every time.

Why should you have a cleaning schedule?

In the past, I have tried to wing it. Before kids, it wasn’t a big deal, I would just pick a day and clean the whole place. As we had kiddos, things got a little more complicated. I also tried a plethora of times to establish a cleaning schedule and they all failed. Don’t ask me why, it might have had something to do with unrealistic expectations and trying schedules or routines that didn’t work with our life but who knows.

Once I let go of doing it how everyone else does it and became okay with the house not being 100% perfect everyday then I found my groove. Life is good as long as 80% of my house is clean 80% of the time especially if it only takes 20% effort. 

What am I saying? Having a cleaning schedule that works with you saves you time, energy and most importantly gets rid of the stress. You don’t have to think of a game plan every time because you already have a plan. At the beginning, don’t be afraid to change something that isn’t working for you; amend, subtract, add, do whatever until the cleaning routine works for you and your family.

What does a good cleaning schedule look like?

This might be redundant but the best cleaning schedule is whatever routine works for you. There’s no checklist that you have to have. A good cleaning schedule elevates your stress when it comes to keeping your house neat and tidy and incorporates well into your lifestyle, that’s it.

Please don’t compare yourself to others, that just adds to your stress that somehow you are failing when you are not. Your house doesn’t have to be perfect so decide what level of “crazy” you are okay with and go from there. 

Me? I am okay with having toys or puzzles out during the day, we just pick it up before dinner. I want my children to play and enjoy being home. I don’t want them becoming anxious because they can’t be themselves just because I have to keep my house perfect, in my brain that would make me a failure. My house and the chores will always be here. 

My kids, on the other hand, are only here for a short amount of time and I want them to love and enjoy being home because they can be themselves even if that means sometimes it gets a little crazy around here. I want to enjoy being home and feel like I can spend that quality time with my husband and my little ones without stressing in the back of my mind about the never-ending cleaning to-do list.

How do I make a cleaning schedule?

I have a terrible memory so I could have an epiphany and forget it after taking care of just life. Same goes for my cleaning schedule, who knows how many fantastic cleaning schedules I made in my head and because I didn’t write it down they have flitted away. 

To resolve this, I just made a simple word document, printed it off, and hung it on my refrigerator for easy reference. If you are like me and need something to keep you on track then feel free to download this document and edit it to make it work for you.

Additional Tidbits

What if I am feeling so overwhelmed with the mess. Where do I start?

If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a five minute break and let your brain relax. Most of us don’t work really well while being overwhelmed. Rather than push through and snap. Go get a drink, sit down and breathe. After a little five minute break, ask yourself what part of the house is bugging you the most? Probably the instant you ask this question, the answer popped into your brain. Don’t think about what you are going to do next, just focus on the area that is bugging you. 

If you are just starting out in the attempt to establish a cleaning routine, magic won’t happen that first day. Give yourself some time to catch up and declutter. The magic will happen in time.

How do I keep up with my house if I work full-time?

This is tough and there isn’t going to be one right answer. Everyone’s work schedule is different as well as lifestyle and family/home dynamic. Do you have someone that you live with so you can divide and conquer? Can you do a little in the morning and a little at night to keep the chaos at bay while finding time to do bigger projects here and there? 

Remember, it’s okay if you need a trial and error period. Find a groove that works for you, work is probably stressful enough you don’t need to come home to more stress because you have MORE work to do. Don’t worry, you will find your groove. Research how others keep up and then take what you like and discard what doesn’t apply to you. Make a word document or download this one and edit as you go until you have something that is working for you.

Is it okay to have a messy house?

YES!!! It is totally okay. My house will never be picture perfect, I have three kids with another on the way, four dogs, two cats and a partridge in a pear tree. Okay I am kidding about the bird. But I still have a circus and I love my circus just not the disaster that my circus can create. I don’t mind stuff littered over my house, I just want my house CLEAN. A messy house doesn’t necessarily mean a dirty house.

Once I became okay with my house being lived in, a lot of my stress went away. I know that might sound silly but there is a certain level of mess associated with just living. I suppose we could clean our house and then live outside so it stayed perfect all the time (and sometimes I do feel that way) but that’s not going to happen. You have to find some peace and determine what level of mess you can be okay with. 

I ALWAYS have some dishes in my kitchen ready to be cleaned. As long as they don’t overtake my kitchen, I am okay. I always have toys somewhere and everywhere in my house, hiding in weird places or out in plain sight. I have three young kids, it’s a thing right now, and that’s okay. If someone comes into my home and judges me for that, oh well, then they might not be my people.

I don’t need to impress anyone and neither do you, no one needs that kind of stress in their life. We need more people in our lives that are like, “Hey, life is hard. Sometimes the house is a mess and that’s okay. My house is a mess sometimes, your house is a mess sometimes and that’s the same for almost everyone. I am here to hang with you, not your house.” Or better yet, having a friend who will have a cleaning party with you so you can actually enjoy cleaning for once.

You can do this!

Find what works for you. A cleaning schedule shouldn’t give you anxiety nor should keeping up with your house make you want to run and buy a new house. Start small and don’t feel like you have to reinvent the wheel entirely. Find out what others are doing and incorporate what you like and see if it works for you. Declutter and remember less stuff means less to do. Write your routine down so you don’t have to wrack your brain everyday, multiple times a day. 

Before you know it, your cleaning schedule will become a habit and cleaning will no longer be a stressor. It will be glorious!!

Until next time! Check out more at our Eccentric Lifestyle ‘s Mama’s Corner