After starting to use a cleaning schedule this past May, I really learned a few things about my cleaning preferences and what makes sense for our household. After studying and trying the methods of Clean Mama and A Bull Full of Lemons, I’ve decided that there is something appealing about committing to just one task each day (Clean Mama) instead of repeating the full spectrum of tasks each time you go room to room (A Bowl Full of Lemons). However! I still love ABFL approach to giving each room a deep and comprehensive clean and organizing session each month so I’m still going to do that! I figure with a weekly dusting, vacuuming and mopping, a comprehensive clean of each room should take half the time. If you’d like a more detailed explanation, give this post a read!
Daily Tasks
So, let’s talk about the daily tasks. Daily tasks, like their name suggests, get done every day Sunday to Saturday. These tasks include:
- Make the bed(s)
Making the bed doesn’t take long at all, but it makes such a big difference. Our room feels so much less cluttered and so much more tidy when our bed is made.
- At least one load of laundry (washed, dried, folded and put away)
A load a day keeps the overwhelm away. Once I started doing this it really changed the way I feel about laundry! One thing we’ve started doing that has really helped is, as we choose a shirt from our closet, G and I take the empty hanger and hang it in a specific place in the closet. Then, when I go to do laundry, I just grab the empty hangers and hang them in the laundry room. That way, as I’m taking shirts out of the dryer, I just hang them on a hanger right then and there. I set aside his button-down shirts for work to be ironed and then just take the rest straight to the closet to hang! It may not sound like much, but it makes the whole folding/putting away process so much easier, faster and less daunting!
- Clear clutter
It doesn’t take long for things to gather at the foot of our stairs or on our kitchen countertops in a single day. So I take a few minutes each day and clear anything that doesn’t belong. Putting toys in designated baskets also helps keep away that cluttered look and feel.
- Floor Maintenance
In the most high traffic areas of your home, just whip out a vacuum or a broom and tend to those area(s). I take this hard floor vacuum out two or sometimes even three times a day and go over the kitchen area where the dogs are always coming in and out.
- Wipe down counters
We eat most breakfast, lunch and dinner meals here so I try to give the counters a quick wipe down after each one. If not during the day though, I make sure I do them after dinner while G is tackling the dishes.
So that’s daily tasks. Do them all at once or little by little each day. Either way, its going to make a big difference in your home!
Weekly Tasks
For me, there are also weekly tasks that get done on the weekends. Let me walk through them real quick:
- Bathe Dogs
We have two dogs who get pretty dirty in our yard throughout the week. Keeping them clean helps to keep our floors, couch, bed and rugs clean too! - Meal Plan & Prep
As I mention in this post, I take some time to plan out our week’s meals on Saturday, then go grocery shopping and prep food for lunches, dinners and snacks on Sunday evenings. This isn’t really a “cleaning” task, but it’s something that I do each week that makes my life and week easier so I thought I’d include it here. - Wash Couch
We have a white couch with removable washable covers so to keep up with the craziness of our household I try to wash the covers every weekend. Sometimes I’ll skip a weekend depending on how they look, but the point is that I give it some attention if need be! - Clean Kitchen
I give the kitchen a good thorough cleaning once a week on Sunday nights after I’m done meal prepping. This cleaning includes stove, appliances, sink, kitchen mats, cupboard doors, countertops, backsplashes and anything else that may need tending to. You’ll notice Kitchen is also in bold on one of my days throughout the month on this calendar too. That’s because once a month I’ll do an even more thorough cleaning where I’ll tidy cupboards, reorganize things, clean the oven, etc. - Wipe Out/Purge Fridge
This gets done on Saturdays after I’ve made my grocery list and know what I need/don’t need. I’ll get rid of stale produce, old leftovers, etc. take everything out and give the fridge a good wipe down so that it’s ready to receive new food and groceries the next day. Doing this every week ensures a clean and decluttered fridge and its such a nice feeling when you come home from the store and don’t have to fight the fridge for space!
That’s weekly tasks! Usually I’ll break them up throughout the weekend like this:
Saturday:
Meal Plan
Bathe Dogs
Wipe Out/Purge Fridge
Sunday:
Wash Couch
Bathe Dogs
Meal Prep
Clean Kitchen
The Calendar
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Now, let’s talk about the calendar itself. Each day has a specific task assigned to it (i.e., Mondays are bathrooms, Tuesdays are for dusting, etc.). Those are the regular font items. I just perform that task throughout the whole house on its assigned today. You’ll notice Fridays are a Catch-up/Miscellaneous day – and that just means I’ll do anything I may not have gotten to during the week.
But the ones in bold are the rooms in the house that get their monthly thorough cleaning. That’s where the cleaning cards come in. I love these cards because they act as a checklist for all the things that should get done in a room. No having to think about it, no forgetting, just simply move through the list and voila! You’ve got a tidy, clean and organized room when you’re done.
Here’s an example of one of my cleaning cards.
DINING ROOM
- Clean window
- Wipe down baseboards
- Dust buffet
- Dust chairs
- Wipe down table
- Dust light
- Vacuum/Mop
Your cards and tasks may look the same or different – just customize them to your home and what makes sense for you and your family!
I hope this all has made sense. Come along with me on my Instagram stories this month as I clean and organize our home! Have questions or comments? I’d be happy to field them below!
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