Create a Cleaning Schedule That Works for You

There are any number of cleaning schedules available in housekeeping books or homemaking blogs. And they can certainly offer a good starting place. But everyone’s situation is unique so there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all when it comes to a cleaning schedule that will work for YOU. 

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How to Create a Cleaning Schedule That Works for YOU!

1. The first step in creating a cleaning schedule that works for you and your household is to ask yourself a few questions:

– How do I want my home to feel on a daily basis? 

– Which household cleaning tasks need to be done for me to feel comfortable and relaxed in my home?

– How often do those tasks need to be done? 

– How much time do I have or am I willing to devote to cleaning on a daily and weekly basis?

– What are my top priorities? If I only have 30 minutes, which tasks will make the most difference to me?

 

No two households share the same priorities or challenges so it’s not reasonable to expect someone else’s cleaning schedule will work in your home.

For instance, in a home with several little children it’s likely that the floor under and around the table will need to be swept or vacuumed every day while a retired couple might get away with once a week. 

The size of the home, the number and ages of those who live there, whether everyone is home all day or everyone goes off to work and school for 8+ hours, the presence of pets, and numerous other factors all play a role in how often certain things need to be done. 

2. Once you have a good handle on your family’s situation, preferences and priorities, it’s time to start creating a schedule. Here are some things to take into consideration:

– Do you want to do a little each day or schedule one or two big cleaning sessions a week? If you work long, full-time hours you may need to do the bulk of the cleaning on the weekend while a stay-at-home homemaker may prefer spreading out tasks over the week. Health concerns play a role here, as well. If you have a chronic illness it’s likely you wont have the energy for 4 hour cleaning marathons on a single day. 

Homemaking With Chronic Illness – 10 Helpful Tips

– Take into account such things as trash pick-up day, your grocery and errand day(s), etc. For instance, if you routinely shop for groceries on Thursday mornings, consider scheduling weekly refrigerator cleaning on Wednesdays. 

3. Make a list of everything you need to do on a daily basis to keep your home in comfortable running order. Don’t get overly ambitious at this point. Keep it to the essentials and you can always do more if you have the time and energy. Here is an example but remember, this is YOUR home. 

Daily

• make beds
• wash dishes
• tidy up
• sweep kitchen
• take out garbage
• load of laundry

4. Create a list of weekly or bi-weekly cleaning tasks. You can assign these tasks to specific days on a regular basis which is the best option for creating good habits. However, if your days and weeks are subject to wild fluctuations in terms of schedule another option is to have a checklist and just fit these in where it works best each week. Here are some household cleaning tasks which might be included in your weekly list:

Weekly

• clean bathrooms
• dust
• vacuum
• mop
• change sheets
• clean out refrigerator

5. Consider household tasks which only need to be done on a monthly, seasonal or annual basis. Keep a list of these and schedule the ones that need to be done routinely (changing air filters, for instance) on your calendar. Otherwise, as you plan your week take a look at the list and see if there is anything on it that needs to be done and can be fit into that week’s schedule. 

Some people have monthly and seasonal tasks on a strict schedule and that might be a good idea if you tend to overlook things. But you can also just do these things when you notice bugs in the light fixtures or streaked windows. It’s up to you. Remember…this is YOUR house. Here are some things that might go on a monthly or seasonal list:

Monthly or Seasonal

• wash windows
• wax floors
• wash curtains
• clean light fixtures
• replace A/C filters
• deep clean appliances

If creating a cleaning schedule is new to you, give yourself a lot of grace. Don’t expect to have the perfect schedule right off the bat. You’ll need to work your plan, evaluate and adjust. And even when you get everything figured out and it’s all rolling along smoothly, expect something to change at some point. Life is not static so we need to be flexible. 

Once you have your daily, weekly and seasonal cleaning schedules created, add them to your homemaking binder. 

How to Create Your Own Homemaking Binder

For lots of help in creating cleaning routines, check out:

The FlyLady

 

There are many YouTube videos about cleaning schedules. Here is one by “How Jen Does It”:

My House Cleaning Schedule and My Zones

 

 

 

You may also enjoy:

How To Create Your Own Homemaking Binder

The FlyLady Method: Basic Weekly Plan