August 22, 2019

My Cleaning Schedule (for the day, week, month, and year)


Okay, I realize this is the most boring topic of all topics, but I spent some time working on it lately, so I thought I'd share it here. As you know, I spent eight months working on my house almost every single day to give it a huge makeover, and I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. I'm still doing some tweaks here and there to the house (and of course, I love taking on new projects where I can find them).

However, after all the work I put in, I want to keep it looking its best. Rather than just winging it like I've always done, I came up with a schedule (you know I love checklists!) to keep it clean. If I do a little each day, it won't feel so daunting.

So, I wrote up a checklist for daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly cleaning. And here is what I came up with. Looking at the list, it seems like a lot for each day--but the whole routine only takes about 60 minutes spread throughout the day. I'm certainly not perfect in following this, but it's a good reference point each day.

DAILY

One load of laundry
Make beds
Clean out the litter box
Wipe down counters and sinks in kitchen and bathrooms
Tidy up
Take out trash/recycling as needed
Wash dishes (load/unload dishwasher)
Quick sweep of floor

WEEKLY:

MONDAY (Master Bedroom)
Clean windows and blinds
Vacuum, including along baseboards
Dust surfaces
Rotate couch cushions
Wash bedding
Tidy closets

TUESDAY (Kids' Bedrooms)
Clean windows and blinds
Vacuum, including along baseboards
Dust surfaces
Wash bedding
Tidy closets

WEDNESDAY (Kitchen and Pantry)
Clean windows and sliding door
Wipe down cabinets and walls
Wipe down appliances
Sweep and mop
Clean oven, stove, and microwave
Quick clean out of fridge (expired food)
Tidy pantry
Wipe out trash bin
Clean pet bowls

THURSDAY (Bathrooms)
Clean mirrors
Clean bathtub/shower
Sweep and mop floors
Clean toilets
Change trash lining

FRIDAY (Living Room & Dining Room)
Sweep and mop floor
Dust surfaces
Clean windows and blinds
Clean the front door

SATURDAY (Laundry Room)
Change out litter in box
Vacuum with hose along floorboards
Sweep and mop the floor
Vacuum with hose behind washer and dryer
Vacuum lint trap
Clean the exterior door

MONTHLY (SUNDAYS):
(First Sunday) - Wipe down walls and baseboards
(Second Sunday) - Tidy and clean out cupboards
(Third Sunday) - Deep clean the refrigerator
(Fourth Sunday) - Clean/tidy the garage

YEARLY
Clean out gutters
Touch up or replace caulk where needed
Go through closets and donate unused clothing



I'm sure there are things I'll be adding throughout the months as I realize what I've forgotten, but this is what I came up with for now. Looking at the list makes it seem like a Cinderella-list, but honestly it's not that bad, haha. I uploaded a PDF (which you can find here) in case anyone wants to use it for inspiration to create a list as well.

Anyway, as I wrote on my last post, I actually did run on Tuesday (on the treadmill--it's too humid to have any desire to run outside). And right now, I actually feel like doing it again. So I'm going to! :)

11 comments:

  1. You should check out the Fly Lady system. It's similar. I found her through The Secret Slob's youtube videos.

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  2. I am exhausted just reading this.

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  3. Omg Katie, this is so freaky, no lie last night when I went to bed, I told my husband I was going to come up with a cleaning schedule. I had a couple of girlfriends over last night so of course the couple days leading up to Thursday I was in a cleaning frenzy. And after they left, I told my husband I was sick of frantically trying to clean up before guests come over and I think I should make a schedule and stick to it. And then I woke up to this blog post notification in my email! I think this is definietly a sign I need to stick to some cleaning habits ;) Execellent post! I'm going to draw a little inspiration from this to start my own schedule!

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  4. So glad to hear you're running again! And your cleaning schedule is making me think I need one when we start homeschooling for the year again.

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  5. Great list, and a great idea! I'm a wing it kind of person too and lately I haven't been cleaning as much as I would like. I need to get back into a routine.

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  6. You can be proud of all the work you put into your house. I love everything you did. That's a really good list. I like a clean house too but have never made a detailed list. I was able to walk outside one day this week, but it's been too humid outside here too. I'm a non-runner, but I admire those of you who run.

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  7. I like this! I might try this even as a single homeowner, shit never gets done! haha, so I might implement this. <3

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  8. I live in a house with 3 men, If I cleaned my toilets once a week they would look like a truck stop bathroom. I seriously have to wipe the powder room down most every day, but I can't stand pee on a toilet! As custom home builders, I applaud you for doing your caulking once a year. Most homeowners don't even know this needs to be done, especially in front of the tub, they call when they have water dripping out of their downstairs can lights!

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  9. Love this! I'm excellent at making my lists. Actually completing the said lists on the other hand....I am a work in progress, lol.

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  10. Love these! A few suggestions to add, only because I recently did all these things and they're easy to forget:
    ~Rotate (and/or flip, depending on style) you mattress - every 6 months
    ~Clean the coffee pot, garbage disposal, dishwasher (if you have one) once a month. They make special garbage disposal pods and dishwasher cleaning tabs. For the coffee pot I mix equal parts vinegar and water, run a cycle, then run 2-3 cycles of just water.
    ~Change the HVAC air filter. My apt complex provides us with a complimentary one every month, so I do this pretty frequently.
    ~Snake your drains every couple months. I have long hair that sheds like crazy so you might be able to get away with less often.
    ~Ceiling fan blades, if you have any. I'm TERRIBLE at remembering this which is probably why my allergies suck lol.

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