Home Cleaning Schedule & Checklist

More than a “cleaning schedule” this a “keep the household running relatively smoothly” list. I made this for myself about 2 years ago and kept it in the notes section of my phone for a long time. Some days I have lots of energy and cleaning sounds fun (??) and I go crazy and do a bunch of these things. Other days, I stare at a pile of dishes and laundry all day, and it’s still there when I wake up the next morning.

The list is just a reminder for my tired, distracted, pre-occupied mom brain. I think it works for me because it provides a little direction, and I looooove to cross things off a list. It’s flexible, as my work schedule is different each week. It’s not so much meant to make your home look like a page out of Better Homes and Gardens, but to save you from spending 4 hours on a precious Saturday folding laundry..

Daily:

-unload/load dishwasher
-Wipe down kitchen and bathroom surfaces
-check laundry status (do something there…anything….)
-clear off the dining room table before going to bed
-take out garbage
-all toys put away before bedtime
-sweep the floor

Weekly:

Monday-Deal with all of the mail that has piled up over the last week. Make appointments, pay bills, file things, and recycle unnecessary papers.

Tuesday– Clean the tub/shower/toilet. Wipe all doorknobs in the house

Wednesday– clean the hard floors. (See my previous post about uses for white vinegar for an AWESOME floor cleaner.) Sometimes (ahem, most of the time..) I only have time for spot cleaning.

Thursday– Meal plan for next week. Clean out the fridge.

Friday– Dust. Go grocery shopping. (Yes, I spend many Friday evenings grocery shopping. Because I don’t have any other exciting plans and everyone else does, the stores are super quiet. Costco on Friday nights is like a cocktail party for pregnant ladies. But don’t tell anyone….I don’t want to ruin the good thing I’ve got going on.)

Saturday-Vacuum the house, wash bedding.

Sunday– Get work clothes ready for the week ahead. Meal prep for the next couple of days (You can read my post about how I started saving money when I stopped meal prepping here…) Make lunches.

Monthly:

(These are things I do once a month, usually during the first week at some point, just to stay somewhat consistent.)

-Vacuum under the fridge
-Pull out the couch, clean floor underneath and under couch cushions.
-Clean windows. (At least the parts my kids have licked or stuck a PB & J to.)
-Go through kids clothes (since they are CONSTANTLY growing out of things).
-Reorganize the tupperware cupboard, since somehow it decides to self-destruct every couple of weeks.
-wipe down baseboards and walls

Seasonal:

Spring: wash outside windows, till and fertilize garden, change furnace filter, clean window curtains and shades

Summer: enjoy all of the work you do the rest of the year!, flip your mattress

Fall: clean and put away patio furniture, clean out gutters, winterize outdoor faucets and sprinklers, change your furnace filter, clean out/maintain your fireplace

Winter: clean out dryer vents, flip your mattress, do a check on your smoke/carbon monoxide detectors

I made some lovely printable versions of the lists, and there are even blank spaces for you to fill in things that are specific to your home. I printed them in color at Kinkos, laminated and punched a hole in them, and they’re hanging in our kitchen. Here’s why this is awesome.. you can put check marks next to the things you’ve done, so other people in your household can look at it admiringly and be like “wow! look at how hard she’s worked around here today! I’m going to pull my own weight and finish up the rest of these tasks!”

Hahahaha. Ok, yeah right. But either way, it’s still pretty useful and I love to have things like this right in front of me. It really does keep me on track, somehow!

If you want instant access to the printables, find the sign up box in this post and they’ll get delivered to your inbox!

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