How to Make and Conquer Your Cleaning Routine

I have no problem keeping my house tidy. You can read about how I keep my home tidy here. I like everything in its place and everything in its space. But a tidy house and a clean house are two different things. The cleaning tasks are what I struggle with. 

I can’t recall the last time I mopped the front entryway. The blinds through out the house have a layer of dust so thick you can draw pictures on them 😛 My kids think that’s a fun way to entertain themselves. Who doesn’t like to see simley faces on their blinds?

My shower lets me know it’s time to be cleaned when that pinky mold starts to appear in the corners. I’m sure I just grossed you out a little. Many of my friends reading this will be surprised that my home is not clean. They think my house is clean when in reality it’s just tidy. 

Having a clean home is something I want to improve on. I’m ready to get more serious about keeping my house clean. Creating a checklist and schedule for each area of the house is what I need to stay on track.

Growing Up

I think how we grew up and how our parents taught and trained us has influence on our cleaning tasks now. 

For me growing up we had a family cleaning day. Every Saturday morning/afternoon was cleaning day.

After breakfast and Saturday morning cartoons (remember those?!) we got to work. My sister and I would start in our bedrooms. A clean room meant all toys, clothes, books and papers were put away. Next we had to dust all surfaces. Dressers, picture frames and desks. Lastly we vacuumed. Oh and I had a mirror in my room so that got a splash of Windex.

Next we moved into the common areas of the house: living room, dining room, bathroom, family room and kitchen.

Tidying was  first. Put everything in its place and then dust, wipe and vacuum or sweep.

After the house was fully clean then we could go off and play or watch TV.

Mostly I dreaded Saturday mornings. Responsibilities always came first in our home.

If I knew I wasn’t going to be home on Saturday mornings due to sports or staying at a friend’s house my parents required I get my cleaning done on a week day.

Now that I am an adult and parent I do appreciate this training. But as a kid I thought it was awful 😛 

Reflecting back, it was nice to have a specific day on the schedule for cleaning. My sister and I always knew what was expected of us. We didn’t have to question if the bathtub was clean or dirty. We could recall the last time it was cleaned. It wasn’t a guessing game.

Creating A Cleaning Routine

Earlier I said how it’s easy for me to keep my home tidy. I have no problem putting things in there space and place. Every night before bed my family spends 10 minutes tiding up the house.

Cleaning is not my strong suit. When do I clean? What days do I clean? I don’t know!! That’s why I’m writing. To confess! I can’t remember the last time I scrubbed my shower, but the glass is looking a little foggy.

Cleaning is an area I need to improve on. So I’m making a plan and sharing it with you. Maybe this plan will help you in keeping your house not only tidy-but clean too!

Step 1- Access Your House

Access all areas of your house.

I’m keeping this very easy. Go through each room and write down what actually needs to be cleaned in that room. Let’s define the word clean so we can make our cleaning list accurate.

Clean is to make (something or someone) free of dirt, marks, or mess, especially by washing, wiping, or brushing.

So in regards to our home, clean is dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, wiping down, mopping and scrubbing.

Here is the break down of rooms for my house:

• Kitchen
• Living room
• Den
• Entry
• Hallway
• Girls room
• Boys room
• Bathrooms
• Garage
• Patio/porch(es)

With my Room Cleaning Inventory List in hand I walked through each area of my home and wrote down the cleaning tasks that need to be done in each room. Be careful not to make this a “projects list” and just stick to what needs to be cleaned.

Step 2- Decide How Often

Decide how often does each area and item needs to be cleaned?

Once a year, twice a year, every 3 months, once a month, bi-weekly, weekly and daily.

For example the ceiling fan needs to be dusted. Every week isn’t necessary. So I’m labeling it a Every 3 month dusting.

What about kitchen counters? They need to be wiped down daily, but a good scrub with cleaner once a week.

Blinds need to be dusted or wiped down once a month. I live in the desert so my blinds need to be wiped down with a wet cloth monthly!

Write in the margins of your Room Cleaning Inventory list how often you will be cleaning that item.

Here’s my list:

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Step 3- Schedule It!

Put it on the calendar.

Are you going to have one cleaning day like my parents did each week? Or space the cleaning out through the week?

Fill in a cleaning schedule with the cleaning tasks. You can do this on your phone, planner, or paper calendar.

Whatever calendar you use, put the cleaning jobs on the days you want them done. It’s good to have it written down. Then you don’t have to take up brain space to remember what you’re going to clean each day. That was one plus to growing up with Saturday cleaning day. It was routine so we didn’t have to think about it.

Now give yourself some grace. If it doesn’t get done on the specific day, just bump it to the next day or wait till it comes up on your cleaning schedule again. This will be a learning process. You may need to tweak your cleaning schedule if too many items are not getting done.

Step 4- Delegate

This is a big one. If you have a family it’s time to get them involved in helping keep the house clean! Don’t miss out on equipping your children for life outside your home. One day they will have a place of their own and they need to know how to take care of it.

Assign cleaning jobs to family members. 

I have specific chores my kids can do and some chores for my hubby as well as myself. Working together we can stay on top of the cleaning tasks.

On your cleaning schedule write down the family members name next to the chore. Or if you want to get a little fancy you can color code the chores for each family member.

I color coded my cleaning schedule like this: Husband-blue chores; Mommy-purple chores Kid#1-turquoise chores; Kid#2-green chores, Kid #3-pink chores

Each family member is assigned a specific color so they know exactly what they are responsible to clean.

If you want to create this color coded cleaning schedule you can Grab your editable cleaning schedule and add in your chores with color coded family assignments by filling out the form below.

Step 5- Present

Present the new cleaning calendar to your family.

Post the cleaning calendar in a prominent location for all family members to see. The kitchen fridge is a great place! If you use a digital calendar make sure your cleaning calendar is view-able to all family members.  

Rest easy knowing that your home is on its way to being clean!

What’s your cleaning schedule? Are you solo in cleaning or do family members help? 

Need tips on keeping your home tidy? Check out this post:

Daily Tips to Keep Your Home Tidy