This post is sponsored by the makers of Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes, the quick and easy way to clean and disinfect your home!
I get a lot of emails asking about my cleaning schedule after I wrote about my typical day on Joanna’s blog. I truly do not love cleaning, but I know that I’m so much happier with life when my house is clean. Don’t you feel the same way?
A couple years ago, right after I had Claire and when Gracie was old enough to really start doing some damage, I was feeling like I would never have a clean house again. (I also thought there was a good chance I would never get to sleep through the night again. :) good times) I was picking up the house all week long it felt like, and then I would do all my laundry and deep cleaning on the weekends. That meant my Saturday was completely gone and that the house was totally dirty again by Monday morning. Stresses me out just thinking about it.
Then one time I was visiting a friend’s house who had three rambunctious toddler boys. I walked into her house for the first time and my jaw dropped. Her house was CLEAN. Like, I’m not talking about tidy – tidy is not always possible during the day with kids, but it was clean. She is one of those amazing mothers who is really active with her kids, so I knew she didn’t spend all day neglecting her boys to clean the house. I was surprised and a little jealous of her sparkly floors so I begged her to share her secret. She laughed and said she kept a chore chart, which I thought was hilarious! What grown woman has a chore chart?! Suddenly I had to have one!
I copied her chart and have been using a slightly tweaked version ever since. I can’t say that I’m always following through here, but when I do, my house is practically spotless and best of all, I don’t feel like I am cleaning all the time – which honestly was the hardest part for me of being a stay at home mom in the early years.
It looks like a lot, but I think even on the most intense days I’m only spending 30 or 40 minutes in aggregate cleaning (though we live in a 1500 sq ft apartment, so your home might require a little more time). I’ve listed the chart here below, and here’s a simple printable version.
So the basic idea is this: there are daily chores – easy things you should take care of almost habitually in the morning and in the night, and then there is a single special chore of the day. Most of these chores end up getting done once a week (for example, every Monday I do a deep vacuuming of all our rugs. I took only one interior design class in college and I only remember a handful of things from that class. One of them was a tangential comment my professor made about vacuuming. She said that you should go over the same area on a rug SEVEN times super slowly to get it clean. Isn’t that just nuts? I don’t do that, but I do try to do a slow vacuuming on Mondays.). Friday though is the swing day, where you rotate in chores that need to be done less frequently, like scrubbing the microwave.
I’ll walk you through today’s cleaning schedule. It’s Tuesday. I wake up and make our bed. It won’t get done unless I make it as soon as I get up. The girls are getting good about making their beds too. After I finish getting ready I wipe down the bathroom counters and the sink. While I’m making the kids breakfast I empty out the dishwasher.
Then life happens and the house sort of falls apart during the day.
Then at night the girls help me clear the table and load the dishwasher. Michael does the trashes. Once the kids are in bed I quickly sweep or vacuum the kitchen and dining room and I might pop into the living room too. I keep a wet rag with me and as I go I’ll spot clean the floor. My goal is fast and furious cleaning!
And here’s where my baskets come into play. I keep them everywhere. I really love this basket that I posted about yesterday because it is super sturdy and holds its shape. I zip through my house every night with this basket, throwing in every misplaced item, then going back to each room once and put the things back where they belong. It takes me just a few minutes to pick up a day’s worth of clutter this way. No more running back and forth and back and forth from room to room putting things away. Try the basket method – you’ll never go back!
Plus – another bonus of having your pretty baskets out in every room? If you have a friend coming over right away, you can just corral everything in the basket super fast and no one’s the wiser.
Once the house has been de-cluttered, I do my chore of the day (today was cleaning the mirrors and windows), and then I’m done! It might sound like a lot, but I promise it isn’t. When I’m consistent with this schedule, I never have to do one of those marathon cleaning days to get back to ground zero. The house never has a chance to get really dirty, so the cleaning never feels like a true chore. It feels easy and, dare I say it? Pleasant?
So that’s my approach to cleaning in a nutshell. I know we all have our special tricks, and I’d LOVE to hear yours!
Today’s super-sized give away is $350 to Target AND $150 to the Container Store and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment sharing your favorite cleaning or organization tip. I can’t wait to see what you guys do to keep your spaces sparkling! Any other crazies out there with a chore chart? :)
Contest ends March 22. Winner will be announced on the 23rd. Contest rules can be read in full here. Good luck!!
when i get annoyed with my husband, i tend to clean. last night i cleaned the bathroom spotless…i was extra annoyed. :)
Great idea!!
My fiance and I like to clean for about 15 minutes each night. It's amazing what you can get done in such a short amount of time!
Erica
My husband and I used to do weeknight laundry and it was a nightmare – we'd stay up so late, which stressed me out because we have a baby who STILL doesn't sleep through the night (he's almost one!!!). So now we do laundry on Friday and Saturday nights. Date night! Sad, I know, but we catch up on TV and match socks and it's cozy :)
Love the chart, but it does seem like a lot every night. Luckily, I don't think my kitchen floor gets that dirty now that I'm an empty nester. My favorite hint is to keep those chlorox clean-ups in every bathroom. Takes just a minute to wipe surfaces and wall spots once after using the room. Since you go in there often, there is always time once a day.
I always go to bed with the kitchen counters clean, blankets and pillows in the family room folded and put away, laundry picked up off the floor. Also, I clean immediately after getting home from work and working out, if I sit down it will never get done.
That's a great cleaning schedule. I'm planning to incorporate this into my week. Great ideas! Thanks, as always, for the great tips.
I'll second your basket idea!! I just bought some for our living room and it's changing my life!
I Love your chore chart! I find it best to have my entire kitchen clean every night before I head to bed, makes me feel a bit better about my house. I have twin 8 month old boys, I am working on finding a place for all the extra stuff that comes with them, I have been saving money for baskets as well. Throwing a load of laundry in every other day in the morning also helps me stay on top of it!
Thanks!
A "grown-up" chore list – GENIUS! My cleaning tip – I make sure to regularly host events at my house. Having the girls over for drinks or even meeting at my place before carpooling to an event keeps me honest about cleaning. That way, even if I slip behind a bit, I will do a quick clean before people come over.
I am definitely not the neatest person (my husband will be the first to tell you), and wish I was better, but for the little amount I am neat, I find trying to put everything away immediately helps keep the piles away (i.e. when you get home from the store or work or when you get mail).
I try to do one load of laundry before I go to bed.
-Julia
Oh Jenny,
Where to begin….. I have 5 sweet boys, but oh they are messy!! I also love baskets, and while I'm writing this I looked around, and I have 8 that I can count on my first floor alone. Anyways, my tip is keep up with the laundry! If I don't do at least one load a day it's hard to catch up.
Love your blog.
ps- we are currently remodeling our kitchen, and I love the rug in your kitchen, but how do you keep it clean??
Holly
I am embarrassed to say I don't have a good organization tip. My husband and I just bought our first house so we are excited to finally have space to organize our stuff and we plan to start a chore list! Great tip.
Making your bed instantly cleans up your entire room. An umade bed looks so yucky!
I don't have kids, but I work FT & go to school, so I will definitely check this schedule out! One thing I always do is hang my clothes up at the end of every day. Usually I go through about 10 outfits and leave mayhem in my room.
Clean as you go! It's seriously so much easier to keep stuff clean if I'm wiping the kitchen as I cook/wash and put away dishes, finding a home for random stuff here and there, chucking/opening/handling mail as it comes in, etc.
My 3 favorite organizing items are my basket for toilet paper that I keep in my closet, as well as tin boxes to keep medicine. I have a first aid tin and that can be pulled out in an instant and a misc. medicine tin. It keeps all like things together, so your not digging. I got my tins from container store- http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10026406&N=&Ntt=tin
Oh! I would love to win this!!! Besides the basics like making the bed every day, wiping down the kitchen cabinets…. i keep cleaning wipes, and electronic wipes, and windex wipes in EVERY room: Bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, dining room – so if I notice the table looks a little dusty – i won't say that I'll get to it later, because a wipe is super easy and accessible. I buy neat vintage box with lids at flea markets and stash the plastic wipe packages in there!
i do my cleaning in the morning- just like working out- if I don't dop it early it won't get done!!
My biggest problem is that I don't have a cleaning routine. But, I do try to make sure the counters are cleaned every day before I go to bed.
The best cleaning tip? I never leave a dirty dish in the sink. Everything gets completely rinsed and put in the dishwasher or handwashed. If you let them sit with food they turn into a disgusting mess that's 10 times the trouble (and it gives me flashbacks to my college days with roommates)!
My tip is to clean while I watch a TV show that doesn't need my full attention. During the show, I pick up, wipe down, and organize the room I am watching in (kitcken, family room, basement) and during the commercials I work on the adjacent rooms, put everything back in the same place, or do a noisy chore like vacuum. I also put thing that belong in the bedrooms on the stairs during the day and then bring everything up at once when I make a trip updstairs. Doing a little at a time helps a lot!
Thanks!
I love the chore chart idea! I clean with vinegar solution on most surfaces, and keep a large spray bottle in the kitchen, and smaller ones in each bathroom. Having them handy makes clean-up much easier.
To do a little bit each day
I love the chore chart idea! I use a vinegar solution to clean most surfaces and keep a large spray bottle in the kitchen and smaller ones in each bathroom. Having them handy makes clean up much easier.
Thanks for the chart! Clorox wipes are my cleaning tip. They are the only way I can keep the back, lid and seat of the toilet clean. Using a regular rag gives me the heebie jeebies.
do a little every day.
I I like to utilize the basket method as well. P.s. im from your hometown and work at SMC (shout out!! Woo woo! )
Well,for me, keeping things clean is about loving yourself and your home. I feel far more relaxed after the work is done and proud of the accomplishment too.
My secret? I clean as I go. I don't let it pile up. Works and keeps the place tidy.
For me the turning point on cleaning was to be intentional about it and pick a reasonable amount to do. So on Thursday mornings I really clean the kitchen, that's all I have to do, but usually once to ball is rolling I do a little extra. We also try to do a "10 minute tidy" a couple of times a week. That really helps the kids see what they leave out. I notice that they do a better job of putting their stuff away now.
I read this tip and am amazed at its simpleness. Have an extra towel in your bathroom. After your shower, take that towel and wipe down the shower door and insides and then lay the towel on the bottom of the shower to soak up the water on the floor. After its done, wring out any excess and hang the towel up to dry. When it comes time to wash your towels, throw it in the batch. The reason why you wipe down the shower to begin with, it prevents soap scum and mildew from building up. You literally NEVER have to clean your tub/shower. Great, huh?
i, like you, have a chore list. i break up all my cleaning to-do's so i can get them done throughout the week. it's better than having to spend all day saturday cleaning the house!
When regular window cleaner doesn't work to clean hard water stains on my windows, I use barkeepers friend – just a damp sponge and use the scrubby side with the powder then rinse – works every time!
I run my cordless vacuum while I my breakfast is in the microwave. It takes 65 seconds to cook and I can vacuum the whole room quickly each day during that time!
Count me in!
My tip is to make sure to "complete the cycle." When doing laundry, the cycle isn't complete until the laundry is folded and put away. With dishes (either hand-washed or in the dishwasher), make sure they are dried and put away (so that there's room for more tomorrow,and they don't stack up in the sink). I love to collect stuff in baskets or bins, but if I never sort the stuff and put it away…
I love decluttering! I also like breaking our home up into sections, with each day one section gets scrubbed spotless!
I love to clean with the pledge multi surface cleaner it saves time and money and I clean everything with it like the stove, stainless steel appliances, mirrors etc. makes cleaning a lot faster! Highly recommended!
Pledge Multi-Surface will save your life I clean everything with it mirrors, stove, sink, stainless steel appliances, counters, try it, it's a wonder!
My favorite cleaning tip is to wipe down baseboards with a dryer sheet. Works like a charm!
I find that if I make sure to tidy up before I go to bed that waking up the next day to a "picked up" house starts off each day on the right foot. It also decreases the necessity for the marathon cleaning sessions that I dislike.
Thanks for your inspirational blog and the wonderful giveaway!
Sharon – slw_kerr@yahoo.com
Throughout the day every time we leave a room we try and take one thing with us that doesn't belong in that space. The item either ends up in a basket (or more often small pile) that will get sorted during nap time or it is taken immediately to it's correct place. We also use the basket system, although I have yet to find an attractive basket that holds up to being dragged around by a "helpful" toddler!
Totally brilliant- and super inspiring- I think I might create a cleanup chart! I just don't understand how you function on SO LITTLE SLEEP?
anyhow…my tip is enlisting the hubby! I do the cooking and he does the nightly kitchen cleanup. He also does all of the laundry every weekend- when he's home, and I'm at work! It is a relief having help for sure:)
While living overseas with my preteen daughter for a semester I realized how much easier it is to live out of a few suitcases with just a few dishes. Since returning home I've purged, purged, purged. Also, I use tea tree oil in various dilutions to clean almost everything…and I love the smell.
I have tried cleaning charts, but I always miss days and then I am playing catch up, and then I always tell myself that I will make a better chart. Haven't happened. So Maybe I should try yours. I have been trying baskets to place toys used frequently and picking up every night. Waking up with the place looking nice always improves my mornings!
I like to clean all in one day so that I'm ready for the week at hand and don't have to spend every day of that week cleaning something. I don't have a set day that I clean everything on but it's usually Saturday or Monday!
hcamer(at)gmail(dot)com
I try to look around a room as I'm about to leave it and grab anything I can put away in the next room. Sometimes it works great and sometimes life/kids/dogs get the better of me.
I also have a daily list of "chores" that I keep on my refrigerator. Small things everyday to ease the pain of those deep-clean days.
I also use a chore chart, one big chore a day (laundry, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms), and we have pick up time every evening after dinner. It is nice to be able to relax in a clean home for a few minutes in the evening, and wake up to a fresh start.
I also use a chore chart, one big chore a day (laundry, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms), and we have pick up time every evening after dinner. It is nice to be able to relax in a clean home for a few minutes in the evening, and wake up to a fresh start.