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!!
This sounds weird, but I use old fuzzy socks for dusting (those really fluffy ones that are almost like slippers). The dust really clings to the nubby material, and it's a green alternative to those disposable dusting cloths.
I do 1 load of laundry 3 days a week and fold and put it away on that day so it doesn't ever feel overwhelming. Like you I also wipe down the kitchen and bathroom counter every night.
My cleaning tip is to keep the cleaning supplies out where they'll be used. I keep my toilet bowl cleaner right next to the toilet & the shower spray in my shower. When I see them, I use them!
Love this! We have a chore chart but we don't use it nearly as often as I'd like to! Hopefully this summer when I'm less busy I will pick it up again!
I'm one of those crazies with a chore chart — I actually have a calendar for the full year, and rotate through my daily, weekly, monthly, and bi-annual chores accordingly. It helps me keep track of the things I always forget to do, like cleaning the humidifiers, checking the batteries in the smoke detectors, etc. Now I just have to get better about actually following it!
I try to put everything away as soon as I'm finished with it. Less to clean later. . . .
I really need to get going on a routine again! I think I'll print your list and give it a try! Like you, I find a little everyday helps and I'm good at that, but the bigger things (like scrubbing the shower) are falling by the way side. Thanks!
Great tips! I just printed it out for my future reference! We love clorax wipes! I use them everywhere – the kitchen, bathroom, even dusting from time to time. I like to do a load of laundry every day. I have a family of 5 and it sure piles up fast if I don't do it that way. I also try to rotate rooms each day to wash the sheets. -Georgia (georgia.monroe10@gmail.com)
I love your chore chart. I'm going to print it and start right away. I try to stay on top of laundry by putting it in before work then switching it at lunch. It makes it so much easier to keep up with it instead of spending my weekend doing laundry.
i have a small apartment so my cleaning process is pretty simple–do what i can, when i can! hubby and i try to clean at least one thing every day just to keep up on things. but one thing that gets done every single day is dishes and counters. if there are no dishes in the sink and i have wiped down counters/stovetop, i feel like the rest of the apt is passable lol
angie
waterfall.faerie(at)yahoo.com
I live in a small apartment and am a happy room mate to a dog and cat, so sweeping the carpet and the itty bitty kitchen floor is a daily routine. Along with that comes doing the dishes as I am also lacking a dishwasher (did I mention the itty bitty kitchen?) The rest of the stuff comes with a chore chart I sorta keep in my head.
My cleaning tip is that I invite people over! Forces me to kick it into gear. Works every time.
amynutter (at) columbus.rr.com
It's boring, but true: my best cleaning tip is discipline. Make yourself wash dishes today, before it gets really hard to scrub off those dried foods tomorrow!
I make a list at the beginning of the week of everything that I need to do cleaning wise that week. Every day I pick a couple of things off the list and cross them off as I do them. I get bored with doing the same job on specific days and this gives me flexibility to do a bunch of jobs one night, a few another night or a slacker night and get them done by the weekend. I love crossing things off of todo lists and seeing what I've accomplished so this works well for me.
I do the little-bit-at-a-time clean ups too! Laundry every day, countertops every morning and night, sink empty and clean after dinner. I do one "big" job almost every day…deep clean floors, toilets, mirrors, etc. A great secret weapon is microfiber cloths! I use the ones that my husband bought to wax his car with. They clean a mirror or window to perfection! No streaks or lint particles anywhere. They also make wiping down countertops and cabinets really easy since they absorb liquid so quickly.
I do the little-bit-at-a-time clean ups too! Laundry every day, countertops every morning and night, sink empty and clean after dinner. I do one "big" job almost every day…deep clean floors, toilets, mirrors, etc. A great secret weapon is microfiber cloths! I use the ones that my husband bought to wax his car with. They clean a mirror or window to perfection! No streaks or lint particles anywhere. They also make wiping down countertops and cabinets really easy since they absorb liquid so quickly.
My organizational/cleaning skills need some attention, but one thing I do to keep the clutter on the kitchen counter to a minimum is to use two "cubes" from Target, one for recycling and one for things that need to be shredded. So when I'm going through the day's mail, those things go directly into the cubes. They're functional and cute!
Thanks for a great giveaway! My best tip is this: When you have nasty grout or little spaces where walls meet, take a Q-tip dipped in bleach and clean it. Rags can't reach these places as well, but a little bleach on the Q-tip works wonders!
kellykel2k6@yahoo.com
I cheat. My cleaning tip is after I've cooked a big project meal and I'm tired of looking at the kitchen, I stick it all in the sink to soak. In the a.m. I am fresh and fine with a little pot-and-pan scrubbing action. It makes long kitchen projects much more bearable.
Doesn't help with the always-clean-looking goal here though, I know.
My trick with kids is to clean the high traffic areas everyday.
I have pets….three to be exact. Why? Who knows. I blame my sister and my husband…maybe I can share why someday:) ANYWAY I must clean and clean often, we're in constant state of renovation in our tiny house and with a long haired, wild dog, sweeping, mopping and vacuuming daily are a must! My basic cleaning routine is to do a little, everyday. I rarely let my laundry get out of hand, if the basekt is full, you do a load. Same goes for the dishes! I'd have to say my cleaning "tip" would be the use of natural/household products like citrus, baking soda and vinegar! Things smell clean, look clean and heck…even are ACTUALLY CLEAN!! That's a win, win if you ask me…even with three animals in house!
http://houseofthevalley.blogspot.com/
I wipe up the bathroom every time I give my kids a bath so I never really have to deep clean it.
I wipe up the bathroom every time I give my kids a bath so I never really have to deep clean it.
I love this post!!!
I'm kind of a neat-freak by nature, so I find myself cleaning all the time to de-stress – often without realizing I'm even doing it! It's easy when it's just me and my husband though :)
My favorite cleaning strategy is a catch-all for keys/mail/etc. by our front door and wicker baskets for our shoes as well!
I try really hard to only "touch" the mail once. I have a recycle bin right by my door to dump the loads of catalogs and junk mail in right away, and then, I take my important stuff right to my desk.
I love to keep my home clean and organized. With 5 children I have to have a system to do this. 1st rule everything has a place and everyone needs to know where it goes. I too start with Bedrooms and bathrooms each morning, then move on to the kitchen, and pick up in the living area. I only do the dishes morning and night, but always keep the counters and table wiped clean and cleared off. I love your basket idea I will have to try it. I find if the living room/family room and kitchen are picked up and the floors are clean (which I do 2 times a week) then the house seems so much cleaner. I also love having junk drawers and baskets which I clean out once a month. One more must is a bulletin board for all the kids homework and announcements.
Thank you for your inspiration, daily!
I've been trying a method similar to yours. I am a very disorganized person so it has been a huge adjustment but it really is working! I don't really have a great cleaning tip but I highly recommend loud music and dance breaks :)
I love to keep my home clean and organized. With 5 children I have to have a system to do this. 1st rule everything has a place and everyone needs to know where it goes. I too start with Bedrooms and bathrooms each morning, then move on to the kitchen, and pick up in the living area. I only do the dishes morning and night, but always keep the counters and table wiped clean and cleared off. I love your basket idea I will have to try it. I find if the living room/family room and kitchen are picked up and the floors are clean (which I do 2 times a week) then the house seems so much cleaner. I also love having junk drawers and baskets which I clean out once a month. One more must is a bulletin board for all the kids homework and announcements.
Thank you for your inspiration, daily!
I do my crazy intense cleaning every Saturday and the rest of the week just pick up and maintain!
Every time I go up or down stairs I try to take something with me to put away.
I LOVE the Clorox wipes as well – makes me worry less about all those unseen germies!
amymsawatzky@gmail.com
I use a dryer sheet to clean the baseboards. Cleans well and prevents dirt from sticking on!
I use the dishwasher to wash a lot of the decorative glass/ceramic items on my counters as well as the bath toys. I also put the dish strainer and dish brush in there.
My least favorite chore is putting away laundry. In my closet I sort my knit, not too wrinkle prone clothes in pretty boxes so all I have to do is toss them in and the boxes and labels make it look classy and organized.
My best tip is using vinegar in the dishwasher to get rid of white stains from hardwater. It works SO WELL. Everything comes out so clean and crisp!
I'm trying to get better about all of this! I'm learning to make sure everything has it's own place. We're also moving soon to a townhouse with a small living room and are thinking of getting rid of our coffee table–all it does is collect clutter!
My tip..nomatter what I do, I spend 15 minutes doing it. Its almost ALWAYS complete in 15 minutes, and I can check things off my list, which I LOVE
Best advice given to me YEARS ago, which I now follow: Use your good silver every day. It will never need polishing!
Best advice I ever got: Use your good silver every day and it will never need polishing!
With 3 little children and generous grandparents, we have found it essential to get rid of a toy for every birthday and a few before Christmas. Seriously helps with clutter.
Definitely no chore chart! Unfortunately, my schedule tends to read like: clean when notice something is getting dirty, dusty, etc. :)
My favorite tip is to use a baking soda/water paste to clean the stove top. It still takes a bit of scrubbing, but what stove top doesn't. And I dare someone to find a cheaper solution!
I try to wipe the bathroom counter down each day after brushing teeth! Only a minute or two each night keeps the bathroom shiny! Enjoyed finding your blog~thanks!
I read this post at the perfect time—right before having to do one of my marathon cleaning days. I'd love to try out this plan because I hate having to clean up all that accumulated mess! This isn't really a cleaning tip, but I find that when I buy fresh flowers for the home, I feel like I HAVE to clean up so the rest of my space can be worthy of the flowers.
It's also a great excuse for buying myself flowers :)
We have a black lab and a crawling baby so my cleaning always involved lots of vacuuming!
I try to wipe the bathroom counter down each day after brushing teeth! Only a minute or two each night keeps the bathroom shiny! Enjoyed finding your blog~thanks!
I keep cleaning wipes in three different locations of the house – making it easier to do the impromptu "wipe-down" of bathroom counters, etc. Avoiding it from getting out of control – which it does so easily!
I LOVE the idea of a chore chart and look forward to adopting it! As our boys are getting older I think it will also help to have them see that Mom and Dad have house rules too (I will be hanging it on the fridge!) which makes them more inclined to want to help versus feeling like they have to. thanks for the great tip!
The chore chart is just what I've been looking for! I've also been in the market for a large sturdy basket and the West Elm one you featured looks perfect!
I love the basket in every room tip. So things lying around can go in the basket and then when you leave the room the basket can go with you to put everything away!
I wipe down all surfaces daily and clean the sink out nightly. I also use a large bucket I purchased from Target to pick up toys that my two little ones leave behind. 15 minutes a night truly helps to create a clean and orderly space!