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!!
My mom uses ice trays to separate her earrings–so smart!
The steam cleaner is a must have. No chemicals and it powers through tight corners and small places.
I love my Clorox spray bottle. I squirt everything & 2 mInutes later, wipe it down. Kills every gross germ there is!
My best tip is to invite over my friend Marge to clean if the house gets out of control ;) She loves to clean and comes prepared with the supplies she likes best. My house always looks spotless after she comes over to help and with two of us tackling the filth it is fast and fun with lots of laughs.
My husband and I do a speed cleaning when the kids go to bed. It helps a lot when you have two extra hands to help you out. :)
Love this idea … I think it would make things so much easier!!!
I LOVE your list! Thanks for sharing!
I broke my back last year and had a spinal fusion, so the cleaning, unfortunately has had to burden my husband and three kids (11,6 and 4). (not to mention the financial burden..:/) But I do what I can to help out as much as possible so I try to do little things throughout the day.
I love the basket idea..
Im a big believer in pledge multi-surface and lysol dual action wipes..they are life savers!
I have 2 furry "children", and I'm always picking up after them. I have an old cd holder that I use as their toy box, since it's open top, they have free acess to their toys, and when I'm picking up it's easy to just throw their toys back in. I'm a big believer in having a place for everything and everything in it's place, it takes alot less time to clean up when you put things back where they belong when you are done using it.
My best cleaning secret is getting a Rumba iRobot vacuum. I can turn it on and get my floors swept while I do my other chores. It's great to keep the mounds of hair my massive dog sheds.
My husband and I have made it our habit to make our bed together every morning. Even if nothing else gets done all day, as long as our bed is made, there is at least some sense of order in one corner of our apartment. Also, it's a heck of a lot easier to make a bed with 2 sets of hands instead of one, and it's nice to share a simple task first thing in the morning. Go Team!
That is the most genius idea! I am the marathon cleaner and end up killing my Saturday afternoons trying to play catch up. The worst are the floors with doggie foot prints. usually I leave a towel hanging on the door knobs so when they come in from the outdoors I can wipe down their paws. Seems to control some of the mess.
I, too, keep a rigid daily, weekly, biweekly and monthly chore chart that highlights each family member's responsibility and associated day said chore is to be completed. I find it works better for my schedule with two young children to just have a laundry day rather than splitting it up. I prefer to get it knocked out and have everything be clean, folded and pressed and ready to wear! The biggest problem I have right now is with toy clutter (one reason I would love to win the contest- the Container Store gift card would be great for handy and beautiful storage shopping!). I do use baskets and bins on all three floors of our home to contain the toys but the new twist is teaching our daughter that one room or floor has to be cleaned before another room or floor can be messed up. For instance, she has to clean her bedroom toys before coming downstairs in the morning to play in the playroom. The playroom must be tidied before nap. I help her with this because is not quite four but it is making a HUGE difference in how my house looks and feels.
Like you, I just try to maintain, maintain, maintain! I HATE deep cleaning, so I always try to do something everyday so it never gets really dirty :)
It is so easy to get overwhelmed with cleaning…so I find it easy to go room by room. I will close the door to our bedroom and don't let myself out until it's clean! I like Mrs Myers honeysuckle- smells great and makes cleaning more "fun." I also always have music playing on my small ipod speakers- makes time and ME move faster! :)
Hmm, my cleaning tip? Marry a guy who is more of a neat freak than yourself? Haha, I'm one of those who is in dire need of tips myself…
Great Chart! I'm printing it right now. I do the basket trick also, everything gets thrown in and put at the top of the stairs. I tell the kids if it doesn't get put away, it will be donated. mean maybe, but it gets them motivated.
Great Chart! I'm printing it right now. I do the basket trick also, everything gets thrown in and put at the top of the stairs. I tell the kids if it doesn't get put away, it will be donated. mean maybe, but it gets them motivated.
I love the idea of a chore chart and sorely need to implement something like this. We try to do some laundry every day so it doesn't pile up.
lnurman(at)hotmail.com
I try and use the basket method too! I keep one at the bottom of our stairs and another at the top. One of our biggest downfalls with cleaning is that when something downstairs needs to go up (and vice versa), it ends up just sitting on the stairs or the landing and not actually making it to where it belongs! So, now anything that needs to go up goes in the downstairs basket, and anything that needs to go down goes in the upstairs basket… when they start to get full, I switch them and put everything away!
no real short cuts here, but a clean, sparkling sink always makes me feel better, even if other things are a mess. Oh – and I alays dust AFTER I vacuum.
My favorite cleaning tip is to make the kids help! We've used cleaning charts and plans of various types for many years. It's okay to change the routine when it get old.
Wow what a great giveaway and some great tips. I love the chore chart! My trick for cleaning is getting my kids involved. My oldest son loves vacuuming and although the job isn't perfect, it's good enough. The younger ones pick up the toys and clutter, and I am left with the deep cleaning.
I keep cleaning supplies everywhere! Clorox wipes, paper towels, glass cleaner…I like to have them all within reach. I've also incorporated cleaning the toilet and sink and bathroom floor while I watch my kids in the tub.
I love the chore chart – maybe if I use it I can re-claim by Saturdays again! Thanks for sharing! My favorite cleaning tip is one you mentioned in your post, I carry a damp rag around with me while I clean, that way if I see something that needs a quick clean while I'm focused on another task, I can stop to wipe it up right then. Makes the whole cleaning job go a bit faster.
The minute I get home from work, I spend ten minutes making sure things are looking good before I let myself sit down and relax. And my new habit is NEVER leaving a dish in the sink. Immediately rinse and put in the diswasher. LOVE the chore chart. I had one as a kid and always cheated…oops.
The minute I get home from work, I spend ten minutes making sure things are looking good before I let myself sit down and relax. And my new habit is NEVER leaving a dish in the sink. Immediately rinse and put in the diswasher. LOVE the chore chart. I had one as a kid and always cheated…oops.
I love all the ideas being shared! The most recent organizing tip I have started actually includes cleaning as well. I always end up freezing meat when I buy it on sale. I used to repackage it, write the date/type of meat/special cooking instructions/etc. on the freezer bag, and had little bags slipping and sliding all over the place. Now, I slide the entire package including the foam bottom into the freezer bag. I don't need to write anything because all the original information can be seen throught the freezer bag. It's double-wrapped so it lasts longer. The best part of this, organizationally, is that I can stack the packages of meat upright. No sliding around, no frozen meat landing on my toes. It's great! It takes up way less space because they sit in the freezer vertically. The best part, cleaning wise, is the easy clean-up after thawing. I open the freezer bag, but I do not remove the inner package. I slit it open, slide the meat out, and then zip the freezer bag shut again. I rarely even get a drip outside of the freezer bag and there isn't any stinky wrapper to deal with. This simple process has actually made me enjoy cooking more.
My favorite cleaning trick is my Dust Buster – perfect for a quick vacuum!
I work out of the home and have a one year old son (and a very messy husband!). My trick is to do a couple small things each night once the baby is down and then I hit the high spots on the weekend mornings. Its miserable. I need a cleaning lady — and this target gift card!! :)
I use baskets in the most clutter-collecting rooms to try and de-clutter every night. Also, I love a clean/dish-free sink, so I do all the dishes in the sink in the morning while the three kids are eating breakfast. As for the rest, well, the house just isn't that clean all the time. I think I may try your system!
It's just me in the house and I've been trying to keep up with something like your schedule – doing things gradually throughout the week. One thing I try to do consistently is dust and vacuum when I get home from work Friday night. Then, if I want to invite people over at any time during the weekend, I don't have to worry about the house being dirty or there being dog hair everywhere!
Playing fun music while I do it to keep my energy up. It also often inspires my kids to want to help.
I have glass dishes in every room that keep the tiny clutter organized- jewelry, batteries, pens, everything has a glass!
My favorite tip is keeping my Shark vacuum cleaner handy at all times. I use it every evening instead of a broom to sweep up on both hardwood and carpet. It's light enough that my kids can use it, and I give them this chore frequently, since they actually seem to like it!
My tip is to have a "home" for everything, and teach the kids to do the same. So, I can ask my children, "Where does this toy live?" and they know and can return it to where it belongs. I love your chore chart idea!
My tip is to throw away the junk mail as soon as you get it so it doesn't cause clutter.
hewella1 at gmail dot com
I always vacuum first before dusitng. It only makes sense that if you dust first then after you vacuum all the dust is going to be everywhere again from vacuuming!
my miele is my favorite thing on the planet. makes cleaning a whole lot easier!!
My miele is my favorite thing on the planet! it makes cleaning a whole lot easier!!
Hi, My routine is somewhat similar, only I try to get my chores done before dinner time.
Monday: Vacuum the house and pick up from the weekend.
Tuesday: Dust/clean the downstairs
Wednesday: Dust/clean the middle level
Thursday: Clean bathrooms and showers
Friday: Clean the sheets. Vacuum house and dust/clean bedrooms upstairs
I try to follow this pretty strictly. Especially Bathroom day. The best part about having a bathroom day is that if I've been slack on other days and I really need to clean the house up, I at least know the bathrooms are clean.
I don't think I would be very good at following a swing day. I think I'd choose to interpret that as "swing away from the house" day!!
Kristen
I have cleaning products both upstairs and down as well as in any area that usually gets super messy with the kids. Keeping them on hand makes it easier. I also try to never leave a room empty handed (a rule of thumb from my waitressing days) – this helps keep things in order and gets them back to their original place throughout the day so it's less overwhelming when the day is over.
Jill
I try to do one load of laundry a day to deter from the epic laundry weekend piles. I can easily wash and fold one load while watching some trash tv instead of just sitting :)
I'm a clear bin using, basket carrying type myself! Lots of great tips here!
I try to set a timer for 15 minutes when I get home from work and then do a blitz until it goes off. It's a pretty good way to keep things from getting out of control!
Thanks for the awesome giveaway opportunity. and I love the chore chart!
Caitlin
We have just started using baskets to help tidy up. :) Really helps!
I like to keep windex and paper towels in every bathroom and under the kitchen sink.
I have 3 full bathrooms and 2 half baths spread out on three floors, so the only way to keep these clean at all is to keep cleaning products in each – a toilet scrubber, toilet cleaner, and disinfecting wipes. Since the mirrors and floors need cleaning less often, I stash the rest of those products in two places (main floor and upstairs) so I don't have to go up and down the stairs with an arm load of cleaning products. Another chore tip I have is to keep a couple of large, shallow baskets in the laundry room to catch clean underwear and socks for easy transport upstairs.
I keep my cleaning supplies in a kroger wine 6pack bag – it is an easy way to keep organized and take my supplies from room to room!
Your chore list looks amazing! I usually spend all weekend cleaning from the week before, and it sucks to spend your time off work doing all the things you really don't want to do!
I have a feeling this weekend, I'll be working on a chore chart of my own. . . my husband will be sooo excited haha.
In keeping down the clutter, if something new comes in, at least one thing must go out. Its easy when it comes to kid's clothes, but a little harder with cute "things". But it makes you think before you buy and helps you live a little more simply.