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!!
It pays to invest in baskets, plastic bins, and jars with chalkboard labels. I corral everything in containers which makes life significantly easier – keep cleaning supplies in a handled container and carry it with you around the house.
Clean the woodwork! That's something that makes the entire house sparkle.
Clean the woodwork! That's something that makes the entire house sparkle.
I also use baskets a lot – both for evening clean up and organization. As far as toys go; less is more and everything has a spot to live. Thanks for the amazing giveaway!! Margaret (margarethiltz@hotmail.com)
I have a similar routine as yours, but I like how you added the deep cleaning into your weekly routine. I usually just try to cram it in once a month. Often that leads to not getting it done. My "must do" for cleaning is I have to go to bed with a clutter free/picked up house. If I wake up to chaos it throws off my whole day! Thanks for all your tips!
I keep a sponge and cleaner in the shower/bathtub and after each shower give it a quick spray and wash down. Cleaning bathrooms are usually my least favorite!!!
For cleaning grout – Soak a square of TP in bleach, scrunch it and stick right on to a mold spot and leave it there. Go read Elle Decor. Come back and rinse off the TP.
Love all your tips!
I find I'm more likely to wipe down the counters in the kitchen or the bathrooms on a daily basis if I don't have to clear them first so I have little baskets and trays that are meant for corralling the items that get left or dropped on the counters. This way the counter is still clear and wiping it down doesn't include an extra step!
We do the 5 Minute Sweep every night when we get home from work. By that I mean we do a "sweep" of the house, picking up any dishes, putting away clothes, maybe wiping down counters, just generally tidying. It has done wonders!
My cleaning tip is getting a cleaning lady to come once a month. There is nothing better than coming home from work and having a clean house! It gives me at least a weekend to relax and do nothing :)
Obsessed with LABELED baskets/bins: for shoes, mail, outdoor accessories, blankets, etc.
Thanks for sharing.I love this — I'm a neat freak but don't have the time for my house to actually SHOW it, so I'm usually just frustrated by how my house looks. Thanks!
I've become a list person. So I have 2 lists, one is a short-term to-do list and the other is a long-term to-do list. It's great to help me stay focused on things that I really know need to get done either daily or weekly and then I can keep working on my long-term list. Projects I'm doing around the house or whatever my crazy list says! Also, my hubby likes the long-term list, he is great at trying to help me and when he see's something that he can do, he jumps in! So, I love lists!
I love having pretty places for things to belong — makes it a pleasure to use them!
The most effective thing I've done to keep everything from getting out of hand is getting the family involved!! My husband does a lot of the cleaning, and the kids help a lot, too! (Even the little one.) That and EVERYTHING having a place (everything. everything everything everything.) make everything easier!
I'm a crazed one day deep cleaner and I hate it. I'm going to make my own chore list and give it a try. Sounds like it might be the solution to my cleaning woes. Thanks!
Since, I work long hours Mon-Fri, I strive for NEATNESS during the week and CLEANLINESS on the weekends. I do a couple hours of cleaning Saturday mornings and hire a cleaning service once every 8 weeks for a deep cleaning.
Since I work long hours Mon-Fri, I strive for NEATNESS during the week and CLEANLINESS on the weekends. I do a couple hours of cleaning Saturday mornings and hire a cleaning service once every 8 weeks for a deep cleaning.
About a year ago I started to do the same thing with my dishes – I run a load every night (no matter how empty!) and then unload every morning. It really keeps the mess in check.
About a year ago I started to do the same thing with my dishes – I run a load every night (no matter how empty!) and then unload every morning. It really keeps the mess in check.
I just found you through pinterest and really like the idea of incorporating a swing day. I don't have any go to tips for cleaning, but we are switching over to more natural cleaners. We also bought a Rubbermaid Reveal Mop to replace the Swiffer and love it. Honestly pinterest has been my best cleaning tool lately, I've been finding lots of cleaning and organizing tips there and trying them out.
With three kids, I have a chore chart (in my head) for myself and one for my kids…that they check off. If I do their chores, they pay me :). They don't like to pay me, so the chores usually get done!
Already been said by lots of commenters, but I sort the mail right as I come in so that the junk doesn't pile up.
My tip is to pick up clutter as it happens then take a few hours one day a week to clean
tmc480 at yahoo dot com
My favorite cleaning tip is cleverly convincing everyone else that their job should be picking up random things and cleaning up behind "me", while i focus on being mommy;)
I declutter each day, making sure most things are in their place,I clean as I cook in the kitchen, and then once a week I dust, vacuum, and mop.
I am not organized and have struggled with keeping things tidy my whole life! I don't want my kids to have the same struggles so I am trying to change while they are still young. My tip is to have a small broom and dustpan and/or dustbuster the kids can use to clean up after themselves.
You couldn't have picked two better stores. I was introduced to a chore chart once, but it was one big chore a day and I didn't like it. I love this version – so much flexibility and not much hassle. Probably my favorite organization tip: go through the mail right away! Throw away the junk, take care of the bills (or put in a designated place), and file the rest.
My best organization tip is KEEP IT SIMPLE. It is so easy to get caught up in the latest organization craze, like all the wonderful ways you can organize your spices, but I try to ask myself: does it create extra steps? (I don't want to have to empty my spices into other jars every time I buy them.) If I can save a step in any way, I do. It's the lazy woman's way to organize. :) By the way, I love your basket idea! I'm going to try that!
I use antacid tablets to clean the toilets if I have run out of toilet bowl cleaner. Just drop two in, let them sit five minutes, and scrub as usual! PS. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are WONDERFUL for almost EVERYTHING.
Thanks for this! I have a similar system, but I need inspiration from time to time (okay, all the time)to keep on track! I have two toddlers, and it seems like the house can go from clean to disaster area in no time flat. I like to set flexible time limits for each activity – breakfast, active playtime with kids, downtime for mommy, weekly chore time, etc. – so that I can actually get through everything that I need to do. :)
I'm a student, and I like to take notes the old fashioned way: pen and paper. Unfortunately I'm also unfailingly clumsy with my pens. They either slip out of my hands, or I pick them up the wrong way, leading to pen marks on my hands, but more troubling, on my shirts. An easy cleaning trick I learned to take out ink, was dabbing the stain with a little hairspray! The bit of alcohol in the hairspray gently removes the ink. After dabbing the stain, I blot with a damp washcloth, and my shirts are spotless.
I keep a container of wipes under every sink for a quick wipe down every night.
just try to not mess up the house, keep it clean… it stays clean.
my family has other thoughts…
I use a lot of clear plastic storeage bins, a cleaning chart, and try to spend a little time each day tackling one thing. I also think I tend to be more organized when i exercise. I have more energy and get more things done!!!
I love using Clorox wipes to quickly wipe off my bathroom counter each morning- it can get messy after I get ready with makeup and do my hair! I also like your idea of a chore chart to help keep things tidy each day, thanks for sharing!
I feel like I am constantly doing laundry and dishes. My girls aren't old enough to do chores on their own but they are old enough to help. So I let them help as much as they can and want to. This lets me focusing on other things.
I do my cleaning on Saturday — the only day I have time! I really like your schedule though — thinking about switching to that :)
Saturday is the only day I have time to clean! I like your chart though!
I call myself the Queen of Wipeups! Have a wet cloth ready to go into the laundry? Wipe up a few things with it first. Sure keeps our house 'wiped up'.
Everything is always placed where it belongs immediately after use. For example, when cooking, each spice goes back in the cabinet (don't leave it on the countertop), each used ingredient from the fridge goes back in, plates/bowls/utensils go in the sink, etc. So, after cooking, there's no clutter all over the counter to clean. There's only post-dinner dishes to be done.
I do all the washing and ironing in one day so that my husband and I are able to actually wear the clothes I just washed, right away!
Some really nice images on here, great designer :) you make interiors look like a real art form!
I have always been a marathon cleaner. I do make a checklist and work my way room to room because I like checking things off my list!
I was excited to read about your organizational method and will be giving it a try. I've already incorporated the morning routine, but have big plans for spring break in a couple weeks!
Here's my Cleaning tip: Find something that motivates you! Clorox bleach is my motivator and best friend! I start by doing laundry. I wash the whites first, and pour in a cup (I like the scented kind best!) It motivates me to clean more when I smell the freshness coming from the laundry! I also keep a spray bottle under the kitchen sink just for mixing a solution of bleach and water, used for quickly sanitizing the kitchens and baths between cleanings.
One more tip for you: I'm a teacher and I use Clorox wipes on every surface in my classroom, including my stubborn whiteboard!
My grandma always told me to keep your kitchen sink clean–it sounds random, but it really makes you keep your whole kitchen clean. It's hard to just leave a dirty plate in a clean sink. I'm going to try your basket method!
I try to make the most of my time while I'm getting ready in the morning-wipe the bathroom counters while I'm drying my hair, clean mirrors while I brush my teeth, make the bed while I'm waiting for coffee, etc. I feel like I have a semi clean house to come home to every evening.
I love chic baskets and boxes to store things in. Bills? I store them in a rustic wooden box…makes paying bills a little bit more fun :)
My best cleaning tip is to use Microfiber cloths. They clean better and can be washed over and over again. If you get the super fine ones, you can clean glass, mirrors and polish without any chemicals.
Love them!
The clutter buster tip that works best for us is to never leave a room empty handed! As for "cleaning"…I too use a "chart" or schedule of sorts…basically one room gets the attention on a particular day…but I seem to scatter myself out so was interested when I saw your "chart" and may try putting it into practice and see if it helps in the consistency department!!
The clutter buster tip that works best for us is to never leave a room empty handed! As for "cleaning"…I too use a "chart" or schedule of sorts…basically one room gets the attention on a particular day…but I seem to scatter myself out so was interested when I saw your "chart" and may try putting it into practice and see if it helps in the consistency department!!