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!!
I have 500 children (I'm a school librarian!) and you wouldn't believe the mess that can accumulate…so I developed a chore chart for work. For example, Wednesdays I fix books with broken spines, ripped pages, etc. (they're all kept on what I've dubbed the "hospital cart") during the hour between when school gets out and our staff meetings start.
I honestly hadn't thought about a chore chart for home. I'm usually so exhausted it's all I can do to make dinner!
Cheers,
mindi
I use magic eraser on walls cabinets and pretty much anything with a spot. Those babies are awesome. I also use lots of clear storage for organization.
I pick up the dog toys each night and put them in a basket. They like hauling them out the next day. Clutter gets picked up each morning. Cleaning takes me 45 minutes on Thursday. I also fold plastic grocery bags into fourths lengthwise, then fold in triangles like a flag and tuck in the ends. Much neater and easier to store in a small basket in a kitchen drawer.
Having a chore list! Vacuuming one room of the house each evening helps keep the dust away.
I think my tip demonstrates the fact that I don't have kids… but I am always trying to make sure that I do not leave dishes in the sink overnight. If that happens, I'm sunk- the house falls apart!
My tip: I use the little brush that comes with the dustpan to clean the blinds. It is the perfect size and makes it go really fast. But you should have a separate one form the one you use to sweep the piles of dirt on the floor into the dustpan.
I do all of my cleaning on Fridays when I'm off. My boyfriend has to work on Fridays so I can get everything done without any distractions! Just me cleaning while my kitties keep me company!
I like to do one load of laundry a day. I will just put it in in the morning after the load of dishes and then in the afternoon I will enjoy Nate Berkus or another fun show while my girls nap and I'll fold and put away the laundry. It's what works for me, that way I don't feel so overwhelmed.
Great advice and giveaway! My main issue is motivating myself. I find setting my kitchen timer for 15 minutes (cause really, 15 minutes is nothing) and try to finish my chores in that time. Sometimes I can have things taken care of in that time, though more often than not I continue past the initial 15 minutes since I refuse to stop before I finish whatever I am doing.
Thanks again!
The more stuff I get rid of, the easier my house is to clean! I started a "minimalist" lifestyle a year ago, and ever since then cleaning and organizing has been a cinch. So my tip would be: learn to live (happily) with less.
i'm about to print this chore chart right now and start following it this week!!! I can't wait for the moment I feel like I can actually take care of this house! One cleaning tip I read somewhere that I LOVE is to use a DRY rag when cleaning the bathrooms. This makes the cleaning go by soooo much faster. All you need is some sort of disinfectent spray, a dry rag, and you're good to go!! HAPPY CLEANING EVERYBODY!!!
i'm about to print this chore chart right now and start following it this week!!! I can't wait for the moment I feel like I can actually take care of this house! One cleaning tip I read somewhere that I LOVE is to use a DRY rag when cleaning the bathrooms. This makes the cleaning go by soooo much faster. All you need is some sort of disinfectent spray, a dry rag, and you're good to go!! HAPPY CLEANING EVERYBODY!!!
My tip is to have your kids help. Make it a game, how fast can we clean this room…etc.
I listen to audiobooks on my iphone while I do mundane tasks…my house is dramatically cleaner when I am really into a great book!
My recent revelation in cleaning has been white vinegar– streak free cleaning with absolutely no worrisome chemical residue. Just keep it clear of anything containing bleach!
As part of my new years resolution this year I came up with my own household cleaning schedule too and it has seriously changed my life!! I have a morning routine that I go through every morning that includes things like getting completely dressed (even though I am a stay at home mom), make the beds, do a quick swish & swipe of the bathroom, empty dishwasher, and put a load of laundry in. Then I broke my house down into 14 "zones" and created a chart that lists the tasks for each zone. Since there are 14, every zone gets done on a bi-weekly rotation. So after my morning routine I then do my zone of the day. I also have a nightly routine which includes tidying up, loading the dishwasher, laying out clothes and items for tomorrow, and making lunches. I feel so much more in control of the would-be chaos in my house now and it is a huge stress reliever for me to have it all planned out. It makes it so easy to keep up with everything and my house is almost always nice & clean now! But anyway, enough gushing about how my cleaning routine has changed my life and onto one of my favorite cleaning tips :) When I mop my floors I use the garbage can of the room that I'm mopping (bathroom or kitchen) because 1) it saves space from having a mop bucket cluttering my cleaning closet 2) It forces me to take the garbage out and keep my garbage can sparkly clean and fresh with the vinegar or other cleaning solution that I use to mop the floor with :)
My husband and I just moved into a new home (we're renters) and I've made it my mission to be much more organized than ever.
With inspiration from your blog: I've made myself a weekly cleaning chart.
And clear tubs and photo boxes are my best friends for organizing my home office/arts & craft room – but I need more of those.
Love this chore chart! I'm definitely going to give this a try..I concur with everyone who said to incorporate a load of laundry in your routine – keeps it from piling up! I also keep a supply of Clorox wipes in all the bathrooms and kitchen for a quick clean.
Love this chore chart! I'm definitely going to give this a try..I concur with everyone who said to incorporate a load of laundry in your routine – keeps it from piling up! I also keep a supply of Clorox wipes in all the bathrooms and kitchen for a quick clean.
I find for me, the best way to stay organized is to jot down my goals and utilize storage bins (the clear kind) with labels!! Love it. Keeps me organized and better yet, functionable.
~Sasha-Shae
Great post! My husband and I have been trying to find a balance of keeping a clean house while working oposite schedules. (He has the swing shift.)
My favorite cleaning tip right now is to use dryer sheets to clean the baseboards. Because the dryer sheets leave a bit of a soft film, over time the baseboards don't get dusty! So what was once a weekly chore becomes a monthly chore, and then only a couple of times a year. I'm all about that!
I try not to go over 15 min. whilr I organize a drawer. Makes me stay on task.
I've tried to keep laundry and simple (upkeep) cleaning for during the week before or after work, so we can actually enjoy some down time on the weekends. Your cleaning schedule is great I can't wait to add it, hopefully it keeps us on track! Thanks again
I am a marathoner!!! I blast my most upbeat CD and I sing at the top of my lungs, and dance around the entire time I'm cleaning!! Let's say I'm doing something in which I'd stand in one spot the whole time (like dusting a bookshelf), then I do butt kicks to keep my cardio up! As I'm moving from space to space, I dont walk around the things in the floor, I hop over them. It turns out to be a lot of fun for me where I dont even feel like I'm cleaning. At the end I'm drenched in sweat, but I've killed to birds with one stone!!!
I love this chart! I'm still trying to get in the groove of figuring out how to stay organized. This looks AWESOME!!!
My son is only 8 months old, but my lifesaver with him is keeping a small decorative basket for toys in the living room. It's cute, but convenient if an unexpected visitor comes.
I keep a weekly cleaning checklist on the fridge. It's laminated and I just use a dry erase marker to check things off as they're completed… by the end of the week I have a clean house and I can enjoy my weekend! My list is very similar to yours- bathrooms on monday, vacuum on tuesday, water the plants and mop on wednesday, etc. I also try to squeeze a load a laundry in every day so I don't have a huge pile waiting for me on the weekends.
I find this an excellant idea. I copied it a put it on my Frig.
I too use clear plastic containers all through my house. Well not the living room. I hate housework.
plb1050[at]gmail[dot]com
I'm amazed by all of these clean houses (not mine, sadly). I do the hanging shoe organizer right on my back door for my garden tools and small supplies… really helps to keep things clean and organized, and the kids have their own "pockets" for their tools (and anything sharp goes up high). I love that basket!
I love having a cleaning schedule too. It keeps things under control much better and makes me feel less overwhelmed. Once a week I also pick a job that is extra…like cleaning out a closet or organizing drawers.
I try to clean the kitchen counters and sink before I go to bed each night. It is so nice to wake up to that clean room and start the day off right with no dishes to worry about!
I do a load of laundry most days. I load and run the dishwasher at night, and empty it in the morning. I make the beds each day. If I don't do any of these things, I feel off. My house is still a mess, though! I need to be better about decluttering, dusting and vaccuming!
I always make sure to do a hand load of dishes when the washer is running, so we don't have that pile of things-that-are-too-big-for-the-dishwasher cluttering up the kitchen for days.
I'd love to be so organized to have a chore chart and stick to it. My routine basically consists of tackling the biggest nightmare first! Which is usually the dishes, followed by the laundry…if those tow jobs get done anything else is a bonus!
Laundry seems to be my biggest problem to tackle. I found the I can put whites and my daughters clothes on the delicate cycle in our HE washing machine and that saves sooo much time! Then I pop them in the dryer on delicate too, and get 2 full loads washed and dryed in just over an hour!
Alissa
ripleyadoption.blogspot.com
I have a chore chart too! For me, the key is to have easy supplies; I'm never going to mop if I have talk myself into getting out the bucket and mixing a solution. We love antibacterial wipes for hard surfaces and lightweight stick vacuums for our hardwood floors.
I keep a round, lidded basket in the closet for clothing/shoes items to donate. It's always handy and when it's full, it's time to make a Goodwill run. Nothing piles up, we all know what it's for, and it looks good.
love to organize our recyclables! I have plastic laundry baskets to organize and we have been able to get actual garbage down to one bag/week (by changing the way we buy foods according to excessive packaging). Yeh for our environment!
I use Remember the Milk online and have the app on my phone to generate my chore chart. I have daily, weekly, monthly chores, etc. I also like to put on annual spring-cleaning tasks like laundering quilts a cleaning out closets.
We have some specific days of the week for certain chores, but my best tip is make the whole family join in. My son has a chore chart and those things he can do are one less thing I have to do:-)
Too killer not to enter!
I saw a chore chart on another blog and thought it was genius…this just confirms it for me, I must get on board. I'm a long time basket user! Mainly for the upstairs-downstairs situation. It stays at the bottom of the stairs most of the day collecting our shenanigans, then it goes up at night. I'm also a big fan of kids' shoe baskets. Instead of making a big deal about putting shoes away all the time, they're all piled in a basket in the laundry room. We always know where they are.
My favorite tip is to keep cleaning products in a traveling caddy to make cleaning easier when going from room to room. I am also a firm believer in not having a lot of stuff. Less is more. It makes your house look cleaner when you don't have a lot of clutter.
My cleaning must have, can't live without is that hunk of a man Mr. Clean!! Specifically his magic erasers! I have used them to clean kids tennis shoes, shower walls, baseboards, walls, grill and even the garage door. (Plus tons more) I have yet to find something they don't work on. I have one in every room hidden in a camouflaged (modge podged of course) small wipe container with a bit of water ready for duty at the drop of a hat. Maybe a little obsessive huh? LOL well I just can't imagine my life without this man.
ptrevino3[at]gmail[dot]com
I do one load of laundry a day in order to keep on top of it. I put in a load to wash, make sure to get fabric softener in during the rinse cycle and then at night, I hang up some or throw it in the dryer. The next morning, I fold the load from the day before and put it away after throwing that day's load in the washer. SO much easier than being tied to the laundry room for an entire day! THANK YOU SO MUCH for this blog, I'm so excited to try out your system. :)
I leave a container of Clorox wipes hidden behind the toilets and that way if someone pops by I can quickly wipe down just in case!! We have an almost 3 year old and he can be a little messy :). I also spray surfaces down and let it sit for a little while to kill germs and it also makes it easier to wipe up stains! I love your daily chore list & i am going to try and stick to it!!
I wish my house was cleaner and had a great tip to share! But lately we've been involving our kids (1.5 and 3.5) more in the cleaning/picking up around the house and that's helped a ton! Our 3.5 year old son loves using the dust buster to clean up after meals!!
Every week I clean out one small drawer or box in my house. It tempers the proliferation of clutter and saves tons of cleaning time.
I work from home, so I fold cleaning into my work schedule. I turn many of my "stretch" breaks into a 5-10 minute cleaning job – maybe I'll Swiffer the entry way or set a timer and fold laundry for 10 minutes. I've also been known to declutter or Windex while on conference calls! It's amazing how a few short spurts can help keep the house in order. By working short clean-up breaks into the workday, I can enjoy more time with my family during the evenings.
Not much of a cleaning/organizing person….love the chart and maybe that would get me motivated. Thanks for the giveaway.
I love love love to vacuum- crazy right? But with all hardwood floors, the dust and dirt really shows, esp. with three small ones. Vacuuming makes me feel like the house is clean!
For organizing, I have a ton of different clear plastic storage containers(various sizes) that I use & I label each of them so I know what's in them. They make everything look really nice and tidy & I can find things really easily. :)