Cleaning schedules

Cleaning, ugh!!! I love to organize but boy do I dislike cleaning! Maybe I should pair up with a friend who loves to clean, and we could swap organizing/cleaning jobs. Hmmm...I might be on to something! Unless I make it a priority, the cleaning just doesn't get done. Believe me, with three young children, I can always find something else to be doing. That is why we're creating a cleaning schedule today. A cleaning schedule can help you be more efficient with your time. You know what that day's task is so you can spend less time trying to decide what needs to get done.

The thought of cleaning our entire house makes me want to not even bother starting. Talk about an intimidating task! I have found, though, that by placing my cleaning jobs on a schedule so I have a smaller job each day, I'm much more likely to get the cleaning done.

To create my cleaning schedule, I listed all of the tasks I would like to get done each week: vacuum/sweep floors, dust, water the plants, clean the bathrooms, de-clutter the minivan, and wash the bedding. Your tasks may be completely different from mine depending on your situation.

Once you have your list of jobs, break the list into smaller chunks deciding how much you feel you can readily handle each day. At this point, look at your weekly schedule and decide which day would work best for you to tackle each cleaning task. Here's what mine looks like in addition to my reasoning behind why I set each task on the day I did (if there was a particular reason):

Sunday: sweep/vacuum and mop floors

In reality, the mopping doesn't happen every week, but that's my goal. I set this on Sunday because it's the best day for me to try to squeeze it in.

Monday: wash all bedding

I almost put this on Friday so we'd have wonderfully clean sheets for the weekend, but I had other tasks I wanted to tackle then.

Tuesday: vacuum and sweep

Wednesday: dust and water plants

For some reason, I have a really hard time remembering to water plants. That's why I put that task on my schedule. If it's not on the schedule, it's probably not going to happen. (Most of the plants in my house are very draught-resistant!)

Thursday: de-clutter minivan

Three young children... need I say more?

Friday: vacuum and sweep - again

With three young children and two dogs, there's always going to be stuff on my floors. I figure there isn't any point in my going crazy trying to vacuum/sweep more than two to three times a week.

Saturday: clean bathrooms

This is my least favorite cleaning task. I stuck this on Saturday because it takes so much time.Also, it's a lot easier for me to clean the bathrooms if my husband can take the children so they aren't getting into the cleaning supplies. Depending on when we're likely to have guests, I'll sometimes stick this on Friday.

Once you have created your cleaning schedule, post it on your calendar or somewhere you're likely to see it on a daily basis. Stick to your commitment to get the cleaning job done each day. If some part of the schedule isn't working for you, change it up so it will work better. While it's important to stick to the cleaning schedule, it's just as important to be flexible with it as needed.

Now, let's get cleaning!