The Whole House Cleaning Schedule That Actually Works

I know exactly what it feels like to want a clean house, but to feel like it’s impossible to achieve. With nine people and a dog living inside my home, I find that mess happens constantly. I’m not talking about the occasional clutter that piles up on the countertops. I mean kids spilling drinks, crumbs on the kitchen counters, toothpaste on the sink, dog food dropped on the floor kind of mess that comes with my daily life. I had to implement a system that would allow the household chores to actually get done. Enter my whole house cleaning routine. While it looks a lot like a cleaning schedule, this system is actually a really flexible way to handle keeping the whole house clean (mostly)!

Daily Tasks

Last year I created a housekeeping routine, and it worked well for that house. Now that we are in a new house, I decided I needed to revamp my cleaning routine. We still have our daily zones. This is the chore chart designed for my kids. I have found there are still other things that need to get done.

Every day I try to make sure I get my daily cleaning routine handled, or I delegate them to other family members. We all live here, so I think it’s important everyone participate in keeping a clean home.

I start with my morning housekeeping routine. I usually tidy my room and bathroom, start a load of laundry, and then tidy up the kitchen. This may mean putting away clean dishes, wiping counters, or whatever else needs to be done.

The day always ends with my evening housekeeping routine, which includes finishing up the laundry, kitchen cleaning, and general tidying and decluttering from the day. These are chores that must get done on a daily basis regardless of what’s going on.

Weekly Cleaning Routine

I have my weekly tasks broken down into one task depending on the day of the week. These are chores that must get done on a regular basis. Mondays I do dusting in high-traffic areas, Tuesdays are for cleaning mirrors and glass, Wednesdays are for vacuuming, Thursdays are for mopping (especially the kitchen floor), and on Fridays I clean the bathrooms. I make sure to clean the toilets, wipe down the bathroom counters, and that the bathroom is fresh. 

The weekends are always left open, so if these tasks are not done during the week, they can be caught up then. This weekly cleaning schedule is easy enough to do for most people.

Deep Cleaning Schedule

Here is where we get down to the nitty-gritty of this entire house cleaning schedule. You may be wondering where we are supposed to fit in the deep cleaning. You know, the refrigerator cleaning or the washing machine cleaning. We all have those areas that get ignored, and because I use a zone cleaning system, I am able to make sure that those cleaning tasks get done.

Each week in my house is assigned a different zone. I have my home broken down into eight zones, so each area gets a deep clean every two months. I have found that a little bit of cleaning each day in my zone makes the deep cleaning tasks easier to manage. Of course, if you don’t have 15 minutes a day to devote to deep cleaning a particular area of your zone, you can knock out the whole zone during the weekend.

If I didn’t break down my house cleaning this way, I would probably rarely tackle those areas like the baseboards or the kitchen cabinets.

Here’s a look at my zones:

• Kitchen
• Entryways/Coat Closets
• Living Room
• Bathroom/Linen Closet/Laundry Closet
• Kids’ Bedroom
• Master Bedroom/Bathroom
• Office

A Realistic Cleaning Schedule

I feel like this is a realistic cleaning schedule for stay at home moms and homeschooling moms. The day can be broken into the morning cleaning routine, the evening cleaning routine, and then the afternoon routine can also involve a little work in the zone.

I use a monthly cleaning calendar to help keep my on track. On days that I get behind, I just pick up with where I left off. I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure I do every single thing on the list. Sometimes with small children that’s just not possible. Especially when you’ve been cleaning up weird messes like peanut butter on the wall or a whole gallon of milk spilled on the floor.

With a busy schedule it may seem impossible to tackle anything beyond the basic cleaning, but I promise if you take just 15 minutes and clean a little bit in your zone each day, those little bits will add up and make a big difference!

Good Habits Create an Orderly Home

Each of these components of this cleaning schedule: the morning cleaning routine, the evening routine, the weekly routine, and the zone cleaning tasks must all be done consistently. Once you establish time for them in your schedule, they will become habits. You will easily be able to complete each chore without much thought, much like brushing your teeth.

For example, your daily routine can consist of starting a load of laundry that will feel like second nature after having your cup of coffee. You’ll get used to making sure the sink is clear before you go to bed. 

If you can work in an afternoon cleaning routine, you’ll be well on your way for accomplishing each zone cleaning task. Quickly wipe down the baseboards in the zone you’re supposed to be working in one day. Clean out the refrigerator, wipe down the cabinet doors, wipe out your microwave, clean the window sills, etc. How much can you get done in 15 minutes? You might be surprised!

Tips for Keeping Your Home in Tip-Top Shape

Even if you are unable to follow my zone cleaning tasks, you’ll be able to keep your home looking pretty good just by completing the daily and weekly tasks of keeping up with the basic household chores.

If you need a little help with some of the other chores. I have you covered. I have an ever-growing list of cleaning tips and hacks that includes everything from cleaning household appliances such as the refrigerator and microwave to making your own household cleaners when you’re in a pinch.

In order to make the daily tasks of keeping your home looking good, you may want to try organizing with baskets and bins in the main parts of your home.

I like to keep decorative baskets in my kids play room to hold magnatiles and megablocks. I use a larger basket to act as a carrier when I collect items from the downstairs to be taken upstairs. It helps keep the table and counters as decluttered as possible.

It’s also helpful to have a place for papers. We have tons of mail that comes into our house, so I use a little wooden box like this one in the corner of my kitchen counter to catch the mail that needs to be sorted.

Another way you can make your home tidier and cleaner is to keep cleaning supplies in the rooms that you use them. For example, in each of my bathrooms I keep a small caddy under the sink with toilet bowl cleaner, glass cleaner, disinfectant wipes, and shower cleaner. I can quickly and easily wipe down the bathroom without having to drag around a bunch of cleaning supplies. It really helps!

Finding the Right Place for All Your Things

One of the best ways to help you maintain your new cleaning schedule is to make sure you’ve worked out a place for all of your things. Items strewn about and out of order can make your home look messier than it is, and you’ll probably find yourself spending most of your time putting things away.

It may be helpful to do some decluttering sessions and really pare down your possessions to make the time you spend putting things up a lot less. If you spend less time putting things away, you have more time to accomplish the other things you want to do!

Creating a cleaning schedule doesn’t have to be a complicated process. When broken down into manageable steps it can really be worked out and accomplished!

If you’re needing some help getting started on your cleaning journey, sign up to join our Homemaker’s Resource Library and snag the latest free monthly cleaning calendar!

join the homemaker’s resource library

You’ll get a free monthly cleaning calendar and access to over 30 printables to help you in homemaking!

Subscribe

Built with ConvertKit