How to Create a Cleaning Schedule That Works for Your Family
How to Create a Cleaning Schedule That Works for Your Family
It’s no secret that families are busy. Between school, jobs, sicknesses, family obligations, extracurriculars, and trying to socialize, moms are often left wondering how to squeeze in enough time to clean their homes. When you’re trying to do it all, something usually gets left undone.
But if you’re like me and thrive in a clean, organized house, cleaning can’t be the thing that doesn’t get done. Today I’m sharing my favorite ways to create a cleaning schedule that works for your family.
First, Simplify
We ALL have too much of something in our houses. Likewise, if you are just moving things around instead of actually giving them a home, you’re giving yourself more work.
Declutter
Get rid of things you don’t need. If it is not actively being used (outside of things like holiday decor or sentimental items), it’s taking up not only physical space, but mental space as well.
Also, I don’t know if you realize this, but when you have less, there is less to clean. I know, groundbreaking. You can check out some of my posts on decluttering to help get you in the right mindset:
- Decluttering Without Getting Overwhelmed
- Decluttering Your Kid’s Stuff
- 31 Household Items to Throw Away
Organize
Once you have gotten rid of stuff you don’t need or want, it’s time to give the stuff you do want a home. Instead of setting stuff down, put it away. Don’t put it aside to come back to later. Spoiler alert: you won’t. Then you’ll be cleaning up yet another mess. You can check out my posts on organizing for specific areas.
- Organizing Your Car
- Maintaining a Tidy Home With Toddlers
- How to Keep Your Household Running Smoothly
Assess Your Needs
Knowing what your schedule looks like and what you have the ability to do is important. Start by writing down a loose version of your daily schedule. Do this for all seven days of the week. Note if your weekends look different than week days. Take note of regular events like a child’s ballet class or church on Sundays.
After you’ve created your schedule, jot down things you would like to be included in your weekly schedule. This could be a mommy and me class on Tuesday mornings or an hour at the gym three days each week. I like to write these wants in a different colored pen so I can see how much change would be taking place if we adopted these new activities.
Lastly, take a note of what is important on your calendar, and then highlight the areas that are not busy. This is where you’ll find your time to clean.
Ask yourself questions like the ones below:
- Do your kids have hectic sports schedules?
- Are you balancing a baby’s schedule with older kids?
- Are you working outside the home (full or part time)?
- Which days are heavier than others?
- Would it be easier to have one heavy day of cleaning or smaller amounts sprinkled in throughout the week?
By knowing the ins and outs of your schedule, you will be better able to carve out a cleaning schedule that works for your family.
Stick to a Schedule
Once you’ve figured out a schedule that works for you, stick to it. It can be easy to abandon a schedule that works because you fall off course for a few days, or even a few weeks! But if you are (at least semi) consistent with your cleaning schedule, it will work for you!
If you’re looking for a simple schedule to get you going, my free weekly cleaning schedule printable is a great place to start!
If you’re looking for a more in-depth guide on deep cleaning your home, you can check out these printables below!
No matter what style of cleaning schedule works for your family, consistency is key. Give yourself the gift of a calm, functional home without the mess! Create a cleaning schedule that works for your family today. You can also check out weekly cleaning and decluttering tips on my Instagram page. Be sure to give me a follow while you are there!
If you do decide to download my printables, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
This is truly the key to keeping a clean and tidy home… having a schedule! Great tip about assessing ‘what you have the ability to do’…. I think as women and moms, we tend to overshoot. But if work from a schedule that actually fits in with our bandwidth, we would more likely be able to stick to the schedule!
I remember growing up and waking up on Saturday, coming downstairs, and seeing a big piece of paper on the kitchen table. It had the cleaning list for the day. If you wanted to play you had to complete your list and do it right. (Dad would check). Looking back I’m glad my dad did that. I know it wasn’t easy to get 3 young kids to do house and yard work on a Saturday, but if it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have the work ethic needed to survive in this world. Thanks for bringing back these memeories!
Thanks for sharing. I love it when my home is tide and not cluttered. It makes life so much easier.
You are so right, I’d definitely rather sprinkle cleaning throughout the week versus doing a heavy cleaning day! Lots of great tips! Thanks for a great read!
Thanks for sharing this, sticking to a schedule is exactly what I need to stay consistent!
I’ve learned that the secret to keeping a neat and tidy home is keeping a cleaning schedule. I’ve also realized that I’d rather do light cleaning throughout the week than have to do some heaving scrubbing once a month.
I love a good declutter, and I also love to do certain tasks on certain days, so I’m not spending too many days of the week doing small bits of the same task.
I love the idea of assessing my need s and sticking to a schedule. This is something I need to be more intentional about.
Thanks for sharing these tips.