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On my blog I talk about different ways to clean, products to use, and tips and tricks, but the one thing that works the BEST for me is my cleaning routine. Without a cleaning routine our house would be a disaster and I would be struggling with the untidiness of it all. A cleaning routine can be difficult to start and harder to maintain, but with a little persistence it can save your sanity.
My mantra is ‘every day a little something’. I don’t have the time to clean the whole house in a day like I used to (and with a family it would only be clean for about .2 seconds all week long), so I assign specific jobs to days of the week. Not a brand new idea, but it works really well because each task builds on the next day. Bathrooms need a good cleaning after the weekend, so Monday is bathrooms day. Dusting should be done before vacuuming, so Tuesday is dusting day. Wednesday is vacuuming day and then Thursday is floor washing day (because floors should be vacuumed or swept before being washed). Everyone needs a little grace and wiggle room so Friday is catch-all day – a day to catch up. Saturday I wash sheets and towels in preparation for the week ahead and Sunday is a day of rest.
My Cleaning Schedule:
*Monday – Bathrooms
*Tuesday – Dusting
*Wednesday – Vacuuming
*Thursday – Floor Washing
*Friday – Catch All (Catch up day)
*Saturday – Washing Day (Sheets & Towels)
*Sunday – Rest
Trying to piece together the perfect way to maintain your house? Stop aiming for perfection and just do a little bit every day. It’ll never be perfect, but starting somewhere is the best place to start. Then realize that the only way the cleaning routine will work is if you follow through and keep up with the routine. Too tired and busy for a cleaning routine? Set your timer and commit to cleaning for 10 or 15 minutes every day and whatever you get done, you get done. Remember that the mess is good – people live in your home and enjoy life!
Cleaning Tip:
Set your timer and commit to cleaning for 10 or 15 minutes every day and whatever you get done, you get done.
Need some resources to get started? Here’s a fun post on how to make a cleaning binder [5], my cleaning routine page [6] with very detailed information, if you need a daily reminder, I post daily picture reminders of cleaning tasks on my Facebook page [7], and every month I have a FREE monthly cleaning calendar on my blog (here’s May’s calendar [8]).
How about you? Are you a cleaning routine-er? What’s most effective for you?
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Visit Becky’s Blog [10] to learn more cleaning tips.
Becky [11]
Becky (Clean Mama) writes a cleaning and organizing lifestyle blog all about simplifying everyday life and making daily cleaning tasks more fun. You'll find her with a printable checklist and a cup of coffee while running around with her three little ones. Clean Mama is also the housekeeping expert on Answers.com, and has been featured in HGTV magazine, BHG.com, Oprah.com, iVillage and has written cleaning and organizing content for companies like 3M, Peapod, and Reckitt. Look for Becky's first book to be published in the Spring of 2014! Learn more about Becky at www.cleanmama.net.