It’s time for the February edition of Show and Tell. This month, let’s talk about a whole house cleaning schedule.
So, I know some of your are saying “You don’t have kids, why do you need a cleaning schedule??”
Because…priorities. And Netflix. And Kindergarten. And a beautiful dog named Atlas. And a gazillion other things that I would rather do than clean a house. And before anybody else throws some shade for complaining about cleaning a newly-built house, slow your roll. I’m not complaining but a new toilet is just as nasty to clean as an old toilet. Cleaning is still cleaning and I still need a structured schedule like I need for everything else in my life.
We all have our cleaning preferences. There are some things I want done every Sunday before I start a new work week. Some people may not care about those things. People with kids will have different priorities than I might have. Families with rotating work shifts will have cleaning shifts that vary. So, your mileage may vary.
I’m a paper planner. I like to write things down and that includes my weekly cleaning list.
I bought this Erin Condren Weekly schedule note pad for just this reason. I like to keep it on the fridge, and I include my weekly menu plans on the bottom of each day. (Keep in mind, this is my IDEAL set up. Right now, the only thing on my fridge are butter fingerprints and a Hot Cocoa magnet leftover from Christmas).
Let’s talk about why I clean the way I clean.
I have two worlds that I live in. I have my “ideal” world which I plan in my head and hope for the best. Then I have my “real” world in which I barely get ANY of this accomplished. But, for the sake of pretending like I have my sh…stuff together, let’s look at my IDEAL world of cleaning and organization.
DAILY, I like to make a quick run through the house and re-locate any clutter. I want the counters wiped, the kitchen floor swiffered of all dog hair, and the dishes either in the dishwasher or already put away. (I can barely contain my laughter here. This wish list hasn’t happened in weeks).
On Monday, I usually have the most afternoon time. Even with a faculty meeting, I get home around 4:30. This is why I tackle the living room. I have a fantastic Bissell Crosswave wet-dry vacuum. Our house is all hardwood/luxury vinyl plank with area rugs. I can use this on both. With a long-hair puppy, this thing is brilliant.
In about 30 minutes, I can run the vacuum over the floors, extra sweeps over the area rug, get the hall floors, and dust the few tables after the vacuum. Cross off 2 items and then go play with my dog or go for a run. (Let’s be honest. Crash on the couch.)
Tuesdays, I tutor after school. I won’t get home until 5:45 at the earliest.Tuesdays are a struggle, so I don’t even pretend to get much accomplished. I throw in a load of towels/kitchen towels and run the Bissell over the bedroom floor. Both of us suffer from spring allergies and a quick run over the floor takes maybe 5 minutes. I don’t even empty it after. I roll it to the closet and then go crash on the couch (see a theme here?)
Wednesdays, I might not get home until 8:30 if I tutor and go to mid-week church. At 9pm, even Atlas is ready for bed so all I do is run a load of my laundry and quickly go over the pantry—laundry room and pantry are one room.
Thursdays, I need to get the bathroom and shower done. Magic erasers are MAGICAL GOLD. I can clean the deep tub, sinks, and glass shower doors. I use Rain-X on the doors to keep off the soap scum and hard water droplets. We all know we clean toilets as quickly as possible. Gross. Then, I run a Swiffer over the master closet and bathroom floor.
FriYAY! I do not tutor so I’m either getting home at 3:30 or I have a quick taco run with some friends. This is where some true confessions come in. In my ideal world, I like to come home and relax with some music and work in the kitchen. I’m not going to say CLEAN the kitchen because that sounds like I’m a weirdo.
But, yes basically, I want to clean the kitchen and get it ready for a weekend of cooking. I like to meal prep on the weekend and a clean kitchen on a Saturday morning is an extra-special gift to myself. I grab a notepad and take inventory of the pantry before I order my groceries for a Sunday pick-up.
My kitchen cleaning on Friday includes cleaning the stove-top. Don’t ask me how much hair (mine and my dog) and crumbs I find on a roaring happening Friday night. After the stove, I do a big clearing of the counters to make space for Saturday bacon or baking. I get the dishes going, fold and distribute dish towels and my aprons—the long ones from the waist down, not the frilly French kind. I also try a quick swiffer on the floor.
Weekend. I hate spending a large portion of my weekend cleaning. IF..and that’s a big If, I can do a little bit each night, then my weekends are free for the only thing I REALLY care about being clean. Sheets. There is nothing better on a Sunday night than having all my plans for the week—meal plan, life planner, workout planner—and reading a book in a clean bedroom and clean sheets. That’s just how my mind works. I don’t care if the laundry is done as long as we both have something to wear on Monday.
This is also where I clarify that I don’t do ALL the house cleaning. I’m married to an organized neat freak and he works rotating shifts, day and night rotations. Stephen will do any laundry and he’s great about noticing my basket is full and doing mine during my work week. Having our closet suite next to the laundry room as made a huge difference in clothes actually getting put back in the closet the same day they got washed (I’m the worst one about that). He will run a vacuum if I leave a list. He will turn the dishes when he sees they need it. So, this list is great for both of us to see what needs to be done and what is planned for the day.
Also, I don’t have any outside chores because I don’t do any. He’s the one who loves to do stuff outside and tinker in the shop or run the tractor to mow, bush hog the back property, etc. He and Atlas are often working on something outside. All I do is decorate the front porch when I feel like it.
Just in case you want a PDF of my schedule, here you go