I always enjoy reading "behind the scenes" or "day in the life of" posts of other moms, so I thought I would share my cleaning routine with you.
Daily:
I try to do at least one load of laundry each day. That way it doesn't pile up too bad. Also, I hang most of my clothes up to dry on indoor drying racks, and there is only so much room to hang things.
I also try to keep up with the kitchen during the day. I can't stand a dirty table or cluttered counter tops, so my kitchen gets cleaned throughout the day. But I don't mind dishes in the sink, and I constantly break the fly lady's #1 rule. Oh well!
Dirty floors drive me crazy, so I am constantly sweeping the kitchen and anywhere I see those pesky dust bunnies.
Weekly:
Each week I write the following things down on the dry erase board in my office:
- Sinks and Toilets
- Showers
- Mirrors/Glass or Dusting (I rotate these...)
- Vacuuming/Mopping
Each day I try to do one item on the list, until they are all erased. If I don't get to them all that week, I just start the next week off with that item. I like spreading my cleaning out through the week, rather than doing it all in one day. This way, it only takes my about 15 minutes a day, and the thought of cleaning isn't too overwhelming.
Now some of you may gasp that I only mop once a week or only dust every other week. Like I said, my motto is "clean enough." Don't get me wrong, if I walk by a dresser and see a layer of dust, I will grab a rag a dust it right then. The same with my floors. If there is a spot on my kitchen floor, I will grab a rag and wipe it up.
Deep Clean:
Here is where a little more organization comes in. I have a Deep Cleaning Checklist that I work off of every Spring and Fall. Each week, I try to do one to two items off of the list. Most items will only take about 10-15 minutes, so I am never hit by that overwhelming feeling of "spring cleaning". And this list helps me to not forget anything that should be cleaned regularly. Some of the things I do more than twice a year, like cleaning my stove and microwave, but I still have them on the list just in case.
Here are my categories and then they are broken down into rooms. If you would like to download my actual cleaning checklist, click here.
- Ceiling Fans
- Baseboards
- Windows/Blinds
- Kitchen (Cabinets, Appliances, etc.)
- Bathroom Tile
- Curtains
- Rugs/Upholstery
- Closets
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Do I always follow my cleaning lists and schedules perfectly? Of course not! But they do help me stay on track and have a house that is clean enough for me.
How about you?
Leave a comment and tell me about your cleaning routine or leave a link to a blog post where you have written about it before.
Always,
Amanda
