Cleaning Routine will help you keep your house clean and organized. BUT in order to see the results, you have to choose one that works for you and your household.
Just like with anything, some things look good on paper (or on social media) but as soon as we start implementing it into our lives, things start to fall apart. That’s simply because it’s hard to find anything in life that is one size fits all. Our personalities and lifestyles are so different that we really have to spend some time trying out different things to see what would be the best fit.
Remember the end goal here is to get a handle on our household by choosing the cleaning routine that works for us. So let’s talk about some options to consider.
ONE ROOM PER DAY CLEANING ROUTINE
One of the most popular cleaning routines involves cleaning one room per day. So you divide your household into rooms. For example:
Monday – Bedrooms
Tuesday – Kitchen
Wednesday – Living Area
Thursday – Family Room / Halls
Friday – Office and Paperwork
Saturday – Bathrooms
Sunday – Relax
You can break it down however you want to. The idea is that you only concentrate on one room each day. This is a great option if you have about 20 to 30 minutes each day to dedicate to cleaning. To help you stay on track I would suggest creating a task list for each room.
For example, if you are working on your bedroom, that list can include:
- Dusting surfaces
- Changing sheets
- Vacuuming
- Mopping the floor
- Quick tidy-up of closet/dressers
Once you do this routine for a while, it will become second nature to you. And if you want to make this even more efficient, try doing the daily tasks in the same order. That will also speed things along and reduce your cleaning time.
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ONE TYPE OF TASK PER DAY CLEANING ROUTINE
The second method is very similar to the first one. You also dedicate some time each day to cleaning but instead of concentrating on one room at a time, you concentrate on one type of task per day. The idea here is that instead of taking out a vacuum each day, you take it out once a week.
So your weekly schedule might look something like this:
Monday – Dusting and wiping down surfaces
Tuesday – Bathtubs, showers, toilets, sinks
Wednesday – Changing all sheets, towels
Thursday – Fridge, pantry restock,
Friday – Vacuuming / mopping the floors
Saturday – Paperwork
Sunday – Relax
This is a great routine to consider if you don’t like to do certain chores. Because here you only do them once a week. For example, if dusting is something you really dislike, you might find it more bearable if you can only do it on Mondays.
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ALL CLEANING IN ONE DAY / WEEKEND CLEANING ROUTINE
This method is something I personally use. My current schedule does not allow me to clean for 20 to 30 minutes each day, so most of my cleaning is happening on Saturday. With this method, it’s best to block a few hours of time where all you do is clean. For me, that is usually about 2 to 3 hours.
I use my FREE Weekend Checklist and Meal Plan Printable to help me stay on track with my cleaning on Saturdays.
FLY LADY ZONE CLEANING
This particular cleaning routine is very structured and includes all cleaning. The idea is that if you stay on top of the cleaning and rotate cleaning all areas of your house – it will always be clean. Fly lady is all about routines.
The most famous thing she is known for is zone cleaning. You basically break out your house into zones, which for the most part correspond with the rooms of your house. And each zone is broken down into specific areas that need to be cleaned.
For example, in your kitchen zone you might have: fridge, oven, under the sink, upper cabinets, lower cabinets, and pantry. Each day you dedicate about 15 to 20 minutes to complete one task from your kitchen zone. One the week is over, you move to another zone.
After a few weeks, all the zones are completed and it’s time to go back to zone 1 and start the new cycle of zone cleaning. This way, none of the areas of your house are neglected and you will never find yourself with a giant mess in any parts of your house.
I have heard about zone cleaning from How Jen Does It, so check her out if you want to see how she does it in her house.
I will tell you that this method of zone cleaning is definitely something that I want to try. Maybe in the summer when we are not so busy with after school activities. I will keep you posted.
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DEEP CLEANING ON QUARTERLY BASIS
If you are not doing zone cleaning, then you are in the same boat as I am right now. And while we clean on a weekly basis, there are some areas of our house that don’t get cleaned that often. For example, things like my oven… Let’s just say that it has been a while.
So I usually will incorporate deep cleaning on a quarterly basis. It usually coincides with each season. Which means that Spring Cleaning is right around the corner. And I will definitely be sharing that on my YouTube Channel so make sure you are subscribed if you are looking for some cleaning motivation.
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HYBRID CLEANING ROUTINE
If none of those cleaning routines are appealing to you or if you have tried and were not able to stick with any of them try a hybrid! Maybe you dedicate 3 days of the week for cleaning? Or maybe you breakdown your deep cleaning into one monthly intervals and each month you complete a few items from the list.
Remember that the cleaning routine has to fit your lifestyle and personality in order to work. Try one and see what you like and what you don’t. What works and what does not.
And be willing to change things around when your family schedule changes.
For example, I used to break out my cleaning and do one major cleaning task each day. But right now, when I work full time, have a side business, and my kids have a lot of activities in the evenings, it’s just not feasible. So I do the majority of my cleaning on Saturday with a few tasks on Friday when I have time.
And don’t forget that hiring help is also an option! If you can afford it, why not?
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YOUR TURN
What cleaning routine do you have? How is it working for you?
This is interesting because I’ve never really thought about having a specific routine for the home. However that’s probably why I’m so appalling at cleaning!! I feel like I’m firefighting instead of being organised!
Haha! Yes, I am all about routines. The less I have to think about it, the better results I get 🙂
I love that there is more than one method. We all work in our own way and it can be hard to find whats right for you. It is great to have options.
Yes, cleaning schedules need to be adjusted depending on a specific lifestyle. I am a true believer that one size does not fit all. Finding out what works for each of us is key to success.
This article provides some helpful tips for creating a cleaning routine that works for your lifestyle and schedule. The author suggests starting with a plan and breaking down the cleaning tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks to make the process less overwhelming.