Cleaning/Household Schedule

I'll be the first to admit that I am not as consistent as I would like with my cleaning schedule. Something (anything) happen and throws me off for a couple of days and I feel like I'm playing catch-up for a month! My plan was in definite need of some tweaking, so I sat down last week and just got it done.

I tried following those "pre-made" plans we see online, but they just didn't work for us. Here are some guidelines I used when creating my own:

*Start with a list of all the tasks that need to be completed (and I mean all!) daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally, and yearly.

*Then, next to each task, write how often you think it needs to be done. This varies for everyone- perhaps you only want to scrub weekly, but Ms. Suzie homemaker up the street does it everyday.

*With your daily chores, what time of day is most fitting for each task? I load the dishwasher 3 times/day (after every meal), make beds in the morning, sweep and tidy after lunch, and usually wash at least one load of laundry- I throw it in the wash after breakfast, throw it in the dryer after school, and fold it during quiet time.

*Decide if there are particular days that are the most practical for certain tasks- I like to clean out the fridge on Sundays because Monday is garbage day, I plan next week's meals on Thursday because that's when the fliers arrive, I plan next week's school week on Friday because that week is still fresh in my mind. Fill in the rest of the weekly tasks.

*Calculate at how many monthly, seasonally, and yearly tasks will need to be completed per week to finish it, and then fill them in.

*If you are designating chores for your children, now is a great time to decide what goes to whom.

Mine ended up something like this:

Daily
-Dishes.
-Sweep and shake out mats.
-Tidy.
-Laundry.
-Make beds.

Monday
-Take out trash.
-Diaper Laundry.
-Vacuum carpets and furniture.

Tuesday
-Wash bedding.
-Deep clean bathrooms.
-Scrub.

Wednesday
-Diaper laundry.
-Clean bedroom.
-Monthly task.
-Budget.

Thursday
-Vacuum carpets.
-Bi-weekly task.
-Dust.
-Meal plan.

Friday
-Diaper laundry.
-Touch-up bathroom.
-Scrub.
-Homeschool planning.

Saturday
-Seasonal task (once/month).
-Yearly task.

Sunday
-Clean out fridge.

Bi-weekly
*Week 1 and 3- Drop off recyclables.
*Week 2 and 4- Wash windows and mirrors.

Monthly
*Week 1- Clean coffee pot.
*Week 2- Deep clean kid's rooms.
*Week 3- Clean craft area.
*Week 4- Spot wash walls.

Seasonal
*Month 1 (Jan, April, July, Oct):
              -Wash curtains.
              -Take bottles to redemption center.
              -Wash cupboards.

*Month 2 (Feb, May, Aug, Nov):
             -Wash walls, doors, and trim.

*Month 3 (Mar, June, Sept, and Dec):
             -Sort kid's clothes and clean light fixtures.

Yearly
*Purge closets and storage areas.

(Note, there are a few things not on my list that may be on yours, such as yard work since hubby takes care of those for me.)


Without a schedule like this, I'm not sure my house would survive!