I have a plan that I’ve broken down into 7 categories that give me a manageable amount of things to do each day so that it doesn’t become overwhelming.
Yes, I’d love a day of complete rest, but for me, that makes the rest of my week seem so much heavier. I only do a small amount of work on Sunday, but it helps me to feel relaxed the rest of the week. Each day is assigned a room. I do all the heavy cleaning for each room on it’s assigned day.
The rest of the week, I can do just a quick, simple clean up and the house stays pretty tidy. I update this post from time to time, as the products I use change, and I welcome comments about what you use to clean your own home!
My daily Cleaning Tasks
1. I start the day with a load of laundry, using a good quality detergent such as from thelaundress.com which sells products scented with lovely fragrances that are also very gentle to the clothes. Once the washing is done I hand it out on an indoor washing rack and the whole house has a wonderful clean smell as the washing dries.
2. Unload clean dishes, load dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I know most people don’t like leaving dishes out overnight, but my personal preference is to do them first thing in the morning.
3. Take out trash.
4. Do a quick pickup of items left out around the house.
5. Swap the laundry.
6. Quick wipe down of kids bathroom. With three boys, it gets disgusting if you don’t do this daily. They are learning to help do it though, so sometimes I leave this for after school:)
7. Make my Bed. Kids do their own before school.
8. Make preparations for dinner.
Sunday: Living Room
We use this Febreeze Air Purifier in our living room, it helps reduce the amount of dust and germs significantly. When I’m cleaning, I prefer to use Pledge on the furniture with a microfiber cleaning cloth to wipe it down.
We use Endust Electronics wipes for the electronics which attract the most dust, but checked first to make sure they were safe! Check your owner’s manuals or the manufacturer’s first, to avoid any damage issues! For surfaces, I wipe daily with a microfiber hand duster.
Finally, I do a quick vacuum of the floors with my Shark Rocket – I have the DuoClean Version.
Monday: Bathrooms
Tuesday: Floors
Sweeping and mopping- these hurt my back immensely, so they get their own day. I can do 5 minutes at a time throughout the day to make it easier on myself.
Wednesday: Kitchen
I’ve decided to clean kitchen on Wednesdays because it’s the day before trash pick up, so it’s perfect for cleaning out the fridge.
Thursday: Upstairs Loft Area
Friday: Kid’s Rooms
The kids do most of this, I just stay on top of it weekly by weeding out outgrown clothes, a few toys, and making sure it’s tidy.
Saturday: Master Bedroom
Some of these items are the same as the Living Room. The biggest additions are the Ceiling Fan Microfiber Duster – we do not have a ceiling fan in our current living room, but a quick weekly dusting avoids dust buildup, the Blind Cleaner – the blinds upstairs get dustier than downstairs, the Wall Mop – again, the upstairs walls require a weekly wipe down and downstairs just once a month (we leave the upstairs windows open more).
We also purchased an Air Purifier for our room because I have allergies and it reduces the dust in the dustiest room in the house so I breathe significantly better. The replacement filters are a fraction of the cost of the extra allergy medication I was taking.
Stay in touch
Hope this post inspires you and of course, I’d love to know what you think! Let me know in the comments below or find me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and add the hashtag #practicalfrugality so that I can see your post.
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Magdalena
LaProfesoraFrida says
I love this too~ I absolutely hate cleaning the house and I will put things off forever. If I had a schedule, maybe I’d stick to it and my house would stay clean! 🙂
Judy says
I like the list idea, and simply made. I need to clean house tomorrow.
Tami Valentine says
I have no strategy in cleaning my house and I really should. It just seems like there are other things that I like to do instead. I love your idea!!!
Vesper says
compared to you I am really lazy, though I don’t have children to clean up afterwards. But I never make our bed – throw the coverings back and leave to air all day – much more healthier
Caroline Morin says
Pick up as you go and be organized. Toss dirty clothes into a hamper instead of on the ground somewhere. Don’t let things pile up. Have a place for everything.
miriama59 says
Get your children to help when they are young. It helps teach them responsibility and they actually enjoy it when they are young.
Richard Hicks says
keep a cordless hand vac around to spruce up quickly and easily
ardy22 at earthlink dot net
Karen says
Use all natural products. I love Simp;e Green. It cleans well and smells nice.
kathy pease says
I like to sprinkle baking soda on the carpets to absorb pet odors..the carpet deodorizer powders you buy at the store make me choke and gag
Stephanie Phelps says
My favorite house cleaning tip is let someone else do it lol
I always take a basket with me to each room that way if there is something that belongs in a different room am not running back and forth I can just wait til I get to that room and put it away.
Alicia Keen says
toothpaste takes sharpie off the walls!
Stacey Roberson says
I use lemon oil to shine the tiles in my bathroom, which also prevents mold and mildew.
Kelly D says
I like cleaning with natural ingredients such as vinegar.
Sandy VanHoey says
My tip is to make sure I pick things up as I see them laying around, makes cleaning a lot easier if you keep the home organized
slehan says
Do it with music!
Margaret Smith says
We also use vinager for cleaning so much. Great for washing floors, even hardwood floors.
Sara Zielinski says
Vinegar is my favorite house cleaning tip too, it is cheap, plentiful and always great to have on hand!
nenasinclair says
If you pick up after yourself as you go, it makes housekeeping much easier!
richelle bowers says
my favorite house cleaning tip is vinegar…it whitens, deodorizes and sanitizes all in one
Chelsey says
When I lived in a 2-story house, my favorite tip was never go up or down without taking items with you so that there’s never a wasted trip. Now that I’m in a single story home, my tip is to try to complete 1 task whenever I walk into a new room. (grabbing dirty clothes from the hamper, putting dishes away, putting toys in bins, etc.)
Lisa Brown says
Tip; dust before vacuuming
Jenn says
My favorite housecleaning tip: aside from taking on one room at a time; save the vacuuming for last. This way any dirt or dust that is kicked up doesn’t settle into a freshly vacuumed carpet.
Betsy Rubendall Barnes says
My cleaning tip is do a section of the room each day when tackling a huge mess 🙂
windicindi says
I really have no strategy when to clean my home…I mainly try to
keep the clutter way down! Thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com
Suzanne B. says
My cleaning tip: Do the dishes daily and pick up a little around the house daily, that way it won’t all add up so much and it’ll be easier to maintain.
Rebecca L says
I make a list by room, and I try to do one a day. Such as:
Day 1. Clean the Kitchen.
Day 2. Clean the Bathroom
Day 3. Clean the Carpets.
so on….
Lanie K. says
Vinegar.. it cleans so many thing!
Susan V says
Have you heard of FlyLady? Your cleaning schedule is very similar. FlyLady’s website saved my life!