People in the US spend an average of two hours and fifteen minutes on cleaning each day.
Truthfully, however, many of us still feel like our homes are a mess. It can be hard to keep up with everything, especially if you have a busy work life.
Do you feel like you can’t stay on top of your household cleaning?
Read on to learn how to make an effective and simple cleaning calendar. Get your house cleaning on a schedule that works!
Divide Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Bi-Yearly Tasks
In order to make a productive housekeeping schedule, you should write out a list of all the cleaning tasks you need to do.
Write down the ones you cringe to even think about (like washing the windows or dusting the baseboards).
Next, sort these tasks into one of four categories: daily, weekly, monthly, bi-yearly.
Daily tasks might include making beds, wiping the kitchen counter, running the dishwasher and so on. Weekly tasks include things like cleaning toilets, bathtubs, changing bed linens and vacuuming and mopping.
Monthly tasks might include dusting, cleaning vents, windows, and cleaning the inside of your fridge, stove, and microwave.
Things you can do twice a year include changing the batteries on your smoke detectors, changing the filters on your furnace, washing curtains, vacuuming mattresses, decluttering the toy box and re-organizing the pantry. Twice a year is a good time to invest in a deep clean of your whole house!
Separate Weekly Tasks into Specific Days
Once your list is made, you might wonder if you have to dedicate your entire weekend to those weekly items.
You can do that if you want, but it is easier to stay on top of your cleaning if you allot one of those weekly tasks to each day.
You might decide to wash bed sheets on Saturday morning but clean the bathrooms every Tuesdays.
This way, you aren’t a slave to cleaning for an entire day straight. Instead, you do your daily tasks and one weekly task each day.
You might want to appoint one day as a catch-up day to do any tasks that didn’t quite get done that week so you never fall behind.
Make Your Cleaning Calendar Visible
You’ll never be able to keep on top of your cleaning if you can’t see exactly what you should be doing that day.
Print out a cleaning calendar and put it over your desk or on your fridge so you can see it every day. You might even want to take a picture of it and make your wallpaper on your cell phone.
Set an alarm on your phone if necessary to help you get the day’s tasks done.
Get the Family Involved
Who says the household cleaning routine has to be all on you? Make your cleaning more efficient by getting everyone in the house to pitch in.
You and your spouse might decide which tasks you are each personally responsible for. One might take out the trash each week while someone else can be in charge of lawn mowing.
There are plenty of age-appropriate chores for little ones. Kids can make their own beds in the morning, tidy toys, fix throw cushions, unload the dishwasher and so much more.
Not only will you teach them responsibility, but you will also instill in them the value of a neat and tidy home.
Final Words
There you go! A simple, no-fuss way to get a cleaning calendar underway at your home. Remember, it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Just plan out what works for you and stick to it. Of course, you can make adjustments and tweak it as you go.
If you find that you simply don’t have the time for certain tasks, give us a call. We can provide you with a free estimate to help make your home an enjoyable, healthy place to live.
