Setting A Weekly Cleaning Schedule

Good housekeeping starts with a good routine and there is nothing like walking into a house that looks clean and organized and smells good. When your house is clean, your family is comforted by knowing their surroundings are under control. Its amazing how a clean, organized home can make you feel.

So the plan is to tackle one area of your house a day. With every week it gets easier and before you know it your house will be sparkling!
There are a few items that need daily tending, these include:
1 Making your Beds- If your kids are old enough , have them make their bed before school everyday.
2 Laundry- keep up with it as much as the size of your family indicates. Make sure it gets folded and put away too, cause piles of laundry defeat all your hard work.
3 Wash Dishes-whether you wash by hand or use a dishwasher, keep up daily so you dont have them piling up, cluttering up your counter , taking up work space and making your kitchen look messy. Everytime you wash the dishes, sweep your kitchen floor.
4 15-20 minute clean up- set a timer and tidy up. Put away anything that is out of place, organize, and straighen up. Its amazing how much you can get done in this small amount of time.
5 If you are like me, I like keeping lists and things organized so I have a Home Maintenance Journal. I keep my grocery lists, my meal plans, my "to-do" lists and my daily cleaning schedule all in a journal to keep me on track.
Then there are items that you can do weekly. I will share my own weekly schedule with you but you can make your own that fits your home and lifestyle, do what works best for you:
Monday: Bathroom and Cooking Day
I scrub and thoroughly clean my bathroom every Monday morning. Remember , when guests are sitting on your throne, they have nothing better to do but observe what kind of housekeeper you are. Cooking day is where I make snacks for home and for Carl's lunches for the week, including muffins, crackers, homemade chips, cookies or granola bars. I make my meal plan and grocery list( next week we will talk about this in more detail!)
Tuesday:Bedroom Day
I change the bedding and wash the sheets. I organize clothes, dust and put things away. Your bedrooms should be open, organized and clean. It should be comfortable because it should be the most peaceful ,restful rooms in your house.
Wednesday: Kitchen Day
Organize your pantry, clean out your fridge, clean your oven, microwave and other appliances. Wash your counters and disinfect them. Wipe the outside of your fridge and oven and organize any cupboards that need it.
Thursday: Sweeping, Mopping, Vaccuming, and Dusting Day
Move furniture, like your couch and clean behind and under them, Grab a dusting rag and dust any surface you havent touched yet this week. Clean mirrors and windows and  vaccum any rugs.
Friday: I like to spend Friday morning refreshing anything that needs touching up before the weekend, because normally with a family  the weekend is a busy time. I also spend some of Friday as "Me Day". Take a bubble bath, get your hair done, a little time for yourself as a reward for all your hard work during the week.
Saturday: Family Chores
Gardening, clean out the garage or car or do some home maintenance
Sunday: Spend the day enjoying a day of rest with your family!

You can make your own schedule, do what works for you, your family and your house. Dont sweat it if you get behind, either squeeze in some extra work the next day or wait until the chore comes up again. Once you get in the habit it will come naturally and you will enjoy it, especially when your house is clean and organized, your family will feel more comfortable and they will thank you!

Blessings,
Heather