How to Develop your Own Cleaning Schedule

Image courtesy of nowsourcing.com

Have you ever struggled with keeping your house looking spick and span, but still having time to do other things? I hear you, my friend, and what you need is a cleaning schedule. Having a cleaning schedule ensures that you won't forget important tasks that need to be done, and you will always know when it is time to do them. My schedule has every cleaning task for each room in my house, and it tells me when to do these tasks. This simplifies the process and allows me to have room in my brain to remember much more important things, like my parents' international phone number. (Not!)

The first step I took to assemble my own comprehensive cleaning list was to find exhaustive cleaning lists. Flylady.com has a great detailed cleaning list, and Martha Stewart has a great spring cleaning list here as well.

Next, I customized this list for my own home. We don't have a family room or a master bathroom, but we do have a deck and a porch that I wanted to include. I made a list of each room that would need cleaning. They are:

First Floor: Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Front Entryway and Porch, Back Entryway and Deck

Second Floor: Master Bedroom, Bathroom, Hallway, Office and Guest Room

Basement: Rec Room, Laundry Room, Bathroom and Kitchen

Then, I listed each task that needed to by done by room, and how often it needed doing.

Example: Dining Room - Wash inside of windows - Seasonally

Bathroom - Wash fixtures and mirrors - Weekly

Kitchen - Wash outside of cabinets - Monthly

Once I had each task assigned to each room it was valid for, and when to do said task, it was a cinch to assemble my lists by frequency; Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Seasonally, along with Spring Cleaning and Fall Cleaning.

An important point to remember in making your lists is to customize the tasks and frequency

to your own home. We don't drink coffee regularly, so cleaning the coffeepot is not a part of

our daily routine. It may be for you. However, we spend a lot of time on our deck in the summer,

so I like to add that to my schedule in the summer months. Don't be afraid to add some things in,

or delete ones that are not necessary.

I have summarised the lists by frequency for you to use, if you would like. These are not the

exact lists that I use on a regular basis, as I like to have my tasks broken down by room so that

I can see that everything is getting done. I'll show you where I keep my lists in another post, it's

a lifesaver!

Oh and you may be wondering why my fall cleaning list is longer than my spring list. I am

anti-tradition, what can I say. :-) Actually, because we are inside all winter, I clean a lot more and there really isn't a need for a big spring clean. But, throughout the summer, with parties, bare feet, gardening, and open windows, the dirt piles up. Come fall, the house needs a good cleaning! Plus, a big cleaning in the fall means that everything is spick and span for the holidays, and ready for the hard winters here in upstate NY.

Sure hope this helps you keep your sanity, and still have a clean house!