I resisted creating a homemaking or cleaning schedule for many years. I’m not a huge fan of tons of rules or structure. However, implementing this has really helped to simplify my life.
My homemaking schedule is flexible, sometimes I miss a day here or there. But I find that because things are being cleaned on a regular basis, it stays under control!
I break my cleaning tasks into daily + weekly. Both are important, and together they allow me to stay on top of my home!
DAILY TASKS
As soon as my son become mobile (which felt like 5 seconds after exiting the womb), it feels like keeping up with my home is my full-time job!
I’m someone who thrives in a tidy + organized space and I personally have a hard time relaxing until my home is picked up.
- Put the kitchen to bed. If I had to choose just ONE thing from this entire cleaning schedule, it would be this. To me, there is nothing better than starting a new day with a clean kitchen! Every night after dinner we clean the kitchen. This includes washing dishes (by hand, no dishwasher), wiping counters, putting away any items, and spot cleaning the floor. This has become a non-negotiable in our home because when it doesn’t get done, the day starts chaotic!
- Pick up the living room. If you have a toddler, you know that they can be like tiny, human tornados. One to two times a day I spend 5 minutes picking up all the items scattered all over our floors!
- Make the beds. I’m one if those people who cannot sleep in an unmade bed. If I don’t make it at some point throughout the day, I have to make it before getting in at night!
MONDAY: MEAL PREP + KITCHEN
On Monday’s I’m usually gung-ho to get things done around the house! This is probably my heaviest chore day. I really try to avoid scheduling anything else on Mondays because I find it sets the tone for the week.
I do all my cooking from scratch – including making my own bread, crackers, tortillas, etc. So Monday’s I usually spend the whole day in the kitchen making whatever I need for the week! Then I try to do a kitchen deep clean, and pick one large cleaning task such as deep clean the high chair, clean out the fridge / freezer, clean the stove / oven, etc. I don’t do ALL of these every week, but I find that when I rotate through them they all stay under control!
TUESDAY: TOILETS
This is pretty straight-forward, Tuesday is my bathroom day! I would say I do a deep clean every second Tuesday, and in between I just wipe everything down, clean the toilet + floors! Because I do this consistently, it really doesn’t take long and dirt + grime doesn’t build up.
WEDNESDAY: WIPE + WATER
On Wednesdays I water my plants (if they need it!), and then wipe down surfaces. These tasks go well together because sometimes I spill water or they leak out the bottom 🙈 Then I go around the house and dust / wipe down any surfaces that need it! I find I don’t have to dust every single thing every week, but again, because I’m doing this consistently it just doesn’t build up and get out of control.
I recently added to my Wednesdays the task of tidying + wiping down our front and back entrances. These were spaces that were severely neglected and can get SO dirty with mud coming into the house, winter gear, boots, etc. Now I look at the space once a week and see what needs to be done! Usually it needs a good vacuum, wipe down, items put away properly, shoes reorganized, etc.
THURSDAY: WASH LAUNDRY
I’v never seen someone do laundry the way I have it set up! I prefer to do all my laundry at once. Maybe one day when I have more children/more laundry this won’t work anymore. But right now it works well!
I also hang dry 90% of our clothing, so it takes more than a day.
So, I set aside Thursday to wash alllll the laundry. Including towels, and sometimes cloth diapers, it’s somewhere between 4-6 loads.
In the summer I hang dry everything outside. In the winter I hang most things on a clothing rack in my basement. Drying indoors takes significantly longer than drying on the clothesline in the summer! So I leave it overnight and Fridays are devoted to folding + putting away.
FRIDAY: FOLD + FLOORS
On Fridays my laundry is all dry. I dump it all on the living room floor and fold/put everything away once! I prefer this being a once a week task, and don’t find that the “one load a day” method works for our family.
Fridays are also my day to deep clean the floor. With a dog and toddler, I’m cleaning the floors several times a week, but Friday is when they get a really good vacuum and mop!
SATURDAY: SHEETS + BEDROOMS
I decided to separate sheet washing day from the rest of my laundry.
So on Saturday morning I strip and wash our bedding. And then I do a quick tidy, dust and vacuum of the bedrooms. Our bedrooms tend to be the spaces that get neglected during the week so I like to give them a little bit of time on the weekend!
