New & Improved Cleaning Schedule

It’s spring cleaning time, right? I’m not so sure. I still see snow and I’m still trekking around in my winter coat and mittens. But I have cleaning on the brain nonetheless. 

Back in January, I shared my shiny new cleaning schedule. I was really excited about it for a few reasons. Up until then, I lacked a schedule completely which often resulted in me spending an entire weekend trying to catch up by cleaning the whole house, top to bottom. I don’t know about you, but I can think of about 100 things that are more fun, even if it is frigid outside. In addition, I thrive on lists, so I figured this new schedule was a no fail solution.

If you recall, I created a yearlong calendar and filled in each day with specific cleaning tasks. 

While each week looks generally the same; monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, and annual tasks got filled in wherever I thought would be appropriate. It was my intention that this would help me stay on top of not only the little things but also the bigger, more time consuming projects. Well I’m back with an update and a bit of a re-do.

There are a lot of things about my original schedule that worked.

• Having a routine saved me from spending many hours (or days) cleaning the house
• The schedule kept me accountable for what was getting done and what was not
• It helped me plan out my week
• It has allowed me to keep the house clean and, perhaps more importantly, cleaner than it was without a schedule

On the other hand, I’ve realized a few things about this schedule that are not working.

• Some of the tasks that I’ve denoted as weekly or monthly don’t need to be done nearly that often
• Having a calendar based schedule leaves little room for flexibility
• Scheduling larger annual tasks into this calendar has proven somewhat ineffective because I do not know my weekend plans a year in advance or have any idea what the weather will be like 
• I found myself not changing out the schedule each month, but instead just pulling up my digital version on my computer at the beginning of each week

A few weeks ago, a fellow blogger (whom I largely admire), talked about revamping her family’s cleaning schedule to make it a bit more simple and easy to follow. I was intrigued. I started dissecting my own plan and thinking about how changing it up may improve it. I didn’t copy her schedule. That’s lesson number 1 here. Not every plan/schedule is going to work for everyone. For example, she has three boys and I have no children. That changes the schedule in itself quite a bit!

I re-worked my original list of cleaning tasks, adding some, removing some, and changing the timeline of others. I was honest with myself in doing this and asked myself the same question for each task: “Is this a good use of my time?”

Then I set out to create one page that I can hang in my current dry-erase frame. This will eliminate the need to switch out the schedule each month. 

I decided on four daily tasks: load the dishwasher and do any hand wash dishes in the sink; wipe down the stove, counters, and sink; take out the recycling; and clear the counter of any clutter piles. 

I have found it extremely helpful to fill the sink with hot, soapy water when I start the dinner making process. Then, as dinner cooks, I throw anything that needs to be washed by hand into the hot water to soak and everything else gets loaded in the dishwasher. After dinner, I finish washing the dishes and use that same soapy water to wipe down the kitchen. 

I took off making the bed and sweeping the floor as a daily task because it just wasn’t something I was making a priority to do. If the floor is a mess, I will clean it and if the bed needs to be formally made, I will make it. But to me, these two things were not a good use of my time every single day.

I also chose seven tasks that needed to be done each week. My plan is to do one of these tasks each day of the week, but if I am extra busy one day, I can always double up another day. None of these tasks should take much more than 20 minutes (aside from laundry, of course). 

Next, I decided on 16 tasks that needed to be done each month and then three or four other tasks that could be rotated. This means most months will have 20 tasks to complete and I plan to complete one of these tasks each weeknight. (Thanks to Jen for this idea!)

I love the idea of just having a list of tasks instead of a calendar. This way, if I don’t have a lot of time one night, I can pick a shorter task on the list. It gives me a small sense of freedom to be able to pick what chore I want to complete each day. Not only that, but I can look at the month and see when I might be able to fit in some of the larger tasks and plan accordingly. 

Will I change this schedule again? Perhaps. Part of getting organized (and staying organized) is figuring out what works best for you. Being honest with ourselves is key to doing that. You’re more than welcome to copy my schedule and tweak it to fit your needs. Like I mentioned earlier, don’t expect that my schedule will work perfect for you and your family. But I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about cleaning or creating a schedule for your home.

I highly encourage you to step over to Jen’s blog and check out her new schedule. In addition, she is devoting most of the month of March to showcasing in detail each task on her list. There are some great ideas (and beautiful pics) to get you motivated and encouraged to clean.

Happy Cleaning!

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