MUMMEPRENEUR

Don’t you ever wonder how some homemakers manage to keep up with all the house cleaning? Do they have some magic formula that you don’t? Of course they do! And, It’s called a House Cleaning Schedule!

Honestly!!

Having a house cleaning routine not only makes it easy to clean the house, but also eliminates the stress of cleaning. You don’t waste time wondering what needs to be cleaned and when. Once you have a set plan and follow it closely, house cleaning will not feel overwhelming anymore.

Now, here’s the real problem – creating a house cleaning schedule can get pretty confusing. There are a number of things you need to consider, such as, how often should you do a particular task? How much time should you spend on any task? When is the best time to clean? …

And the truth is that only you can answer these questions. No schedule will work perfectly for two people.

For example, those of you living in dust prone areas will need to clean more often than others. Those of you with small kids you might need to clean the floors more often.

Some of you might be ok with spending 60 minutes a day on house cleaning, while some of you might barely afford 30.

So, how do you go about creating your ideal house cleaning Schedule?

That’s what I am about to show you. But first, a word of caution.

This entire process of creating a house cleaning schedule may seem overwhelming once you begin. But, it really isn’t as bad as you think. Just follow the steps and you will soon have a house cleaning Schedule, tailor-made to suit your needs.

So, hang on in there. You can do this.

STEP 1 – CREATE A HOUSE CLEANING TASKS MASTER LIST

The first step to creating your House Cleaning Schedule is to decide what you need to clean and how often. To do this, go around your house (mentally or physically) and write down each and everything that you need to do and how often it should be ideally done. For now, just write down everything that comes to mind. You will edit it out later to make it realistic.

What to clean and often, is entirely up to you and depends on your circumstances. So, don’t worry about what others do. What works for them might not work for you.

As an example, here’s my master list for the Kitchen

· Deep Clean shelves, cupboards etc – monthly

Once you’re done with the entire house, you will end up with an overwhelmingly long list of tasks. But, don’t let it get to you. We will soon break it all down into bite sized tasks!!

STEP 2 – GROUP ALL TASKS ACCORDING TO FREQUENCY

Now that you have your master list of tasks, group them all together according to the frequency of cleaning. Club together all daily, weekly and monthly tasks.

For Example,

• Daily – Make beds, Wipe bathroom counters, Swish toilets, Do the dishes, Sweep and Mop, Dust furniture, One load of laundry, Wipe kitchen counters, Quick house pick-up
• Weekly – Clean Kitchen, Bathrooms, Living rooms, Master bedroom, Kids room, Extra room, Balcony (vacuum upholstery, sweep and mop, dust) ; Change and launder bed linen, Clear out and restock fridge,
• Monthly – Deep Clean Kitchen, Bathrooms, Living rooms, Master bedroom, Kids room, Extra room, Balcony (Clean hard to reach areas, fans, lights, fixtures, doors, windows); Deep Clean Fridge, Microwave, Cabinets, Shelves, Cupboards, Small Appliances, Bulk Laundry – Curtains, Bed linen

Do remember that there is no right or wrong way of doing things. Do whatever works for you and your family. Everyone’s circumstances are different. Just because I sweep and mop daily doesn’t mean you have to as well. I know of some people that mop every alternate day, some once a week and some even do it twice in a day!!

STEP 3 – DECIDE WHEN AND HOW MUCH TIME YOU CAN SPEND ON CLEANING

If you already have a daily routine, you probably have some time blocked toward house cleaning. If not, create a daily routine and incorporate your cleaning tasks into it.

For the daily tasks, I recommend working them into your daily routine. Turn them into a habit. You don’t need to block off time and do them all at one go. For example, make the bed as soon as you awaken, wipe down kitchen counters after each meal, wash the dishes after each meal, squeegee the shower area after a bath,

These daily tasks will not only make weekly and monthly tasks easier, but will also make your home look and feel clean every day.

I also recommend having a daily cleaning checklist, so you can keep a track of all that you’ve done each day. This not only helps ensure that you haven’t missed any task; it also helps motivate you when you see all those tasks getting ticked off!

For weekly and monthly tasks, block off some time from your daily schedule, for house cleaning. How much time you spend on these tasks depends on you; how much time you have available and how much time you are willing to spend on them. Be realistic here. Don’t spend hours together cleaning – you will just be setting yourself up for failure! Also, remember to be flexible.

For example, I spend around 45 minutes per day on deep cleaning (This does not include my daily tasks). Of course, there are some days when I spend more and sometimes less. There are some days when I do nothing at all and catch up on days when I have extra time.

Now that you know how much time you have to spend on house cleaning, you can assign specific tasks to specific days.

STEP 4 – ASSIGN SPECIFIC TASKS TO SPECIFIC DAYS

Take a few minutes to decide on the best day of the week that you would prefer to do your weekly tasks. Do what is convenient for you and your family. For tasks that are delegated, you will have to consider what’s convenient for them as well.

If you work on some days of the week, it’s ok to not schedule any tasks for that day. Similarly, you might want to keep some days cleaning free. And that’s perfectly alright!

Of course, not all weeks will be the same. Something might crop up suddenly – illness, meetings, family functions etc. That’s why it is important to be flexible and re-schedule tasks as and when needed.

STEP 5 – ASSIGN PEOPLE TO TASKS (Optional but Highly Recommended)

Consider delegating tasks that you would like to do but have no time to do. It is really helpful, and advisable, to get the rest of the family involved with the cleaning. Many hands make light work. You could even get hired help if you need it and can afford it.

For example, as a part of our quick tidy up every evening, we get our toddler to put away all his toys, with some help from me or my husband.

Getting kids involved in household chores has several benefits. It teaches them responsibility, how to clean, and how to maintain a home. You will be teaching them important life skills that they will, someday, be thankful for. (we hope)

When children help with the housework, helps them become responsible and thoughtful. Getting them involved helps things run smoothly. Assign tasks according to age and capability. Toddlers might not be able to do much independently, but let them join you and help in whatever they can.

My toddler often offers to “help” me fold the clothes, and although his idea of folding is rolling everything into little balls, I let him “help” out. And, the look of satisfaction on his face once we’re all done is totally worth having to do it all over again later, when he’s not looking!!!

STEP 6 – PUT IT ALL TOGETHER TO CREATE A HOUSE CLEANING SCHEDULE THAT WORKS FOR YOU

Now that you have everything figured out, it’s time to put everything together. If you’ve got this far, you’re just awesome!! You’re only one step away to having the perfect house cleaning Schedule.

You can go the traditional way and use plain pen and paper or use any electronic media you are comfortable with. I use an electronic template which I print out and use. You can download it here and modify it for your personal use.

If you find you can’t fit everything in, you might need to re-consider tasks. For example, do you really need to mop every day or will every alternate day suffice?

A house cleaning Schedule is meant to help you simplify things by giving you an ideal and effective plan of action. It is not going to give you any superpowers. So, don’t try to cram in everything under the sun and expect to be superwoman. Be realistic, if you want to succeed.

While preparing your schedule, feel free to get creative too. Make it fun. Make it pretty and colorful if you wish or keep it simple if that’s your style.

STEP 7 – IMPLEMENT, STUDY, TWEAK

Finally, implement your schedule and tweak it as you go. This is where you put your plan to the test.

Try out your house cleaning Schedule for at least a month and make a note of anything that isn’t working.

Do you take longer/lesser time than you thought you would for any task? Is delegating certain tasks working well? Could you re-arrange tasks to make things work better?

Answering these questions will help you alter things and work towards further perfecting your house cleaning Schedule.

Creating a house cleaning Schedule may sound overwhelming at first, but it really is as simple as I have just listed out.

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get started. Get creative.

For example, I really love these Clean it Checklists by Christine, at Little House on the Corner.

Once you’ve created your Schedule, put it in a prominent place. You could add it to your diary or put it up on the fridge or kitchen cupboard – anywhere that you can refer to it easily throughout the day!

Do you already have a cleaning Schedule? We would love for you to share it with us in the comments below.

Here’s a tip: Once you’ve created your cleaning schedule, prepare room-wise checklists and put them in each room so you can tick off each task once it’s completed. Slide the Checklist into a sheet protector (or laminate it) and use a whiteboard marker to tick off. Then once you are done, you can wipe it off and reuse!