Arranging Your Home Cleaning Schedule

Your home looks immaculate after it’s cleaned, but invariably the carpets will get dirty, the countertops will need scrubbing, and all your electronics will soon be covered in dust yet again.

If you find yourself putting off those tedious cleaning jobs week after week, you might want to develop a cleaning schedule of daily chores, weekly cleaning projects, and visits from a professional cleaning service.

It might sound complicated, but a schedule will actually make things easier in the long run.

Making a List

First, you’ll want to make a list that will define the tasks that need attention, as well as the schedule when you need to complete those chores. You can employ something as tech-savvy as a spreadsheet program on your computer, but you may also use a simple pencil and a pad of paper for the same purpose.

You can arrange your checklist in a variety of ways. One option is to create lists for each different schedule. For example, you may have a list for weekly cleaning that looks like this:

• Dust electronics
• Wash laundry
• Put away toys
• Change bed linens

Then, you might have a list of duties your weekly or bimonthly cleaning service will handle when they arrive. That list might include:

• Vacuuming
• Dusting
• Washing windows & mirrors
• Scrubbing kitchen surfaces
• Mopping & waxing floors
• Disinfecting bathrooms

Finally, you’ll probably want to create a list of heavy-duty jobs that will take you the better part of a day or that might be best accomplished by a professional. Some of those tasks may include:

• Professional carpet cleaning
• Power-washing the home’s exterior
• Emptying the gutters of debris
• Bathroom deep cleaning (tile/grout work)

Make sure your lists are realistic. Don’t assign yourself the task of deep cleaning the bathroom if you know you’ll get to that date and want to wait on getting things started. In addition, you’ll want to avoid creating a schedule that’s too frequent for certain chores. Don’t overdo it and risk burnout and procrastination.

Creating a Frequency for Cleaning

You’ll find that one of the most effective parts of creating a cleaning plan is the schedule. Although the occasional bout of procrastination tends to hit everyone eventually, your Wednesday evening date with a duster will become habit and part of your routine before too long.

Also, an essential part of smart scheduling is understanding how you use your home and the impact your family’s activities have upon the space.

Better Homes & Gardens says:

“Most spaces probably need a weekly or biweekly cleaning, but do consider your lifestyle. If your family is away from home most weekdays, for example, you might not need to clean as often as someone who stays home with small children.”

Also, you’ll notice that some spaces require more frequent cleaning than others. For example, the guest bedroom probably doesn’t need dusting and vacuuming with the same frequency as the playroom because you don’t always have guests over.

According to Living Well Spending Less, you’ll want to divide your schedule into five recurring dates. Your schedule should include:

• Daily chores
• Weekly projects
• Monthly tasks
• Quarterly appointments
• Yearly maintenance

A daily task might include disinfecting the countertops in the kitchen at the end of the day. A yearly task might include getting the furniture’s upholstery cleaned or moving the appliances away from the wall to clean behind them.

Finding Your Schedule and Making Adjustments

Once you create your cleaning schedule, you might have the utmost confidence in your ability to follow it, but don’t be afraid to switch things up and change the arrangement. Also, if you find that you just don’t have time one day or your schedule outside the home won’t accommodate a few hours spent washing the bed linens, reschedule the task.

Just don’t skip it entirely, because skipping chores could become a habit after a few months of neglecting a task here and there.

Simple Things to Keep Your Home Clean

If you’re the sort of person who doesn’t want to devote an entire day or weekend to cleaning, there are some small daily tasks you can accomplish to keep things relatively clean between professional cleaning visits, as well as the big tasks you’ll need to complete each month or so.

Real Simple offers some easy projects you’ll want to accomplish frequently to make those big cleaning jobs less of a hassle down the line:

• Clean the household sinks with a sponge
• Spot-treat dirt and spots on the floors
• Use a brush on the toilet bowl
• Hang up clothes before going to bed
• Wipe down oft-used surfaces like the coffee table
• Use a hand-vac to get crumbs from the furniture

The great thing about these tasks is that they’re not labor intensive, and most just take a few minutes or even a few seconds each.

Set Your Schedule for Professional Cleaning

Hiring a cleaning service helps you keep your home clean and helps with the big jobs like washing windows and vacuuming.