Before having a kid, my house stayed cleaned and organized during the week so on my weekend I dedicated a few hours to do one deep cleaning. A lot has changed in the last 2 years. Now I have a little toddler running around throwing toys and drawing on my walls. I found myself getting overwhelmed with trying to keep up so I created a schedule for myself that eased my mind and made cleaning much easier to me. Although I like to stick to a schedule, if everything doesn’t get done I try to give myself grace and look at all of the things that I did get done.
MONDAY
Mondays are for bedrooms. We have 3 bedrooms that I clean in the house, the other is Dustin’s game room/ office and I stay away from there.
I start by picking up and putting away any clutter that is in the room making sure it’s in its correct spot.
from there I dust from the top down, this includes ceiling fans, blinds, dressers, etc. Anything that I can think of I dust. I use an extended microfiber duster, I find that catches all the particles best.
Next, I fill a bucket with hot water and a bit of cleaner (I use thieves or branch basics) I use a microfiber cloth and wipe down walls and baseboards. You wouldn’t believe the number of handprints and crayon marks I find. I also make a point to wipe down the door and handles as these get pretty dirty too.
If the room has windows I go ahead and give them and the blinds a nice wipe down too.
Finally, I vacuum the carpets and flooring and give them a nice mop too whether I use the cross wave or my steam mop.
Now I can sit and breathe for the day knowing these rooms are deep cleaned and organized.
TUESDAY
Tuesdays are for bathrooms. Again, I start with a decluttering and putting everything away, usually, my counters are pretty piled up with face creams and other random items.
Dusting all the lights and surfaces high to low, the sconces are always super dusty,
I fill a bucket with hot water and cleaner and now wipe down all the surfaces, counters, walls, doors, handles, and baseboards.
I also like to give the shower/ tub a good wipe down and clean the fixtures as well. If I see hard water build-up I will spray white vinegar water on the spots and let it sit before scrubbing.
My least favorite part, the toilet. I spray down the toilet inside and outside, even the base of the toilet and the flooring around it and I give a good scrub. If there are some hard spots in the toilet I will give it a run over with the pummus stone as well.
If there is trash in the room I change that and wipe it down as well.
To finish I vacuum and mop the flooring in the bathroom.
WEDNESDAY
Today I clean the living room. Starting by decluttering. Emma plays in the living room mostly so this area can get pretty cluttered with toys and who knows what else.
Dust everything down, entertainment center, shutters, couches, shelving units. Get it all. A lot of dust settles here because it is our most used space between the family and the animals.
I also give the tv a good wipe down, don’t forget the back of it, dust central!
Now for a wipe down.. can you guess? Yes, hot water and cleaner with a microfiber towel. I’ll spray the tables and entertainment center wipe those down and move to the walls and baseboards.
I also like to give the couches a nice wipe down.
Finishing off with a good vacuum and mop and this room is cleaned.
THURSDAY
Today is the kitchen. Our next messiest room in the house. I don’t know about you guys but we always have thigs sitting on the counter and the pony wall. It drives me nuts but we do it anyway.
I start with a good dusting as always, getting light fixtures, the tops of the cabinets, and the top of the fridge.
Next, I wipe all the cabinets down as they can get build up around your cooking area.
I clean and polish all appliances, vinegar works well as a stainless steel polish.
I scrub in and around the sink with a little baking soda and then spray it down with cleaner after,
I wipe down the trashcan as this can get pretty grimey even after a week.
Next, I wipe down the walls and baseboards and finish with a good vacuum and mop.
FRIDAY
Today is the dining room and the smallest / cleanest room in the house.
I start with as dust of all surfaces and go ahead and wipe down the pendant light we have.
I clean the windows and blinds in the room and progress to wiping down the walls and the baseboards.
I now move to wipe (more like scrub) the dining tables and chairs.
Finishing off with a vacuum and mop.
DAILY TASKS
I find giving myself daily tasks helps me stay on top of everything as well so I can still feel like my home is cleaned and decluttered. This includes loading / unloading the dishwasher so I don’t have a huge pile-up of dishes.
I pick up clutter and put it in its spot at the end of the day so in the morning I wake up to a clutter-free home.
I do one load of laundry a day so I don’t overwhelm myself but still can get things cleaned and put away.
I do vacuum the floors daily because between the dogs and a child they always have crumbs.
Something else I have found to help with my anxiety of clutter is when Emma goes to bed I set a timer for 15 minutes and do a quick house pick up. It’s amazing how much you can get done in 15 minutes without overextending time into other things I need to get done in my free time. I would love to hear if you guys have cleaning schedules, or what you have found makes life easier for you!
