Cleaning can feel like a never ending job and let’s be honest, nobody really likes cleaning, but it has to be done. However, when I make a schedule for what I’m going to clean and when, it makes easier to start cleaning and more importantly, easier to stop cleaning!
Today, we are creating our cleaning schedule so we don’t feel like we are cleaning all day!
Be sure to download the free Chore Planner to create your own cleaning schedule along with us!
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Goodbye Summer
It is officially the end of summer and we are checking in with the summer goals we set in Ep 65 Planning Summer Fun. I had some ambitious plans and instead of tackling all those goals we have been relaxing, traveling and watching a lot of screen time. So if by chance you listened to Episode 65 and thought, boy she sure is productive during the summer, the truth is I was not. I sure did have grand plans though!
Even though I fell short of my original intentions, Bethany has been busy knocking out her goals. She has shared in previous episodes, Ep 67 Organizing After a Wedding, and getting her newlywed home in order in Ep 68 The Do’s and Don’ts of Selling Items.
The Toy Store Method for Decluttering
Even though we are not preparing for a move, Ali said she does it with her kids every year. So I thought that sound like the perfect activity for the first week of summer!
For Ali’s Toy Store Method, bring all your toys into one room and display them like you would see at a toy store. Thankfully, my kids helped me with this part, because it was a lot of work!
I shared all the behind the scenes on Instagram. You can find it in our Instastory highlights under Toy Store.
After all the toys were set up, I gave each of my 3 children a different color post-its and they “shopped” the toy store by putting their post-it on the toys they wanted to buy.
There was a little confusion when one of my girls tried to buy a toy that belonged to her sister. Since that didn’t go over so well, we decided you could only buy your own toys. Then at the end, we opened up the toy store so you could buy anything that wasn’t purchased yet.
To be honest, having all the toys out was a little overwhelming for my 5 year old. I don’t think I was clear enough on the instructions but I also think it was a lot of stimulation for her. I could see how doing this every year as a tradition would make the process go smoother.
For my 11 and 12 year old, their same decluttering tendencies came out. One of them had an easy time getting rid items (almost too easy); and the other one was feeling very unsure about what to keep.
Ali recommends taking the long-view into account and not pushing them to declutter as they will learn year after year what they play with and what they don’t. I didn’t push and we did fill a small bin with donations.
Decluttering Toys with Younger Kids
I do agree with Ali, that teaching your kids how to declutter is a long-term process and they are not going to get it right away. However, I think the toy store is a great activity for kids a little older than 5. And perfect right before a move.
I do like that kids are only picking out the toys they want to keep as oppose to picking out the toys they want to donate, which is a much harder decision.
For my younger children, I declutter for them. I pay attention to the toys they don’t play with often and make the decision on what to donate until they are developmentally ready for that type of decision making.
If I’m unsure of a toy, I usually keep it in a bin in the garage for a few months before I donate it. In case I was wrong and they ask for a specific toy, I just grab it out of the garage.
As my children get older, around 2nd or 3rd grade, I bring them into the declutter process with an age appropriate-sized pile that we go through. By 4th or 5th grade, I feel kids are developmentally ready to make all their decluttering decisions on their own.
You can hear more of my kids declutter tips in Ep 32 Five Tips to Conquer Kids’ Clutter, I share one of my favorite tips which is to create a special (defined) space, like a treasure box, where they can keep whatever they want! This trick always kept trinkets from being strewn all over the house.
Classroom Organization
As a school teacher, Bethany has been in the long process of changing schools. If you haven’t yet already, check out her many, many Instastories sharing the week long process of getting her classroom organized!
I came by for a day to help her get things in order. Here is a peek at the before and after.
When I left there was still a lot to do, but Bethany was able to get it all ready and organized for the 1st day of school!
Cleaning Schedule
There are lots of different variables when you are talking about setting up a cleaning routine depending on family life, work schedule, and your own personal preferences. However, no matter how you set up your cleaning schedule, there are some daily tasks that need to be taken care of for maintenance.
Before we start, be sure to print out our Chore Checklist and Habit Tracker to plan along with us!
Daily Chores
Maybe it sounds intimidating to establish daily chores, but in reality you probably have many chores you do daily without even thinking about it. Take a minute to think of all the ways you clean as you go. Things like:
- making your bed
- putting your clothes away
- wiping down bathroom sink and counter
- wiping down the counter and stove top as you cook
- dishes/empty and load the dishwasher
- straightening/putting things away
- going through the mail
- sweeping
- 10 minute pick up
What do you already do daily from the list above? We are going to take those chores you already do daily and build upon them.
Using the Chore Checklist printable, list out 3-4 daily chores you do in the morning and the 3-4 daily chores you do in the evening.
Now you might have one chore that you tend to skip but you would like to incorporate into your daily routine. That is the one chore you are going to focus on this month so it becomes a habit.
Use the Habit Tracker printable, or write it on your calendar to check off each day to track your progress. The following month you can choose a different chore to focus on daily. Soon, your daily chore will be completed on autopilot!
The chore I’m focusing on is putting away my clothes daily. I have a bad habit of laying my worn clothes on the chair in my room if they are not quite dirty enough for the hamper. This meme totally gets me!
So in my planner, I wrote my goal, to put away clothes, at the top of the month and checkboxes on each day to track my progress.
For this month, Bethany is focusing on keeping her kitchen island and her coffee table clear of clutter. Both of those surfaces in her home tend to become a catch all. Daily focusing on keeping it clear will help it slowly become a habit.
Now, it is important to address what is being placed on those flat surfaces. Are the things being placed there because they have nowhere else to live?
In Bethany’s case, the answer is yes! She spreads out her work on the coffee table, but then has nowhere to put it all away when she is done working. We decided she needs a big bag to carry her paperwork to and from school. Here are a few of our favorites from Amazon:
SCOUT $44
Pursetti $35
Household Essentials $12.50
CleverMaid $30
Weekly Chores
There are a few ways to approach weekly chores. You can choose to do one chore each day of the week or all your weekly chores on one day. There are benefits and drawbacks to both options.
One Chore Each Day
Choosing to tackle one chore each day allows you to be done with your chores by the weekend! Who wants spend their whole weekend cleaning anyway?!
When my kids were younger, I did a quick 10-15 minute chores each day. I mainly cleaned this way because I never had a whole hour to focus on cleaning with little ones running around.
Here’s a blog post that gives more information on how I organized my cleaning schedule back then. Below are also a few examples of cleaning schedules that use a chore a day system. I would also recommend checking out the blog, Clean Mama. Becky has a great cleaning schedule she recommends.
Cleaning One Day a Week
For the past couple years, I have prefered cleaning the whole house on Saturdays as a family. I like that the house gets cleaned all at once and it doesn’t drag on throughout the week.
If you are going to choose to do all your chores on one day, I would limit it to 1 hour and definitely not more than 2 hours.
To start, make a list of your top priorities to clean each week. Don’t go overboard here. Think about what chores would make the biggest impact. Some options are:
- 10 minute pickup
- Take out the trash
- Bathrooms (I love this tutorial to speed clean bathrooms)
- Dusting
- Kitchen- clean out fridge, wipe stovetop and counters, wipe out microwave
- Floors
- Change Sheets
- Laundry
Once you have your list of chores, see what chores you can delegate to your spouse or kids if possible. Then create your hour long cleaning schedule by deciding what order you will do your chores.
One trick is to put easy/quick chores first and harder chores towards the end to help increase your motivation as you move through the quick chores first.
Next, set a time limit for each chore. 10-15 minutes seem to be the right amount of time for most chores. It is very important to stick to the time limit for each chore!
The reason for the timer is to stay focused so you don’t get preoccupied with other tasks and never finish your weekly cleaning hour.
The other pitfall I’ve experienced is losing track of time and cleaning all day. Then the next time your cleaning hour comes around you procrastinate because who wants to be cleaning all day!
If you haven’t already, grab your Chore Checklist and list out your weekly chores along with their time limit.
Seasonal Chores
Now onto the big jobs! Some chores need to be done only a few times a year. For example:
- Dusting blinds
- Deep cleaning the oven
- Dusting fans
- Changing filters
- Deep clean tub doors/ track
- Sweep patio
- Clean windows and window tracks
- clean garage
Some of these projects I know I will never be motivated to do like cleaning the garage. So I force myself to work for 10-20 minutes and then I can stop. That might not work for every chore on your list but it can help you get moving which is sometimes the hardest part!
Grab your Chore Checklist again and list out your big chores along with what season or month you are going to tackle it.
Now hopefully you have a chore checklist you can post and use to make your cleaning less of a chore!
Let’s Connect!
What are your cleaning tips and tricks? We’d love to know what works for you so we can share it with our listeners! You can find us hanging out on Instagram @AtoB podcast |Facebook.
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