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Some people view routine and schedule with disdain. They feel boxed in and enslaved to their schedule. Not me! I have found that, without routines and a loose schedule in place, scary things happen. Things like the bathroom going uncleaned for weeks at a time. Things like four trips to the grocery store in one week. For me, routines and schedules provide freedom and peace of mind. I know when I wake up on any given day that there are certain things that will be accomplished that day and other things that I know I do not need to worry about because it is not the day for it.
While I have routines and schedules for all areas of home management, one specific area that has relieved stress in my life is my cleaning schedule. Today I am going to share that with you. Please remember that I am not saying that everyone needs to have a schedule, but I just know that this works for me and I want to share it in case someone else might benefit from it.
I like to set Tuesday aside as my cleaning day. I try to not plan any doctor appointments, play dates or errands on Tuesdays, but, of course, sometimes I can't avoid that and I have to readjust. While have routines and schedules has proven helpful to me, I have to remember that they exist to serve me not the other way around.
I break my cleaning tasks down into weekly, monthly and quarterly jobs. I assign the monthly tasks to the different weeks of the month, so I am not adding several extra tasks to one cleaning day a month, but spreading them out throughout the month. I accomplish the quarterly tasks as I have time during the month they are assigned. I realize that I have the distinct advantage of living in a small apartment, so I do not have as many cleaning tasks as a homeowner would have. Perhaps when we own a home, I will not be able to get everything done in one day. However, for now, this system works well for me.
Storms Family Cleaning Schedule
Weekly
- Mop kitchen floor
- Scrub kitchen sink
- Wash stove-top drip pans
- Vacuum
- Dust
- Scrub bathroom sink
- Scrub tub/shower
- Clean toilet
- Clean mirrors
- Change sheets
Monthly
- Clean refrigerator and freezer inside and out (fourth Tuesday of the month)
- Wipe down pantry shelves (fourth Tuesday of the month)
- Wipe down outside of cabinets (first Tuesday of the month)
- Rotate mattresses (second Tuesday of the month)
- Clean shower head (third Tuesday of the month)
Quarterly
- Flip couch cushions (August, December, April)
- Vacuum couch and chair (September, January, May)
- Wipe down dining room chairs (October, February, June)
- Change vacuum filter (November, March, July)
- Clean oven (December, April, August)
when we first moved here, i made a weekly cleaning schedule, but i've found that i'm really bad at sticking to it, especially when we travel or have tours here. the one thing i ALWAYS put off is mopping - i hate it & my whole house is tile! anyway, this post is a good reminder that i've been wanting to get back on track with a routine. thanks for the ideas!
ReplyDeleteOh, I hear you, Rachel! Thankfully, the only moppable spot in our current apartment is the teeny tiny kitchen. Glad the post was a good reminder to you :)
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