Cleaning Schedule For The Busy Mother

by: Dawn Salisbury

            I know that there are a dozen other places you can go to for organizing and setting up a cleaning routine. Most of us have one in place that goes something like this:

 Oh My Gosh! My mother is coming to visit!

                        I managed to do dishes and a load of laundry today.

                        I’ll do it tomorrow.

                        Thursday is my cleaning day.

            It would be an ideal world if we could have a perfect schedule with no surprises and never-ending energy to accomplish all these things. Life happens and other things take precedence over the cleanliness of our home. But, I do have to say I feel a lot more motivated to get things accomplished when my home is clean than cluttered with the never-ending mess we all manage to generate. Hopefully, this routine will help you get motivated or come up with a plan for your own routine.

1. Get organized. Clear out your clutter. Have a garage sale! Give stuff away! Get rid of those things that you don’t like but keep for “sentimental” reasons. You will be amazed at the burden it lifts from you.
2. Have a set time you start your day by. On days when I have slept it, my day just seems off. First things first: get showered and dressed. Put some shoes, socks or house shoes on, so you feel like you are “going” somewhere.
3. After you are dressed and your hair and makeup are done, straighten up your bathroom. Close the shower curtain, spray your tub down with a shower spray (don’t forget the shower curtain). Wipe the seat of your toilet and swish the brush around. Put your toiletries away. Take your laundry to the laundry room.
4. Try to do one complete load of laundry a day. Wash it, dry it, fold it, and put it away. In larger families, two loads daily may be necessary, but by doing this, you keep up and the laundry doesn’t become a mountain.
5. Make your bed.
6. If your children are old enough, get them to do chores with you. It is good for kids to have chores. It teaches them work ethic and responsibility. There are all kids of chore charts and reward systems out there. Find one that works for you and use it. Incorporate them into household management.
7. Morning chores:

Dishes being put away from the night before.

Cleaning the litter box.

Making their beds and straightening up their room (including laundry)

Eating breakfast and clearing their places.

Getting dressed, brushing their hair and teeth and washing their face.

8. I would also like to add that the TV should not be allowed to come on in the morning. It distracts kids and you should not have to compete with a TV.
9. Do dishes after meals. It makes it easier for you prepare other meals and more inviting to come into your kitchen.
10. If you get some free time in the afternoon while kids are napping or playing, clean one room a day:

Mop, sweep or vacuum the floors

Dust

De-clutter

Organize (clear off your desk, hotspots, a closet or counters)

Wipe down walls, doors, or windows

Polish furniture

11. Prepare and shop according to a menu. Do it one week at a time or how often you grocery shop. Have a staples list and an “extra” list, meaning a list for the things you know you use weekly: produce, milk, bread, etc. and then have another list for extras: ingredients for a new recipe, household items, etc.
12. Prepare in the morning for what you plan to cook that night for dinner. This way you have all day to prepare. If you know it’s going to be a busy day and you are out, find a slow cooker recipe you can put on before you leave and it’s ready by the time you come home.
13. Evening chores:

Baths for kids

They put their laundry away before bed

Dishes (I run the dishwasher now)

Room straightened

Table and counters wiped off

Laundry sorted for the next day

School things readied for the next morning

14. You should be able to spend under an hour to get most things cleaned up. Set goals for yourself or set up a reward system for yourself, for example, take 15 minutes to do the bathroom and get a load of laundry started then give yourself 10 minutes to check email, read a section of the newspaper, read a chapter out of a book.
15. For emergencies, when your house looks like a bomb exploded and someone is coming over unexpectedly, clean up the rooms that are most likely to be viewed. If it’s the living room, grab a laundry basket and put all toys, clothes or books in it to be sorted later in the appropriate room. Straighten pillows, clean up dishes, and make a neat stack of mail (instead of letting it be spread all over). Vacuum high traffic areas if you have time. Usually guests are there to see you, not your house or to judge you.

I do know that keeping up with your house is not an easy task and can be overwhelming if let to get out of hand. Strive to keep your home beautiful: a place of learning, a place of love and a place of peace.