A Cleaning Schedule
Here is my new plan I thought of out of my own head. It is working well and I love it, which makes me think some of my brain cells lasted through the summer.
Sometimes when I post my housewifey sort of things like this, I feel (in a paranoid way) like there might be lots of people out there who are making fun of me. It’s OK if you do. If you say, “That weird Clover Lane lady just has to find something better to do with her time then make cleaning charts for herself.” The thing is, I have made cleaning charts (and all other sorts of lists) for myself since I was 5 and I just can’t stop now. It’s a crazy weird addiction.
I wish I had a better picture for you, but I don’t. I spend a little bit of each morning (I will bore you more tomorrow with my daily schedule) doing basic cleaning and straightening.
The DC after each weekday stands for Deep Cleaning (how tricky!) and that means that once a week I have a room to work on where I do more than just the basics, but get down to the nitty gritty like baseboards, windows, cushions off the couch-that sort of nitty gritty. So if I do what I am supposed to do I won’t have to do a huge spring/fall/Christmas cleaning, because it’s been done slowly but surely. I have the whole week for each room, so I can get to it on a slow day, or little by little, instead of tearing it apart and spending hours.
I don’t feel so overwhelmed when I break things down into small little areas for the day.
I love it. I too wonder if people would think I'm a little crazy for trying out new lists and schedules, but I'm realizing more and more that I need them so that I can recognize the things I've actually done, instead of always feeling like I'm behind.
I am list obsessed too. I remember my first year in college one of my professors told me that I was one of the best list makers she'd ever seen. See totally paid off. Love your cleaning list. Plus I think a list gives us Moms a chance to sit and relax because the cleaning is never totally done.
I am in the process of creating a new cleaning schedule as well. I love the DC idea of taking one room per week. Otherwise it can feel so overwhelming!
I LOVE your cleaning schedule and do not think you are weird in the least! i am a list maker and clean schedule making kind of girl too:) I love your DC idea–brilliant:) Thanks for the inspiration! Have a great week!
I am totally in love with lists. I am not, however, in love with deep cleaning so it always gets pushed to the bottom. My favorite chore is laundry…weirdly enough. I get a great sense of accomplishment when I have a clothesline full of laundry blowing in the wind.
Not only do I love to make my own lists, I also love to see others for ideas, so these are always among my favorite posts.
Only thing I dislike? DC. Ugh. 🙂
Hi Sarah ~ You are totally NOT weird! I make lists also and for those of us who need to feel organized, they are a must! I love your cleaning chart ~ housework is totally overwhelming sometimes (a lot of the time) and it gets dirty again so darn fast ~ I appreciate any tips that can make it more manageable. Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for sharing Sarah! I love your lists and get so many great ideas from you, have a great day!
I love it! I'm a list maker myself :). I am still waiting for your "budget notebook…" that is probably where I need the most help!
Happy Tuesday,
Melanie
Thank you for posting this! What a great idea. I often wonder how people with small children have clean houses….and this is probably my answer! I am not by nature a naturally organized person but I am a perfectionist & I HATE mess & clutter. The problem is, I have a hard time figuring out how to get rid of it, short of shipping my children somewhere for the day so I can clean. This looks like the perfect solution. Keep the great ideas coming!
Another list junkie! My family teases me that I have lists of my lists. Thanks for a nice post. It reminds me (now that our three oldest have stepped on the bus) that I need the deep clean, too… 🙂
Domini
http://www.renaissancehousewife.com
Great minds think alike! Now that school has started I've been posting cleaning schedules too!
I have to agree with you that I think people probably think I'm crazy too, but I can't help but share because I LOVE reading (and taking notes) of other people's schedules!…Especially if it is in an area where I need major help!
As always, thanks for sharing!!!
I love reading your blog and your lists etc. I so appreciate you sharing how you keep your life/house/kids functioning. You have a lovely home and a big family, what better proof do I need that your systems work!!! And my lists have post it notes of smaller lists attached… 🙂
You're not weird at all! I love your list, Sarah! Like you said, it's a great way to do a little every day and not have to do a huge cleaning that will take up your whole weekend (or longer).
I love making lists–I also have a "room of the day" that I spend extra time straightening/cleaning/decluttering. I find it's easier that way:
Mon: Kitchen/Laundry room
Tues: Living room
Wed: Office/hallway/dining room
Thurs: Bathrooms
Fri: Bedrooms/laundry
Keep up the good work 🙂
April
Why do I love seeing other people's lists so much? At first I thought you were deep cleaning EVERY day, but then I see that it's one room for the whole week. Love it!
You are like a cooler version of the Fly Lady 🙂
That is funny you posted this because I just recently posted a blog about my obsession with organization and list-making (http://babyvandegriff.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-ocd-life.html). I think I've been making lists since I was 5 too! I like your cleaning list though and I might have to adopt one like this for myself. Enjoy reading!
Monday is "sheets" day at my house, too! The promise of a fresh bed makes Mon a bit more bearable.
you seriously crack me up! "Deep Cleaning (how tricky!)" hahaha LOVE IT
I love posts like this. I am not naturally organized so this helps me learn. I love your blog.
I would never make fun of you. I think your ideas about your home are AWESOME!!
LOVE IT!!!!!!
You are so ME! I don't think you're weird at all! I do the SAME thing, and you gave me some more great ideas! Thanks for sharing.
You are NOT "that weird Clover Lane lady"–you are my inspiration!! Please, please, please post every organizational idea that you're willing to share. Those of us who are organizationally challenged need and very much appreciate your wisdom and insight. THANK YOU!!
I love seeing your lists. As someone who aspires to be as organized as you (and to keep my house as clean as yours always seems to be), this type of post is inspirational. Making a new chore list is actually on my to-do list right now. Yes, my list includes making a list.
May just print it, write over the kids bedroom names and steal your whole schedule 😉 Well done clover mama!
I don't think this is weird – I LOVE STUFF LIKE THIS!!! Thank you for sharing! I often wonder how other Moms do it. Thank you!
I think it's only weird if you make the lists and then NEVER put them into action. I knew someone like this and her house was filthy. If she had spent a tenth of the time cleaning instead of creating all the spreadsheet lists…LOL
I do the nitty gritty cleaning gradually as well so there aren't huge seasonal cleanings, but I don't make the lists.
This is awesome and SO not weird! I actually follow a similar schedule and it is so nice to not have to do the rigorous Spring /Fall cleaning:). I like your list better and will make some changes. Thanks for sharing!
~Julia
I do the exact same thing, with an everyday schedule plus a "focus area" for the week! My rotation is bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, dining room, living room, nursery, kitchen again, bathroom again, office, basement. I find the kitchen and bath get grimy much faster than the other rooms!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm a list person too and I love the DC idea!!!
Someday will you share how you figure out your family budget…. maybe that's too personal… I could really use help in this area…
i love it! but i'm a list maker too. and i'm still waiting (patiently) for your simple notebook budget post 🙂
jodi
I love these types of posts. I think I am your long lost kids in Catholic school, staying at home too twin in Texas! Lists keep me as sane as possible, and I love getting to cross things off when they are done!
Thank you for sharing your cleaning schedule. I also have my cleaning broken down into small steps but I feel like the deep cleaning is being neglected. Great post. I
Lists make everything less overwhelming. I love it and those women making fun of you suck, so let's just forget them. lol You are not crazy but take your job seriously. I applaud you!
I love your lists, Sarah! Can we use this post on Power of Moms this month? We're working on the Power of Organization. I also love seeing what your daily schedule looks like. You sure fit in a LOT before the kids go to school – impressive.
Quick question on your house cleaning list – do your kids help with any of this? I'm working on my own lists and working on my kids' lists of the specific things they're responsible for as far as quick daily cleaning and weekly deeper cleaning. I'm working to "certify" the older ones in exciting tasks like toilet cleaning an the little ones are really getting good at wiping down baseboards and all the little ledges on our doors…
Thanks for sharing this!!
It's so much fun to read these! Sounds like Clover Lane has a lot of kids and I see how you need these lists! My kids have left home now (and left a lot of their stuff behind), so my lists have a different tone now, but now the grandkids are coming and a new type of cleaning! I'm afraid I have to go back to those lists again!
All the best to all of you!
Question: When do you mop? I see vacuum, but do you mop when you clean that particular room — for example Tuesday "Kitchen" do you mop that room that day?
I noticed in this post that you mentioned you were going to write your daily schedule the day after this post. For some reason I can't find that post. Can you please give me the link to that post? As a new mom, your organization is bringing so much simplicity and sanity to my days. Thank you for everything you do.
Hi Mel-I don't think I ever followed through on that post, but I will try to get to it soon!
I do the same thing…and have for YEARS! Here is mine:
Mon: Sheets and food shopping
Tues: Upstairs bathrooms
Wed: Downstairs bathroom & laundry room
Thurs: Dusting
Fri: Vacuuming and mopping
Everyday I do one load of laundry, clean kitchen after dinner and straighten up. 🙂
So I want to make sure, you deep clean one room everyday in addition to what you have scheduled? Or do you just do a DC one day during that week in addition to the other cleaning? Seems like a lot of cleaning doing DC and regular cleaning everyday. Dont get me wrong my house could use it I just dont have that much time. Please clarify for me. I seem yo be the only one that doesnt get it.
Thanks for sharing such a Good Schedule for cleaning I will use these Schedule for cleaning.
Nepean home cleaning