6 ways to simplify your cleaning routine

As a work-at-home mom, cleaning is part of my daily schedule. I have to make sure the trash is taken out, the floors are swept and vacuumed, and the dishes are cleaned and put away. My husband helps, but I do the majority of the housework because I’m here most of the time.

Cleaning is one of those things that needs to be done, even though you don’t want to do it (although some people actually like cleaning!). If you want to get things accomplished, it’s important to simplify your cleaning routine.

Here are some tips on doing so:

Have a cleaning schedule

Instead of trying to do all of your cleaning in one day, I encourage you to only tackle a handful of chores each day. Doing this will not only make your cleaning time shorter, but it will be a lot less stressful than trying to clean the entire house from top to bottom in 24 hours.

Here’s an example of what your weekly cleaning schedule may look like:

Monday – Clean Bathroom, Clean Kids’ Clothing, Vacuum Upstairs
Tuesday – Clean Master Bedroom, Clean Adult Clothing, Vacuum Downstairs
Wednesday – Clean Kids’ Room(s), Wash Towels & Rags
Thursday – Clean Out Refrigerator, Clean Stove, Clean Microwave, Vacuum Upstairs
Friday – Wash Sheets, Buy Groceries, Vacuum Downstairs
Saturday – Miscellaneous Errands, Free Time
Sunday – Miscellaneous Chores (Random things you need to do such as clean out your car, organize your linen closet, tidy the basement, etc.), Free Time

Those are simple chores that you would tackle every day, on top of your regular chores, such as washing dishes, sweeping the kitchen floor, scooping cat litter, etc.

Remember, the schedule above is just a guideline. Do what works best for you and your family.

Set a time limit for cleaning

If you don’t want housework to completely take over your life, set a time limit for your cleaning. Allow yourself an hour or two every day to accomplish the things on your schedule. If you have a timer, set it. Once it goes off, that’s it – you’re done. No more cleaning!

I find that having a time limit on my cleaning really motivates me to clean faster. It used to take me at least an hour to clean one of our bathrooms. Now it takes me 20 minutes – sometimes less!

Complete one task at a time

We’ve all done it – you’re cleaning one thing and you notice that something else needs to be cleaned, so you clean that too. You’re cleaning the dining room table and notice that the baseboards look pretty gross, so you start cleaning them. While you’re down on the floor, you notice a little tomato sauce stain and then run to get your stain remover.

That’s 3 chores all at once!

Stick to one chore, and when it’s completed, move on to the next one on your list. If you think of something else to do while you’re cleaning, write it down and put it on your list for the next day.

Enlist help

Unless you live alone, there are other people in your home that can help you clean. Everyone needs to do their fair share of the housework.

If you have young children, you can get them to help you with simple chores such as washing the windows or dusting. When they are older, they can start doing other things, such as washing dishes and vacuuming.

It’s important to teach children the value of helping others and earning your keep. This is something that they will be able to pass on to their own children when they are older.

Your spouse needs to help with household cleaning, too. Even if they work all day, a little bit of help is appreciated. Give your spouse a few chores to tackle every week, so that you don’t have to worry about them.

Make it fun

I know that cleaning isn’t something that many people consider fun, but it needs to be done, so why not try to make it as enjoyable as possible?

Put on some music, pour yourself a drink, have some snacks handy, and then get cleaning!

Accept the fact that you can’t do it all

There are going to be days when you can’t get to something on your list. That’s okay, it happens. Let it go. Be happy with the things that you were able to accomplish.

Every home needs to be cleaned on a daily basis to keep it running smoothly. By simplifying your cleaning routine, you are sure to cut out stress and wasted time.

If your current cleaning schedule isn’t working for you (or if you don’t have one, to begin with), take a step back and evaluate how you could do things better, in a more efficient way. Download our master’s to-do list for some ideas.

What are some ways that you have simplified your cleaning routine?