Weekly Cleaning Schedule

The month of August means lots of things to me.  It means summer is almost over, school is about to start, the weather will soon cool down, the leaves will soon start changing.  It is a bittersweet month for me.

It is also the month that I blitz my house and take care of everything that needs attention so I can start the school year off organized and ready for anything.  I think I will take the next few weeks to focus on organization and how I do it.  Hopefully you will get some good ideas and can share a few with me!

Let's start with a weekly cleaning schedule.  I know it doesn't sound very exciting, but it is quite helpful in making sure that I don't get behind on anything.  Playing catch-up is never fun and I try to avoid it.  There are things I do everyday and things I only do once a week.  I'll list the every day stuff first and then show you how it fits into my weekly schedule.

I do laundry everyday.  When I had less kids I did it once or twice a week, but if I were to do that now, it would never get done.  I try and do 3 loads a day Monday through Thursday.  This pretty well takes care of the clothes and towels.  On Friday I wash all of the sheets.  Yes, I do them every week.  This is just a personal preference.  I do all of the loads in the morning and try to fold them as soon as they come out of the dryer.  Sometimes this isn't possible, but I try.  I try and get all of the laundry put away as I go and hope to have it all done by lunch...if not by lunch, then by the time the kids get home from school.

I vacuum and sweep the main level (kitchen, family room, dining room, and living room) every day.  We don't wear shoes in our house and I hate feeling "stuff" under my feet while I walk around.  Vacuuming and sweeping every day seems to take care of it.  I do this after dinner every night.  Then we are able to start fresh each morning.

Monday:  Laundry and Mopping.

• I put a load of laundry in while I make breakfast.  I switch while the kids are eating and then again after the kids go to school.  Around 9 am I put the last load in the dryer and when it is done I put it all away.  While the laundry is going I mop the kitchen floor.

Tuesday:  Laundry and Dusting.

• I like to use Endust and an old washcloth.  Feather dusters don't really dust.  They just move the dust around and stir it up.   I have to admit that dusting is the one that is easiest for me to slip on, but my son has allergies to dust, so I try and keep up on it.

Wednesday:  Laundry and Bathrooms.

• I scrub each bathroom every week.  I like to use Clorox disinfecting wipes, The Works toilet bowl cleaner, Comet Mildew Stain Remover.  After I scrub everything, then I sweep and mop the floor and clean the mirrors with a generic window cleaner.  I have tried generic cleaning supplies, but I really do like the way these clean better.

Thursday:  Laundry and Kitchen.

• Clean out the fridge and wipe it down, scrub all of the countertops, and wipe down all of the cabinet doors.  I also have to take all of the little piles of paper and other randomness that has found its way onto my kitchen counter over the last week and clean/sort/throw away/put away all of it.

Friday:  Laundry and Vacuuming.

• This is the day I do the sheets.  The kids don't have to make their beds this day and they think that is pretty cool.  :)  I also vacuum my entire house including the stairs. I do the edges too and if I remember, I check for spider webs.

Saturday:  Outside, special projects, and family time.

Sunday:  Day of rest and after a week of hard work, you deserve it!

One of the benefits of doing your cleaning this way is that everything gets cleaned every week.  Then if something crazy happens...like you get sick, or break a leg, you don't have to worry about your housework.  Everything was just cleaned last week, so it can wait until next week if needs be.