Organized Cleaning Schedule

Dear fellow home dwellers - why didn't any of you warn me? When I told you all that Brit and I were planning to move into a house, why didn't any of you tell me? Keeping a house clean is a completely different mission than keeping an apartment clean.

Over the past few years of blogging I have had several requests from readers to do a post on an organized cleaning schedule. My answer had been the same each time. I basically cleaned on an as needed basis and never used a set schedule, the size of our apartment didn't really require one. 

However, this living in a house thing, with multiple levels, more than one bathroom, and  
actual stairs to vacuum, is a new monster. So after figuring out how to clean a house over the past 3 months, and a longwinded introduction, I am going to share a cleaning schedule that I've created to help keep this house on the cleaner side. 

I wanted to make a list I would actually use and I wanted to make it as low stress as possible. I realize there are hundreds of cleaning schedules out there and I am now just adding to the masses, however maybe you're like me and find many of those schedules super overwhelming. I looked at a few, laughed out loud and thought to myself who on earth actually makes their bed everyday? Not I. And I don't want to look at a list that is telling me to do it because I'll feel like a failure every time I don't. 

I kept daily cleaning tasks off of my list. I wipe down the sink, do dishes, pick up clothes, etc. on a somewhat daily basis. I am not going to check that off my list everyday because, well, that's just something else for me to do. Instead, I created a list that focuses on the things I need to remember to do to stay on top of cleanliness. 

Using the same system I used for our Refrigerator Grocery List, I framed my schedule and use a dry erase marker to fill it in. 

I hung the schedule in the same place where we store most of our cleaning supplies. When I go to vacuum the downstairs, I can also easily mark it off the list. 

I made two different lists, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. Again, I wanted the list to be low maintenance and low stress. Separating the chores for each floor gives the appearance that there is less to do = less stress. The upstairs list is hung inside our linen closet, which is also where we store cleaning supplies. 

As each chore is completed, I mark it off on the schedule. I attached the pens to the top of the list use small velcro stickers. 

You may have recognized the shower caddy in the top picture. It was our laundry caddy in our apartment that we filled with everything we needed to carry to the laundry room. Well one HUGE perk about our house, we have our own washer and dryer!!! Meaning, we don't need to use the caddy for laundry anymore. Instead, I have moved it upstairs into our linen closet and use it as a cleaning caddy for our supplies upstairs. 

I keep one set of cleaning supplies upstairs and a separate set downstairs. The supplies downstairs live either under the kitchen sink or in the cabinet by our bathroom and laundry. This way when I notice something needs to be cleaned, I don't have to venture far. 

Here is a closer view of the cleaning tasks that are on my radar. Download your own copy here! Or personalize one using this blank version. 

 

Ok, those of you who know how to clean houses, what am I missing {other than the daily tasks}? Also, I realize this is probably all about to change in the next month when our little guy arrives, but at least I can pretend to have a handle on things until then. 

What do you do to try to keep your home clean? Do lists and schedules work for you? 

Thanks for visiting!