Life gets busy. We get it! But your cleaning schedule need not suffer. Here’s how you can create a cleaning schedule you can stick to!
1. Start out small – Pick two or three tasks to focus on and avoid the 40 item checklist. While checklists are great, they can cause a sense of overwhelm and when people feel overwhelmed, they tend to avoid the task altogether. Even just 15 minutes per day or every other day can help you make a dent in your cleaning tasks.
2. Get the family involved – The more people helping out with the cleaning, the better. Assign each family member a task or two that they are solely responsible for and how often the tasks need to be done. This spreads out the cleaning duties and avoids causing burnout for any one person. It helps to build in a reward like a family movie night for keeping up with the tasks and schedule.
3. Schedule out your cleaning time – Put your cleaning time into your calendar or schedule. If you set aside time for it, you’re more likely to stick to it. Whether the tasks are daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly, having them scheduled on your calendar can help you stick with it.
4. Set up a two-day rule – Life happens. Things come up, people get sick (especially this time of year) and the cleaning schedule goes out the window. Try setting up a two-day rule where you don’t let a cleaning task get more than two days behind schedule. This will help you catch up when you get behind.
5. Toss things as you go – As you set about each cleaning task, clear out clutter as you go. Throw out items that are not needed by anyone, like junk mail. For items you no longer use but could be reused or repurposed, put into a box to donate to a local charity.
6. Try an app – There are a few apps out such as Tday, OurHome, Spotless and Homey that help you schedule household tasks and check them off as you complete them. This is great for giving you a sense of satisfaction as you complete each task and help you feel like you’re making progress.
Keeping up with a cleaning schedule is the best way to keep your house from getting overrun with clutter, dirt and grime. If your life is just too hectic and busy to keep up with a cleaning schedule or you can use some extra help, call The Clean Up Club and we’ll help clean it up!
