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My Cleaning Schedule

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

One of my ongoing goals is to be in complete control of my life. That has the unfortunate side effect of making me a little fussy about certain things. I've gotten made fun at work for years for it. Whenever someone is looking for something in the office, and can't find it, the joke is always "Kristen must have organized it."
 
I've tried the opposite approach too! The whole go-with-the-flow mantra has never served me well. I end up so overwhelmed with stuff I let slip through the cracks. I don't like living like that, but I don't like living with a reputation of being OCD either...
 
You may be tired of hearing about it by now, but my little minimalism journey has totally helped me out in this department. While I was decluttering our home, I was intentional about what stayed and what went. I designed it so that we could maintain our possessions, and actual home, much easier.
 
Along with decluttering, we made sure to minimize what we were wasting time on too. All of this was so that we could focus on more important things. Cleaning and other essential duties are still part of our life but now it's not such a huge deal to accomplish!
 
I want to share a snapshot into our cleaning routine! We are still experimenting, but so far this schedule has made a huge difference in my life. I designed it so that nothing will ever pile up. The Daily tasks are nonnegotiable. If these things are done every day, our house is always visitor ready. Then there are Weekly tasks, that can be scheduled any time during the week. I may end up doing these jobs separately, but more often than not I spend an hour or two at once.
Daily
 
Make Beds // This is something I think everyone should do every day. If nothing else goes right that day, you can still feel like you've accomplished something. Your bedroom ends up looking much cleaner right away, after the bed is made. My rule is last one in makes the bed. But we end up making it together most of the time.
 
Wash Dishes // There is nothing worse than waking up to a sink full of dishes! Our routine is to clean up right after dinner, before we get relaxed! Once we plop down on the couch that's it, so I know we need to get it done before that. We rotate whose night it is to wash, but it's also nice to be flexible and not leave it for the other person if they aren't feeling well-even if it's their turn.
 
Wipe Kitchen Counters & Dinner Table // The person who isn't washing does this. It's SO easy when you've got minimal things on the counters to wipe around.
 
Sweep or Swiffer // We HAVE to do this every day. With 3 pugs, the dog hair in our house is embarrassing. Fortunately we don't have to sweep every room, every day. Our kitchen, dining room and bedroom seem to collect the most hair, so that's what we sweep up daily. It's not a big deal and takes maybe 5 minutes.
 
Weekly
 
Bathrooms // Every week our bathrooms get a top-to-bottom cleaning. Toilets, tubs, sinks, mirrors and floors. Our guest bathroom isn't used as much, so most of the attention goes to the master bath.
 
Dusting // Dusting is one of my least favorite things to do, but it does seem easier to do now that we have less stuff. I dust every surface, even ceiling fans. I don't wait for things like that to build up.
 
Laundry // It's actually crazy how much laundry we accumulate each week. I wash, dry and iron everything once a week. I don't mind it, especially when I'm watching a movie or something while ironing. Huggable hangers and the KonMari folding method are my friends.
 
Wash Linens, Change Sheets // All of our rugs, dog beds, dog toys and sheets get washed once a week. Dog stuff holds stink like no other!
 
Floors // And finally our floors get swept, swiffered and mopped weekly. I love how clean floors feel! and smell!
 
If I keep up with this schedule there aren't any chores I need to do monthly. But, yearly we do a bit of spring cleaning. Things like washing the windows, pressure washing the outside of our house, or having the carpet cleaned.
 
Something I am also trying out is taking action if I see something that needs attention, instead of putting it on the to-do list. If I can attend to it right now, why wait? For example, yesterday I noticed some of our plants needed pruning. Instead of getting to it later, I just grabbed the scissors and did it right then. I'm trying that in other areas of my life too. I was about to add 'Write Thank You Card' to my Wunderlist, when I realized I should just write it now. Done and done. It's a cool feeling, not having things like that weigh on you.
 
I'm still not this organized with my yard work! We have a fairly big yard and it always seems so daunting to tackle. I'm working on some landscaping options that are more low maintenance, even removing some of it all together.
 
Leave me a comment below if you are known in the office as the organized one! I'd love to hear your cleaning routine, and what you feel like you need to do every day. I'd also like to know if you haven't found your ideal routine yet too!


6 comments

  1. Working on a new routine now that I'm home more. 😊

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    1. It does help to have more time at home, but the cool part about this schedule is that it works for me even on work days! My daily routine takes a max of 30 mins. Totally helps that I don't have kiddos though!

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  2. I get made fun of at work for being organized too lol! I love the idea of having a set in stone cleaning schedule. I always end up trying to take too much on each day (namely thinking I can accomplish like 10 chores before I leave for work) always just turns me into a frazzled mess. Breaking it up like this is much a better idea!

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    1. Exactly! If your to-do list is a mile long you won't feel good about getting a few things done. If it's only got 3 things on it, you'll feel SO much more accomplished when you check them off. Thanks for reading!

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  3. Dishes, beds, and a clean kitchen are an absolute must for me! At this very moment there are no dishes my sink, the beds are made, and the counters are clean. There is NO WAY I would be able to sit down and read blogs otherwise because those things get under my skin. Hahah!

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Hello!

Hi friends! I'm Kristen, and this is the Life and Style of an early 30's Floridian living the Best Life Ever, with her husband and three pugs. Runner | Avid Reader | Small Shop Owner

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