Whether you’re a mom who stays at home, works all day, or does something in between, routines are key. If you want to make it through your days with a level of sanity, you need to be both organized and realistic. A realistic cleaning schedule for busy moms means creating one that is attainable and ensures that you won’t miss a beat or round of laundry.
Why You Should Have a Daily Cleaning Schedule
Let’s face it. Moms are all busy. There are meetings to attend, children to take care of, grocery shopping to do, activities to participate in and checklists to complete. It’s easy to feel the stress. There’s a lot of truth to the saying that every mom has a superhero cape hidden somewhere. Many times, especially for busy moms, a clean house can feel unattainable. Just when it appears clean, another spill happens or a toy explosion seems to go off.
When you have a baby, your time for everything is limited. With a realistic cleaning schedule for the household, however, your cleaning routine will seem easy to fit into your busy week. You can DIY and make your house sparkle. By implementing a schedule, it helps take out some of the unpredictability from your life, and we know every bit counts. You will be able to enjoy yourself more and won’t feel so overwhelmed. Follow these simple tips for creating the best mom’s cleaning schedule.
Where Do You Begin?
For moms, knowing where to start is key. Firstly, remain calm. Understand that while your cleaning routine will be guided by a daily cleaning schedule, things do happen. Allow for that flexibility. Just like when you have a baby, not everything can be in your control. It is important to spend a few minutes each day for just yourself too.
How Do You Create a Weekly Schedule that is Organized and Quick?
Begin by thinking about your home and how realistic it is to tackle every area on a daily or weekly basis. There may be some items that truly only need a deep cleaning monthly or even yearly. These could include your windows, driveway and door frames, for example. Some moms are also more particular in certain areas while others don’t bother them. Perhaps the surface only needs a simple wipe down instead of a complete disinfecting. There will always be areas that can get pretty disgusting for example air ducts. If your kids have a playroom, for example, you’ll want to consider how quickly their toys get icky. Washing all the dirty clothes in your household may also be more time consuming for you, so consider if this needs to be done weekly or daily.
Sample Cleaning Schedule for Working Moms
How do working moms keep their house clean? Is it even possible? The answer to these questions is, absolutely! Here are some tips for making your household its most vibrant self. (Before you get started, I also suggest downloading this printable cleaning checklist). If you’re wondering, what is a professional house cleaning checklist, then be sure to download it. You’ll thank me later!
Daily Cleaning Schedule:
- Bedroom – Make Beds
- Bathroom – Wipe Counters
- Kitchen – Dishes, Cooking Surfaces
These three tasks should be on your daily checklist. These can be arranged out as you see fit. They should, however, be a consistent part of your cleaning routine.
Daily Bedroom Checklist:
- Making the beds is one of the daily tasks that take just a few minutes. How much better does it feel to climb into a made bed at the end of a long day?
- Organize any clutter. If you’re a busy mom, you may want to spend a bit of time to tidy up any clothes or shoes that may have been left out. Here are some great DIY tips on how to declutter.
Daily Bathroom Checklist:
- Wipe down the countertops. Though any major bathroom cleaning will be done as part of your weekly cleaning schedule, take time to wipe the counters. This will eliminate any leftover toothpaste, hair spray and water residue each day.
Daily Kitchen Checklist:
Typically, the kitchen should be cleaned each evening right after dinner. Some tips are:
- Be sure to wipe down any of the cooking surfaces like your stovetop, kitchen island, and table. Remnants may get greasy if not wiped soon after.
- Depending on what was on the menu that day, you may want to sanitize your sink with a cleaner or bleach.
- Washing dishes should also be done daily, so no food crusts stick. It is simple to load the dishwasher. You can even make it a chore for your kids when they’ve finished their meal. Teach them that as soon as the load is over, everyone helps to put at least a few items away.
Weekly Cleaning Schedule:
The question I hear from many busy moms is, how can I keep my house clean with a full-time job? Stay organized. Spend time making a list with goals for each day, week and month. The weekly cleaning schedule is a big part of ensuring these goals are accomplished. Here is an example of a realistic cleaning schedule for working moms to achieve their dream clean house.
- Monday – Flawless Floors
After a long weekend filled with activities, focus on the floors. Monday is the perfect day for mopping, dusting, and vacuuming. Coming off of two days of cleaning rest, you’ll have the strength to do some deeper cleaning. You may want to do this in the evening to allow ample time for the floors to dry. - Tuesday – Kick A** Kitchen
On Tuesday’s, it’s time to focus on the kitchen. Though you’ll be doing some light cleaning in this space daily, you’ll want to bring out the heavy-duty stove-top and oven cleaners, drain sanitizers and countertop shiners. Take this time to do the sometimes-forgotten items. For example, sweet underneath the cabinets, clean out any dropped crumbs in the ovens and organize the refrigerator or pantry. I have other great but often overlooked tips. Taking the time to clean the actual garbage can once a week can help eliminate any lingering garbage odors. Though you’ll want to take out the trash frequently, this forgotten area can make a big difference. - Wednesday – Beautiful Bathrooms
Though your countertops will get a daily wipe down, use each Wednesday to do a weekly top to bottom clean. Scrub shower floors and toilets, and shine mirrors and faucets. You’ll achieve that vibrant bathroom feel in no time. - Thursday – Bright Bedrooms
Though working moms may not even enter their bedrooms until they’re ready for bed, Thursday is a great day to spruce it up. Tidy up your closet, clean off your nightstands and dust off the tops of cribs and headboards for the kids. Some great tips on organization are if you haven’t used it in at least two years, it’s better off with someone else. Also, always keep a second set of sheets. Swap them out this day to keep it fresh. - Friday – Lovely Laundry
Though laundry may seem daunting, washing clothes on Fridays means you’ll have a clean and virtually chore-less slate going into the weekend. After a long week of work, you’ll want to wash it all off. Be prepared to do a few loads. The beauty of laundry is that it isn’t super physical. (As long as you have washing machines, of course). You’ll even have time to check emails while the cycles are in progress. Let the washer and dryer do all the work, and finish the folding while listening to your favorite music or while watching a movie. It can be an evening activity if you’re home. By doing something enjoyable while folding laundry, you may even look forward to it!
Though this is a sample weekly cleaning schedule for working moms, it should only serve as a guide. Tweaking it may be necessary depending on the size of your house, number of bedrooms and amount of people living with you.
Get Kids to Help Clean Up Too
As a working mom with a full-time job, you shouldn’t be the only one to bear the beauty of the house. Chores are a great way to make cleaning fun and inclusive for the whole family. Everyone who lives in the home should play a part in making it sparkle. Take time to teach kids about cleaning up after themselves. Establish the cleaning routine as part of their normal day. Be realistic in what they can handle. Create clean up rules such as if you take it out, you also put it away. They can even have their own printable cleaning routine checklist. By making cleaning part of the norm for your kids, they’ll grow up with it being a normal part of everyday life.
How Do You Maintain a Brilliant Cleaning Schedule?
It’s great to come up with a handy cleaning schedule, but how do you stick to it? Consistency is the number one strategy to ensuring your time is organized and the cleaning schedule actually works. I recommend making a printable cleaning schedule that is easy to follow and realistic to maintain. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself if there are times that you can’t follow it exactly. Cleaning isn’t life or death. Plus, you can always hire reinforcements with a reliable house cleaning service. You may even want to do this once a month regardless to get an even deeper clean.
Overall, establishing a realistic cleaning schedule for busy moms will go a long way for your sanity. By creating a mom’s cleaning schedule and kid’s cleaning schedule, you can share some of the workload and stay organized. View it as a productive way to spend time together. Cleaning should be a team effort, so you can remain calm while making your household sparkle.
