One of my September goals is to establish and maintain a cleaning schedule. I've posted about cleaning schedules before, discussing the cleaning cycle where I focus on one room or area of the house each week, here, and about a weekly schedule, here. I do still follow the room or area per week cleaning cycle, more or less, although not as faithfully as I should. Which, given the state of my health, recently, has been quite understandable and acceptable. According to this recurring 8-week cycle, this week is the All House Cleaning week, which seems like a good time to implement my weekly cleaning schedule. Ideally, the weekly schedule is the cleaning I do during the week to keep the rest of the house maintained while I focus on the room/area of the week.
For years, I used to clean the entire house on a Saturday, but I don't have the energy or inclination to do that, any more. These days, I prefer to clean one room or area a day. And my plan is to complete each room or area before moving on to the next.
So here's my new cleaning schedule:
Saturday: Living room and dining area - tidy, dust, vacuum
Sunday: Family room - tidy, dust, vacuum
Monday: Kitchen - clean fridge, stove top and hood, wipe counters, vacuum/mop floor (sink gets cleaned on a daily basis when I do the dishes)
Tuesday: My bedroom - tidy, dust, vacuum
Wednesday: Bathrooms (there are two)
Thursday: Hallway and daughter's bedroom
Friday: Guest room, which is a bit of a dump right now!
I don't have a problem with coming up with a cleaning schedule. It
is the implementation of it that is problematic! I started the new
cleaning schedule by cleaning the living room and dining area (all one
room) on Saturday. However, on Sunday, just the second day of my
schedule, I was unable to clean the family room and I've got behind on my schedule!
But, I am not going to be defeated! I am going to try and make this work for me. I am just going to go ahead and do the family room on Monday, along with the kitchen! Ever hopeful! That's me!
Anyone else has a cleaning schedule that works for them?
I'm cheering you on!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lyssa! :D
DeleteWe sound very similar Bless, I can always come up with a plan as well, but like you often fail to keep to it. Although it's not always due to laziness. The spirit is willing but quite often the flesh is weak or there are other more important things that need my attention!
ReplyDeleteWe are having Sienna 2 nights and 3 days this week so once again my schedule won't run as it should. Hey ho, I shall try and do what I can to keep on top of things as best I can. I have a sneaky suspicion that there will always be something that interrupts my carefully planned schedule. But that, as they say, is life :) xx
Having Sienna over is a very good reason for not keeping up with a schedule, Suzanne. Plus, don't the experts now say that babies should get exposed to a little bit of dust and dirt, that it improves their immunity, etc.? Have a lovely week!
DeleteA cleaning schedule? What's that? I do dishes, do laundry, get the veggies out of the garden and put away in the freezer before they spoil, and I cook meals. Does that count as scheduling? Otherwise, it is by priority, as in when I cannot stand the mess anymore, it gets done. Right now the floors (all of them) are crying out to be vacuumed again. So that is the fire I will put out first. Once I have cleaned and purged each room, I am hoping things can be scheduled, but that isn't possible right now. I haven't felt organized since my son's GF moved in with all of her stuff and displaced MY stuff. I just made it sound like it is HER fault, but it isn't. I just haven't got around yet to purging and organizing, which is a job I have to do on my own. I will get it done though, one room at a time.
ReplyDeleteSusan, it sounds like you are doing all you can to keep on top of things. Yes, doing the dishes, the laundry, the cooking, and attending to the garden definitely counts! Especially while you attend to the needs of your family. (((HUGS))) It is hard when your stuff gets displaced accommodating another person's stuff! Decluttering and organizing one room at a time is the way to go.
DeleteThat seems to be way too much cleaning for only one person who is going to be gone all day most days unless that one person is incredibly messy which I don't believe you are. You could cut your schedule in half and still have a very clean house. I wouldn't last a day on that house cleaning schedule. For years I felt guilty because I don't clean my house like I did when I had two active kids and a husband. Just as we have to cut our cooking servings and amounts down, we need to cut our cleaning expectations back also. You are going to be in the healing process for quite a long time, so instead of increasing your stress level, why don't you continue to declutter and find those things you enjoy doing? Cleaning a decluttered house is so much easier. And wouldn't your daughter leave her bedroom and bathroom clean after she visits anyway?
ReplyDeleteMaybe I am trying to do too much too soon. But, I wasn't able to do much in terms of cleaning for the past year and frankly, things are getting to me! I want to give the house a deep clean and get things to a point where I can spend 30 minutes a day to keep things maintained. I need to declutter more and find more "homes" for things. And I need to be better about putting things back after using them! I seem to leave piles everywhere! Daughter's bathroom does double duty as the visitor's bathroom, but I can vacuum her room every other week and it should be OK. Well, I guess I can tweak things as needed until I arrive at a routine I can maintain. :)
DeleteI am not a naturally tidy person and so keeping up with a cleaning schedule is always a struggle. We had to get our house in order recently for some work that needed to be done inside and we've set a goal of keeping it in a reasonably guest ready state. We don't have a huge house and so I've split up the tasks by type rather than by room. So one day I might dust and another day Michael might do the floors. The kitchen and bathrooms do need their own more regular cleaning, but at least I do a decent enough job keeping up with those. I keep hoping that one day I'll just wake up with my cleaning gene activated, but sadly I think that it's only hard work and repetition that will turn this into any kind of a habit.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've found a workable schedule, Laura. I keep switching back and forth between the "do by task" (dust all the rooms one day, vacuum the whole house one day, etc.) and the "do each room: dust, vacuum, etc." This time around, it's the "do each room" approach. :)
Delete"I don't have a problem with coming up with a cleaning schedule. It is the implementation of it that is problematic!" Yeah, I think we were separated at birth in that department! I think that instead of stressing over the fact that you are already off-plan, just ignore this week and start next week. No one is going to grade you on this, it's OK to relax a little. Do what you can, the rest will get done when it gets done. And I completely agree with dust helping the immune system. We have dust (oh boy, do we have dust) and we're all pretty healthy, when you think of it (*wink*). The only schedule that I keep is that I usually try to have my "Domestic Mondays" when I do laundry and a bunch of other household chores so that I can relax the rest of the week. Otherwise, things get done when they get done. At the end of my life, I'm certainly not going to regret not having spent more time cleaning my house. But that's just me. If a schedule works for you, try to find a schedule that you feel comfortable with and give yourself the permission to deviate from the plan as needed and not feel guilty about it. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nathalie. I don't like being off schedule already, but I decided not to fret too much about it. Instead, I just got going with the rest of the schedule, and will try to catch up, eventually. As you say, no one is going to grade me on this. Sometimes, I can be my own worst enemy. :)
DeleteYou will get back on schedule soon.. Don't worry about it. I too, have a weekly schedule.. Some days it gets done, and some days ---"life happens" ha. but... since we moved in to the smaller house, I was FORCED to declutter and get rid of stuff.. Now, I try to keep the decluttering going...by just watching for anything that we don't use, and get rid of it. As you said, once the decluttering is done, it makes the weekly cleaning schedule , much easier. I can write down to mop , dust ,etc.. and it will not need it.. so I can do something else.. Just little things help.
ReplyDeleteI really like order and it bothers me , when things get our of order..
BLess, you have to remember, you have been a sick lady, and you have accomplished SO much this year. take it easy, and slowly work your way back into the routine.. smile and hugs.
Thanks, Judy. I need to keep that in mind - to take my time getting back into a routine. But you know me - I want it done yesterday! :D
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