A Mess Free Life may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page.
This weekly cleaning routine checklist is perfect for those of us who want a clean house but don’t have a ton of time to devote to cleaning. Is that you? Read on!
In a perfect world, I would spend one whole day cleaning my house from top to bottom. I would declutter, dust, vacuum, and mop every surface in my home. All the beds would be made and pillows would be fluffed and dishes would be put away in the kitchen cabinets. Once I was done, I could sink into my sofa with a book and a glass of wine.
Ahem, excuse me? Could I interrupt for a sec? Hey, it’s me – the writer of this post. I’m over here standing in reality.
The scenario I described above sounds great, and if you have the time to devote to cleaning the whole house at once on a weekly basis, that’s awesome! However, if you are like me, staring at your calendar for the week and wondering when you are going to squeeze in your cleaning chores, you are not alone.
Table of Contents
Cleaning Routines For Busy People
If you are very limited on time and find that your current system for cleaning the house isn’t working as well as you would like, let me tell you about two important tools at your disposal when it comes to keeping a clean home: sticking to a routine and breaking big jobs down into smaller ones.
Set up a routine and stick with it.
Setting up a routine that you know you can realistically follow is one major key to keeping the house clean. Once you set up a cleaning routine, you will find that most of your home will stay clean and tidy most of the time.
The best part about routines is that we decide once what needs to be done, and then, the rest of the time, we work on autopilot. We don’t have to spend big brain power every time we need to clean. We just look at our cleaning routine checklist and do what it says to do.
This really comes in handy when you’ve worked all day, and you’re tired. At the end of a long day, I don’t have the energy to make decisions. If I don’t meal plan, at the end of a long day, I’m ordering pizza. The same is true with cleaning. If I don’t make a weekly cleaning plan, at the end of a long day, I’m just going to sit down and watch tv.
Break big jobs down into smaller ones.
Breaking big jobs down into small ones is always a good idea when you have limited time and energy. If I told you to clean the whole house after work tomorrow night, would you? I know I wouldn’t. The job is too big, and I’m too tired. Instead, I’ve made a weekly cleaning routine checklist that divides up the work throughout the week. Do a little bit at a time, and the house will get clean.
How To Use This Cleaning Routine Checklist
Each day of the week is given a different task. These are your weekly cleaning tasks. Some cleaning jobs need to be done on a daily basis. Every day, the dishes need to be washed and the kitchen countertops need to be cleaned. Every evening, a ten minute tidy of the main living space needs to happen.
In the evening, my family cleans the kitchen – loading the dishwasher, giving the floor a quick sweep, and wiping down the kitchen counters. My kids help to tidy up the living room where a lot of their toys are kept.
These daily cleaning tasks take less than thirty minutes and make a big difference.
Let’s get started!
Monday: Dust
Dusting is one of those jobs that we tell ourselves that we don’t have time to do, but getting rid of dust is so important. Not only does dust make your home look dirty, but it’s also bad for your health to constantly breathe in dust.
Dusting doesn’t have to be an all day affair. Grab a microfiber rag, some all-purpose cleaning spray, and a swiffer duster, and get started.
We’re going to dust every room in the house, and we are going to move as quickly as we can. Instead of going for perfection, just do your best to get the major surface areas and move to the next room.
Here’s how to dust a room:
- Clear all flat surfaces – put items away where they belong (books on bookshelves, coffee mugs in the kitchen sink to wash later, trash in the trash can, ect.)
- With your swiffer duster, reach up and dust the walls, paying extra attention to the ceiling corners.
- Use your swiffer to dust the inside and outside of lampshades, the tv and any other appliances (your kitchen coffee pot for example), and mirrors or other wall art.
- Now, use your cleaning spray and microfiber cloth to spray and wipe down flat surfaces like tables, dressers, window sills, and bookcases.
Tuesday: Vacuum
Today, we are going to vacuum up all of that dust we knocked down yesterday plus all of the dirt embedded in our carpet and flooring. Make sure to own the best vacuum you can afford. I pinch pennies in a lot of places and love a good bargain, but a good vacuum is so worth the money if it fits into your budget.
Before you vacuum, take ten minutes to tidy the floor and put things away. You can’t vacuum effectively if there are books, shoes, clothes, or toys on the floor. Put them away and vacuum each room.
Wednesday: Mop
On Wednesday, we are going to mop our floors. Different floor types need different cleaning solutions. One constant with mopping is using a good mop system.
I love the O Cedar Spin Mop. Also, whatever cleaner you are using, make sure to use steaming hot water. The hot water helps to lift dirt and kill germs.
Wood: ½ cup Murphy’s Oil Soap mixed with hot water.
Tile: 2 TBSP Tide Powdered detergent, ½ cup bleach, and hot water.
Thursday: Bathrooms
Clean your bathrooms quickly by using the same all-purpose cleaner for everything. This way, you don’t have to lug several bottles to the bathroom when it comes time to clean. I like the Lysol All-Purpose cleaner because it cleans and kills germs. Bathrooms definitely need germ killing cleaners.
When I clean the bathroom, I start by gathering up any trash and putting it outside the bathroom door to throw away when I’m done. I’ve found that if I leave the room I’m cleaning, I often get distracted and don’t come back to it. So, I put the trash aside to bring to the garbage can after I clean the room.
I spray down the sink, toilet inside and out, and the tub and/or shower. Then, I wipe the sink and the tub/shower. Next, I rinse them with hot water. Then, I sweep the bathroom floor and spray the floor with the cleaner. I put my cleaning rag down on the floor and use the broom to wipe the floor with the rag. This is a great speed mopping method.
Always clean the toilet last to prevent the spread of germs. I clean my toilet from top to bottom and then use a scrub brush to scrub the inside bowl.
Friday: Bedrooms
Every Friday, we will clean our bedroom.
- Tidy the room – trash out, clothes away, dishes brought to kitchen, books on shelves.
- Change the bed sheets.
- Tidy the closet and get rid of anything you haven’t worn lately.
Saturday: Laundry
Gather up all of your laundry, and sort the items into piles: lights, darks, whites, towels, and sheets.
Doing laundry one day a week might feel overwhelming at first, but eventually, focusing your energy on laundry only once a week will make the task easier to get through.
Sunday: Declutter
I like to keep my cleaning to-do list light on Sundays because I want free time to relax before another busy week. So when I say Sunday is for decluttering, I don’t mean clean out every closet in your home or get to that huge clutter project you’ve been putting off.
My Sunday declutter looks more like getting a trash bag and spending a few minutes gathering up ten or so items around the house that I no longer need and throwing them away.
Some Sundays, I find twelve items. Some Sundays, I only find five. The number isn’t a hard and fast rule. The point of this day is to make a little progress in decluttering your home.
Conclusion
Keeping a clean home when life gets busy is hard, but breaking up the cleaning to-do list into easy to handle daily chores will help even the busiest person get it done.
