Do you always feel behind on the housekeeping or wish you could keep your home clean on a regular basis? I used to have the same problem before following a simple housekeeping schedule.
I used to wait until the messes piled up, and then spend hours cleaning big messes in my home. Finally, I got tired of taking care of my housekeeping this way.
I found a simple solution for keeping my house clean without spending lots of time cleaning every day.
That’s when I started following a simple cleaning schedule by staying on top of daily cleaning habits and spreading out all of my weekly cleaning chores throughout the week.
I also love following a cleaning checklist for those monthly and quarterly cleaning tasks.
This method has saved me time and my sanity!
Housekeeping Schedule:
1. Daily Cleaning Chores
All of these daily habits are pretty simple and don’t take much time to do each day once they become a habit.
- Sweep the floors
- Do the dishes
- General tidy of main living areas
- Pick up toys
- One load of laundry
Each morning I start a load of laundry as soon as possible. A daily load helps me stay on top of the laundry and it never gets out of control.
Another task I like to do every day is dishes. Every night after supper, it is my habit to wash all the dishes and clear and wipe down the countertops. Nothing beats waking up to a clean kitchen in the morning!
After I do the dishes each night, I quickly sweep up the dining room and kitchen. If your kids are old enough, you can have them help with the dishes and sweeping too! Here are age appropriate cleaning chores for kids.
We also make sure the main living areas and the kids bedrooms are tidy. A big help in keeping a tidy home is to simply put things away once you are done using them. This cuts back on a lot of clutter build up during the day.
The kids’ rooms aren’t perfect, but we like for most of the their toys to be put away. It is part of their evening routine. Then they get to watch a little TV before bed which is very motivating!
Example Cleaning Schedule:
7:00 AM – Throw in load of laundry (2 min)
7:30 – Clean up kitchen after breakfast (10 min)
8:00 – Put clothes in the dryer after breakfast (1 min)
12:30 – Clean up kitchen after lunch, fold and put away laundry (15 min)
6:30 – Wash dishes, wipe down countertops, and sweep floors after dinner (20 min)
7:00 – General tidy up of house (2 min)
ONLY 50 minutes total of cleaning!
Here’s a detailed kitchen cleaning checklist.
2. Weekly Cleaning Checklist
Next, the big tasks that take longer to do and only need done once a week can be scheduled throughout the week.
Depending on your home’s needs, your list of household cleaning tasks maybe different than mine. However, here is a list of ideas to get you started.
- clean bathrooms
- change bed sheets
- dust
- mop
- detailed vacuum
- wipe down appliances
- clean kitchen sink
- wash towels
Once you have written out your list of weekly cleaning tasks, assign them to days throughout the week. I like to write them down in my planner, and I usually only assign one or tow big tasks to the same day.
For example, I’ll wash the towels on the same day that I clean the bathrooms. But I’ll save dusting for a different day.
Doing one chore a day, helps maintain a clean home. There is always something that is clean whether it’s the floors, the bathrooms, or the dusting.
This helps make the home feel cleaner because not everything is a total disaster at one time.
Example Cleaning Schedule:
Sunday: Rest and Plan for the Week
The start of the week is a great time to make a plan for the week ahead. I like to use a paper planner and assign homemaking tasks to each day.
Monday: Clean Bathrooms and Wash Towels
I like to get the bathrooms cleaned at the beginning of the week to get this dreaded chore out of the way.
Tuesday: Change Bed Sheets and Dust
It doesn’t take long to change the bed sheets especially if the rest of the family helps out! That way I have time to quickly dust the house.
You can save time dusting by using a multisurface dusting spray with a microfiber cloth. Also, don’t try to be perfect. You’ll save a lot of time by dusting the main surfaces instead of trying to get every nook and cranny.
Once a month, I’ll do a deep clean of dusting. That’s when I dust the ceiling fans and window sills with my handled duster.
Wednesday: Clean Appliances and Kitchen Sink
Wednesdays are a busy day for me and I don’t have much time to clean. If you have a certain day that is busier than others, this is a good day to clean the kitchen sink and wipe down the exterior of your appliances.
These cleaning tasks don’t take long to do. Also, if you have to skip a week, it’s not a really big deal.
Thursday: Mop and Vacuum Floors
Since you have already dusted and cleaned the bathrooms, now is a great time to clean the floors.
You have probably been keeping up with daily messes that need swept or vacuumed. However, today you will do a deep clean by mopping hard floors and vacuuming all your carpets.
About once a quarter, you’ll want to clean under furniture and appliances too.
Friday: Meal Plan and Grocery Shop
So grocery shopping isn’t a cleaning task, but I like to do my grocery shopping on a day when I don’t have any major cleaning tasks.
Grocery shopping takes a lot of energy!
Saturday: Rest or Catch Up
You worked hard throughout the week, so take the day off! Or you could use Saturday for catching up on monthly and quarterly cleaning.
3. Monthly Cleaning Tasks
Some things on your housekeeping schedule will only need to be done once a month. These items are still important, but sometimes they are forgotten about.
The best way to remember them is to write them down and again assign them to a day each month.
- clean coffee maker
- wash floor mats
- change air filter
- wipe down cabinets
- dust blinds
- clean light fixtures and light switches
- vacuum furniture
- clean windows and window sills
- clean doors and doorknobs
- remove cobwebs
- check smoke detectors
- clean garbage cans
4. Quarterly Cleaning Tasks
Last, here are even more cleaning tasks that don’t need to be done every week, but are still important to do throughout the year.
- deep clean the fridge
- clean oven and range hood
- declutter cabinets and pantry
- wash shower curtain
- declutter linen closet
- declutter medicine cabinet
- flip mattress
- clean air vents and air returns
- dust behind and under furniture
- dust lampshades
- dust ceiling fans
- wash curtains
- wash outdoor garbage cans
- clean up porch and decks
Once you have your housekeeping schedule figured out, you will feel so much freedom! Instead of devoting hours all at one time, you can do just a little each day to always maintain a clean home.
You can get a free list of daily and weekly cleaning tasks when you sign up for the free Balanced Mom Checklist.
And if you want to get all of the daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly cleaning tasks on an easy to use printable, I’ve made all these available in my Etsy shop here: Whole House Cleaning Checklist.
Also, here is a video showing my weekly cleaning routine.
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8 thoughts on “Housekeeping Schedule: Daily, Weekly, Monthly Cleaning Schedule”
We don't have any kids yet and just live in an apartment, but I used to do the same thing as you-dedicate a weekend day to cleaning. I loved that everything was clean at the same time but I hated how it took a chunk out of my weekend! I've switched to doing a few small things each day and it's going so much better! I love your schedule!
Thanks, Laura! Yes, that was the downside to doing it all on the weekend. It took up so much time. I'm glad that you enjoy doing a few things each day too. It really is so much easier!
Keeping up on chores can be so difficult but a schedule helps keep me on track. Thanks so much for sharing. Visiting from SHINE
Thanks for visiting, Kelly! A schedule helps keep me on track too. Otherwise I forget when was the last time I mopped the floors!
I spread out my chores like that too! I find them a lot less overwhelming by cleaning in this manner.
Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
It is so much easier to spread the chores out! When I tried to get them all done in one day it overwhelmed me. I always love linking up to the Shine Blog Hop. Thank you for hosting a great link up!
I love this! I always try to do it all in a day and the next day its a mess again!
Great tips! Remember that it helps if you start off with the guideline that every item should have a home. Cleaning cluttered surfaces is difficult, but if you already have clear spaces, it’s just a matter of keeping them dust- and grime-free.