When I was a stay-at-home Mom, I loved it. So, I tend to still get many
of the newsletters on home & housekeeping. The tips they share are
great and can make the difference in your work load, as well as, if you
wish to become a stay-at-home Mom.
House Cleaning Schedule
Good house keeping starts with a good cleaning schedule, and there’s
nothing like walking into a house that smells as good as it looks. When
floors are washed, beds are made and dishes are put away, the family
gains a sense of comfort in knowing that their surroundings are under
control. Being clean and organized saves you both time and money. When
all things are put in proper order you don’t have to spend minutes or
hours looking for lost items. And when supplies are carefully
organized, you can easily find them instead of replenishing stock.
That's where a schedule like this comes in handy!
This schedule focuses on house cleaning. It does not cover meal
planning, bill payment or personal hygiene. It is designed to get your
house in tip-top shape each week and keep it looking that way.
Tackle one area of your house/day, and before you know it you’ll have
it sparkling clean from top to bottom! If you’re starting from scratch,
then the first week or two will take up much of your time, because
there may be areas that you haven’t been cleaning on regular basis. But
once you get a good deep cleaning done, up-keep will be a breeze!
My sister Betty always says, when the dishes and laundry are done a
woman is happy, but that happiness dissipates quickly if we don’t make a
daily effort to keep up those areas. Dishes and laundry are constantly
in use, and therefore we must constantly be on top of those kinds of
jobs.
This “Daily Upkeep” section of the schedule covers the cleaning that you’ll need to tend to each and every day.
Make the Beds
It only takes five minutes to make a bed. Five minutes goes a long way
to making your family appreciate you. If your children are old enough,
ensure that they make their own beds before school. Caring for the
house is a great habit for all kids to get into.
Laundry
Depending
on the size of your family, you may need to schedule anywhere from one
to four loads of laundry/day. Start with two loads each day
(Monday-Friday) and decide if you need to increase that number or not.
While the water is running in the machine, wet a light-colored rag and
wipe down the washer and dryer if necessary (keep a few on hand in that
room). Throw the rag into the load.
Set a timer so you don’t forget to put the second load in. The timer is
also necessary for clothes that are drying. Whether they are in an
electric dryer or hanging on the line, we want to fold them as soon as
possible to prevent wrinkles. And besides that—fresh laundry smells
incredible!
Once they are folded, put everything away. Piles of laundry littering
the couch only takes away from the hard work you have done.
About line drying: I had a clothes line in my last house that ran from
the back door to the back lane. I loved using it in the summer
time--felt like I stepped back into the '60s! Since moving to this
house a few years back, we haven't put up a clothes line yet. However, I
do try to dry sheets and towels and blankets on my deck railing when
the weather is nice. It's not the best alternative, but it satisfies my
craving for the outdoor smell.
Here are just a few reasons that line-drying is good:
- We save money on hydro
- The sun kills germs and therefore the clothes smell so much better
- Dryers are more apt to shrink your clothing
- The sun doesn't cause static cling
- Hanging clothes is good 0ld-fashioned exercise
While I was in Jamaica I noticed that nearly every house had a
clothes line. So when I mentioned it to our tourist guide, she told me
that her doctor recommended line drying for good health. Makes sense
since the sun offers vitamins and kills germs.
If you don't like the crunchy feeling that you get from hanging up
towels and jeans, dry them 3/4 of the time on the line, and finish the
load in the dryer.
Vinegar in the wash is also a great way to kill odors--even odors as
foul as cigarette smoke. Don't worry about your clothes coming out
smelling like pickles, the vinegar smell also washes away in the water
and gives the clothes a good cleaning.
Wash Your Dishes
Empty your dishwasher every night, or put your hand washed dishes away.
This clears space up for the next day’s activities. Keep on top of
dishes that don’t fit into the dishwasher and wash them as soon as each
one is emptied. Pots, pans, plastic bowls and juice jugs can clutter a
sink, and a cluttered sink takes the charm away from any dining
experience.
Find a liquid soap with an aroma that’s pleasing. It will make your
dishwashing experience a more pleasurable one and your hands will smell
great.
Every time you wash the dishes, also take a moment to sweep the kitchen floor.
10-Minute Tidy
In addition to your daily duties, which I will outline below, set your
timer for 10 minutes three times/day and tidy things up. You’ll be
surprised at how much you can achieve in only 10 minutes time. I like to
do this after breakfast, lunch and supper. This step is in addition to
laundry, dishes, and shedding your junk, which we’ll get to next.
Shed Your Junk
Again set your timer, but this time it’s only for 10 minutes/day.
Tackle any cluttered area that you desire and discard junk. Have one
box for “giveaways,” and another for “throwaways.”
(Also see my article
"Toss out 25 Things")
While you’re purging, keep this rule in mind: if it isn’t pretty,
useful, or sentimental, get it out of the house. As for clothing, if
you haven't worn it in the past year, you likely won't wear it again.
If you're hanging on to clothing "just in case" you might decide to
wear it, chances are you won't. The longer it sits in your closet the
less likely you are to ever put it on. Pack it up and give it to
someone who will cherish it as much as you did the day you brought it
home. Besides--how much clothing do we really need?
Lighten your load by giving away items that you don’t necessarily need.
Want—perhaps, but need—no. Having less stuff makes cleaning and
organization easier and there’s far less dusting to do!
Incorporate Routines to Your Schedule
Everyone's schedule is different and therefore one routine does not fit
all. Choose daily routines that work for you and your family. It
could be as simple as listing three cleaning chores for the morning and
three more for days end. Don't overwhelm yourself with enthusiasm or
you might tire out. Handle some tasks today, and others tomorrow--it
will all get done in time.
Start a Journal
It may be helpful to start a home maintenance journal where you can
record your routine, keep track of this schedule, grocery lists, plan
menus and keep track of important "to-dos." A small three ring binder
about the size of a Daytimer works well since the pages are removable.
Target carries the cutest little notebooks, and of course I have a few
on hand. You can't insert pages, but if you're creative you can always
glue a little pocket onto the inside front cover to store coupons and
grocery lists. Brown paper kraft paper is the perfect weight for book
pockets. Cut out a square, fold the edges under on three sides (about
1/3 inch), apply glue for the three edges and fasten to the inside
cover.
Don't Get Sidetracked
One of the best things I've ever purchased was a telephone headset.
Mine broke about a year ago, but it's back on the top of my Christmas
list for 2010 [update: I got it!]. Phone calls can be so disruptive
when you have dishes to wash, and unless you're as talented as my
friend Sandra, it's difficult to be juggling both. A hands-free headset
is well worth the money if you find that telephone calls are tying you
down. I roam the house with mine.
The computer is also a huge distraction for women today. Used to be
that soap operas distracted women, but as least they were still able to
turn up the volume and move freely through the house to get their
cleaning done. Not so with computers. Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger
are all things that draw my attention away from my home. I need to be
cautious that I'm not too sidetracked when there is house work to be
done. Sitting in front of a monitor will not result in a clean house,
ladies.
Monday
Clean
the bathroom/bathrooms. Wet a cloth and sprinkle soap onto the cloth,
wipe down the bathtub, the sink and the counters. I use a hand scrubber
to remove tough grime. Use one scrubber for the toilet, and a separate
one for the sink, bathtub and floors.
While my sister was working for a professional cleaning company, she
picked up an awesome cleaning tip from them. Instead of using a
standard cleaning product, my sisters are now using laundry detergent
to clean their bathroom sink and tub. Keep a small box of it handy
under the sink (but away from the reach of little children) and
sprinkle a bit onto a damp cloth. It works great for removing bathtub
scum. Since it's much cheaper than the standard chemicals I'm switching
too!
Paper towels are my best friend when it comes to the bathroom. After I
wipe and scrub the areas with the hand brush, I dry with paper towels
that I can discard. I also like to hang on to worn out socks, or
undershirts that I cut into pieces and use as disposable cloths. One
pair of long underwear goes a long way! Cleaning your bathtub weekly is
important as a ring can build up, making it difficult to remove.
Give special attention to the floor. The area behind the toilet is a
gathering place for filth, especially if you have little boys. Reach in
with a moist hand brush, and wipe dry with paper towels.
Keep the soap and brush under the sink where you can easily touch up areas during the week.
Clean the mirrors with window cleaner until you can hear them laugh.
Then use the moist paper towels to wipe down the door handle and light
switch.
* See window cleaner recipe below.
Look up. Is there a fan that needs to be cleaned? Check your shower liner. Is it time for a wash?
Don't forget to empty the garbage. Next time you're picking up cleaning
supplies, find a box of great smelling fabric softener and throw a
sheet into the bathroom garbage to freshen up the scent. It doesn't
have to be brand name, it just has to smell good.
Remember, when guests are sitting on your throne, they have nothing
better to do than observe what kind of a housekeeper you are.
Tuesday
Spend time in the bedrooms on Tuesdays.
Change bedding, and toss sheets in the wash. Note: if you purchase deep
sheets, they won't pop off of the corners as often. If it's nice
outside, try hanging your sheets and blankets outside.
Organize clothes, and dust off your dressers. Take a look in your
closet to see what you can give away. If it doesn’t fit, or you haven’t
worn it in over a year, there is no reason to keep it. Put as much
junk away as possible so that all clutter is eliminated.
Keep DVDs, CDs, and jewellry off of the dressers. Keep one or two books
on each bed stand and put the others away in a book shelf.
Clean the windows and mirrors, and occasionally wash your drapes. Wipe
down window sills, and clean inside the tracking of sliding windows.
They say not to clean your windows on a sunny day, and the reason is
that they dry too quickly, leaving you with a streaky finish.
Empty space makes for a comfortable bedroom so do your best to shed items when it comes to the most restful place in your home.
Wednesday
This
is kitchen day. The kitchen is the hub of the family, so in addition
to the daily maintenance you do, deep cleaning this room is necessary
once a week.
Organize your pantry and discard old food. Repackage items that have
torn torn or open boxes, and consider storing them in Tupperware to
eliminate the threat of insects.
Empty and wipe out your refrigerator. Thursday is shopping day and
you’ll need all of the space you can get. If you leave this chore to
doing once monthly, you’ll find it’s far more difficult to get done.
Constant maintenance is the key to keeping a refrigerator clean and
functional.
Fill a glass bowl full of water and add about 1/4 cup of vinegar to it.
Place the bowl in the microwave for about three minutes. This should
be long enough to steam the inside of the microwave. Now wiping it down
is a snap! (My sister says she skips the bowl and just puts a wet
cloth in--even easier!)
Wash your counters and disinfect them. Note: vinegar is a great
disinfectant, and since it's edible it's a safe alternative to use on
kitchen surfaces.
A little vanilla on vinyl flooring hides pet odors, but beware of possible stains.
Have a coffee maker to rinse? Powdered automatic dish detergent is the
best for removing coffee stains whether they are in the pot or on your
counter. Just a little bit will do. It also works well to clean a
stainless steel sink.
Wipe down your appliances and your cupboards.
Empty your garbage. And before you put the next bag in, throw about
five bags into the bottom of the can. This makes changing the garbage
every day an even easier task.
Organize one or two drawers. Here's the thing--did you realize that
most women have the same odds and ends in their "junk drawer?" Yes, we
do. Ask one of your friends, and you'll see. And if you took a minute
to analyze the junk you'd also see that this junk can be organized into
5-6 categories. Grab a handful of large Ziploc bags and slip items of
similarity into each:
- Pens, pencils, erasers, markers
- Scotch tapes, masking tape electrical tape
- Candles, birthday candles, matches, lighters
- String, twine, shoelaces
- Keys, padlocks
- Etc.
It's a lot easier to pull out a bag when you need masking tape then to sift through a drawer of junk looking for it.
It's also a good idea to designate a shoe box for warranties,
instruction booklets, and important receipts. It only takes five
minutes to find a shoe box today, but you'll save yourself all kinds of
time and frustration in the future.
Once per month clean the inside of your stove.
Use the hose of the vacuum to suck up crumbs when you're cleaning the
toaster, and also use the vacuum hose to clean crumbs from the cutlery
drawer. (Yes--we all seem to get crumbs in there!)
Thursday
This is grocery day. Plan your meals for a week and write down the
supplies you will need. Check to ensure that you have an adequate stock
of light bulbs, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and the like.
If you have collected any coupons during the week, put them in your purse.
Call your husband to see if there is anything that he needs from the store before heading out.
If you have errands to run, this is a good day to do them. Save time
and gas money by grouping trips together, and try to schedule errands
for this day as well .
Friday
Vacuum all carpeted areas and clean all other floors. Pull the couches
away from the walls and get behind there. Every second week, remove the
cushions and vacuum the inside of the couch on this day.
* Also see carpet cleaning below.
Grab a dusting rag or a bounce sheet and dust any surfaces that you
haven’t touched yet this week. Clean any windows and mirrors that
haven’t been cleaned yet this week. See any scuff marks on your walls?
Try using toothpaste to remove them.
Several decades ago, my sister Betty decided to jump on her bed with a
pencil in hand. When mom discovered the mess she had made, Betty was
sent to her room with an old toothbrush and toothpaste. It all came
off.
Saturday
Spend time with your family working outside. This is a great day to mow
the lawn or shovel the walk, depending on the time of year. In summer,
transfer your plants, in winter hang Christmas lights. Check your
front door. Does the welcome mat need cleaning? Does your front steps
need a shovel or sweeping? Consider what you want done, and use this
day to do it.
Grab a garbage bag and clean out your car. Vacuuming and cleaning the
interior should be done 2-3 times/year, but let’s stick with home
maintenance here.
Take one day/month to clean out the garage. You may ask your husband to
help you if it’s too large a job to take on yourself. If he agrees,
spend the time cleaning with him.
Sunday
Take time to enjoy a day of rest with the family.
by The Time Warped Wife
