On a recent Saturday morning, as I handed out chore assignments to my group of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed eager-beavers… okay, perhaps that might be a bit of an exaggeration. They were definitely bright-eyed, but the tails were dragging and there was a notable lack of eagerness. Regardless, they were getting their chore assignments and I was contemplating the state of our cleaning routine.
For years, cleaning was done in our home on a fairly set schedule. I found this to be the easiest thing in light of two things: 1) I was the only one cleaning, and 2) I was busy. I really didn’t have the time to devote to cleaning the whole house at once.
Fast-forward a few years and my children are a little older and, therefore, able to help. So our routine has evolved to include them, freeing up my time for things only I could do (e.g. things involving strong cleaners) and those that no one else wanted to do (e.g. changing the baby’s diapers).
Having a cleaning routine is a great way to organize tasks that must be done, but are rarely enjoyed. I love a clean home, but not so much doing the work to get there (read more about that here). A cleaning routine helps to keep me on track and eliminate some choices. Too many choices equals procrastination, and then nothing getting done.
If I think about whether to clean the bathroom or the kitchen first for too long, I’m probably going to do neither and just make coffee.
There are 3 basic cleaning routines that people use, though there is some mixing and matching. Our personalities and schedules play a big part in which one works best for us, and which ones don’t. I’ve tried them all and found that they are each effective in their own way, but in my case, it depended on what season of life I was in.
If you’re curious which one would work best for you, here is a breakdown of 3 cleaning routines, along with their pros and cons.
- Daily Task Routine
This is great if you want to get everything done, but just don’t have the time to do it all at once. This worked especially well when my children were small and my only cleaning opportunities were during naps and after bedtime.
The best way to set up a routine like this is with a calendar. Write on each day what you want to get done. You can specify certain chores for certain days, like bathrooms on Thursdays. There’s a cleaning calendar in my Homemaker’s Toolkit, if you’d like to see an example or have one to try. Click here to download it.
Pros: You can squeeze your cleaning into the spaces of time you have available. This is also great for people who like planning and having a set schedule that they can adhere to.
Cons: This can be rigid, and if you aren’t feeling like cleaning the kitchen on Tuesday, too bad. You can also be thrown off by life’s little events, such as family coming to town and getting sick.
Thunder Run Routine
I love this routine because it means that I can go six days without cleaning (much). Everything gets done on one day and only minor touch-ups are needed throughout the rest of the week.
Basically, all you need is a list of what needs to be done, which you can compile during the week or use the same one over and over, and task assignments if you have some happy helpers. This allows more flexibility in your schedule, but still some structure.
Pros: Everything gets done at once and you don’t have to think about it for the rest of the week. Plus, if your kids or spouse are taking part, you can take care of everything as a family, say, on Saturday.
Cons: While this routine frees up time during the week, you may land up sacrificing a big portion of your weekend (depending on what day you choose) to the cleanliness gods. Also, if something comes up on your cleaning day, that’s a lot of work to shift to another.
- Clean As You Go Routine
This was how I cleaned when I was single and in the early days of my marriage. Basically, you clean messes as you go. There’s no set schedule, which is great for the free spirits who don’t want to be a slave to their calendars.
Instead of cleaning based on a set list of tasks or the day of the week, you clean what needs it when it needs it. If you’re making dinner and notice the sink needs a scrub, you wipe it down, and maybe the counters, too. This was great when it was just me and my husband, or when I lived with my sister, because we didn’t make much of a mess with it just being the two of us.
Pros: If you don’t make much of a mess, this works great. You don’t need to clean the kitchen weekly if you rarely use it. This routine is very flexible and can work with any schedule.
Cons: If you have a big family, or even just one child, the messes can pile up because they require more attention than you might have. More people inevitably leads to more mess. Also, things can get forgotten. You may not notice the dirt getting ground into the carpet until the beige is now brown and it needs professional help.
Your schedule, your family, and your preferences are all factors that are going to affect which cleaning routine works best for you. You may even choose to have a hybrid of all three. In a way, we all do. I know that if I see toothpaste on the bathroom mirror, I’m not going to leave it there. I’m going to clean it up because, otherwise, I’m the one who will be chipping it off come cleaning day.
I hope this breakdown of cleaning routines will help you choose the one that fits you and your family, taking some of the stress out of your homemaking. For more help organizing your home, download my Free Homemaker’s Toolkit for plenty of printables to make your day better.
Which cleaning routine fits you best? Why? I’d love to hear how you handle taking care of your home, so leave me a note in the comments below!
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