Creating a Cleaning Schedule

Even with a glass (or bottle!) of Malbec at hand, housework is much easier if you create a cleaning schedule. What works best for me is to break down my home’s rooms and then assign each room to a day of the week. I then create a checklist of cleaning chores that need to be completed – daily, weekly, monthly, etc., and create a chart broken down for each room and each frequency.

For example, daily kitchen chores include washing dishes, putting dishes away, wiping down counters, and cleaning up spills. Weekly chores include wiping down the sliding glass door – trust me, that thing builds up some crazy finger prints – and thoroughly cleaning the stove and oven.

To create an effective cleaning schedule, it’s helpful to go into each room as you make up the checklist. How often do you need to wash windows? How often do you need to sweep? Mop? Dust the baseboards? Dust the fan? Wining Husband is allergic to dust, so we try to stay on top of that Sisyphean task. It’s not always easy, and it’s not always perfect, but it works. Having a printed out checklist in my household management binder also means that when I’m sick the tasks can easily be delegated.

How about you, do you keep a checklist and schedule of chores? How do you track them? Post your thoughts in the comments.