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When I first learned to clean my own place, I thought Saturday had to be an all day clean-a-thon. I didn’t really have a concept of how to balance the work load during the week so weekends could be reserved for larger projects or even you know … fun! Now I clean in 20 minutes a day — every day — and things just seem to take care of themselves. Here’s a glimpse at the schedule I use!
No one said you had to do everything at once and even when time seems short, if you can manage one task a day, things should start to work themselves out. Adjust this list as your family’s needs require (those with more or less children might require doing certain activities more or less). If it’s easier, take a blank calendar and fill it in accordingly so easier tasks are on days where your day is go, go, go and reserve the more difficult ones for days when things are a little lighter.
1. Do your dishes after every meal.
This will help you stay on top of your kitchen instead of having it turn into a monster! No one really wants to do them (after all, you probably cooked dinner to boot). But waiting for another meal or until you have enough to fill the dishwasher just makes things feel overwhelming and easier to put off. The same goes for taking out trash as well. If you need to take the trash out, place it by the front door to go out in the morning or dispose of it that night so it’s over and done with. Still having trouble? Try the one-cup method.
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2. Stay on top of laundry.
If you have a washer and dryer at home, do a little bit each day. Spread things out so you don’t feel bogged down by 200 towels and stinky socks. If you take things to a laundromat, sort clothes as you go so things are easier to load into machines when you get there. Fold them before you come home so you aren’t dumping baskets out on your sofa or bed and they can go straight into drawers and closets. Not feeling inspired? Treat yourself… to a new laundry basket. It’s the little things.
3. Whistle while you work.
No one really enjoys cleaning, but singing, humming, whistling or turning up your favorite playlist are all great options to keep the beat in your feet and have fun while working. I recommend creating your very own killer cleaning soundtrack.
5. Deal with what comes through the door.
Set up a small area by the front door to act as a “landing strip” for incoming items to your home. If you’re a longtime reader this is nothing new to you. If this is the first time you’ve heard this phrase outside of reference to personal grooming habits, then make sure to check out Maxwell’s Home Cure video on the topic.
To this list you can also add chores that need to be done monthly or quarterly. It’s easier to plan for larger tasks like steam cleaning a sofa or a heavy traffic hallway, when it feels like part of the routine instead of that thing you keep putting off and dreading.
Habits are formed by doing and one of the best ways to change a bad habit is to replace it with a good habit. So if the time spent right when you come home from work is usually filled with email reading or a short nap, try switching this out with your cleaning instead. Filling these first 20 minutes of your time at home with quick cleaning will build good habits and help you stay on top of the game without feeling like it’s a huge chore.
Do you have anything to add to the list? What cleaning tasks would you add? Let us know in the comments below!
Re-edited from a post originally published 11.1.10