How to Have a Clean Home All the Time Even If You’re Busy
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Trying to have a clean home with a busy family during the week sure can be a challenge. There’s school, work, all kinds of activities, lots of driving to do, errands, meals, laundry, and so much more! Can you relate? It feels like there is never enough time to get everything done, which makes it really hard to get anything done. But, I’ve found it really is possible to have a clean home when life is busy. Whether you need a cleaning schedule as a stay at home mom, a cleaning schedule for a working mom, a cleaning schedule for a working at home mom, or a cleaning schedule as a career woman, it’s all about the schedule. It’s all about having a plan.
And, accepting that something is better than nothing when it comes to cleaning your home.
Before you go any further, we have a printable cleaning schedule that you can print. Just tell us where to send it!
[convertkit form=5157848]
As a busy homeschooling, working at home mom of 9, long gone are the days where I can just get all of my cleaning done at once or on the same day. I just never have that much time to devote to cleaning all at one time. This is why I have found creating a task list that tackles just one area each day to be effective.
This is where the cleaning schedule comes in.
Of course, I would love to have a clean home all at one time, but that is just not feasible with my busy family.
For some encouragement in this area, read my 10 Commandments of Cleaning With a Family. This post even contains a free printable for you to print off and revisit when you need a reminder about the various hats you have to wear as a busy homemaker, mom, and so much more. Once all my kids are grown, I will be able to have a clean, yet alarmingly quiet home.
If you’re looking for tips to have a clean home even when you’re busy, here’s the cleaning schedule I use.
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Before we get to the cleaning schedule:
My blueprint assumes I have 30 minutes a day of uninterrupted time to focus on these tasks. Now before you laugh because you realize this is completely out of reach you need to take note that I did not say 30 minutes all at one time. However I need to break it up that day is however I need to break it up to make the cleaning fit within our schedule that day.
But the key to breaking the cleaning tasks up is this: once there is a legitimate interruption, the time stops. The time doesn’t start again until I can get back to a block of uninterrupted time.
Please note: this cleaning schedule is not dealing with laundry, general picking up, or cleaning up the kitchen after a meal or snack. This is just the cleaning tasks to be completed for the day apart from the routine things that are part of everyday life.
One last note: Make sure you write your cleaning tasks and your cleaning schedule down if you want it to get done. We made this easy by creating a cleaning schedule for you. Tell us where to send it.
[convertkit form=5157848]
For the most part, these cleaning tasks do take me about 30 minutes, but I do have to move quickly.
What to clean on Monday
Upstairs bathroom day, which does not include the shower in the master bath.
Therefore it includes cleaning two toilets, four sinks, two countertops, one tub, four mirrors, and a wipe down on two vanities, six basic wall areas (I have boys, need I say more?), two doors and knobs, two light plates and switches. These things take me exactly a half hour.
What to clean on Tuesday
Kitchen day, which includes wiping down the entire backsplash, all countertops, window ledges, bar area from top to bottom, and microwave.
Note: cupboards get wiped down as part of chore day on Saturdays, and appliance cleaning is part of our 5 year old’s regular daily duties so they are not part of my cleaning schedule during the week.
What to clean on Wednesday
Office day. This is the day to sort and file papers, pay bills, and take care of any office type duties, which would include making phone calls. This works well for me on Wednesdays since I am often in my car for the majority of the day driving kids around. I can still accomplish many of these things from my car.
What to clean on Thursday
Cleaning half bath, which includes toilet, sink, and floor. I also clean the downstairs bath, which includes toilet, sink, countertop, vanity, door and door knob, light plate and light switch, floor, and four walled areas.
If you find you don’t have as many bathrooms to clean as I do, substitute in another task here that would use up the remainder of your 30 minutes.
This is also the day I clean the master bath shower.
Note: once every few months I do a super deep clean on the shower, which takes 30 minutes on its own, at least. I just find the time somewhere.
You can read how I deep clean my shower HERE.
What to clean on Friday
Solid floors in main living areas (not carpet). For me, this is wood floor in main living areas and tile floor in basement laundry area. The kitchen floor gets cleaned again on Saturday, but Friday is the day that I get in the corners and also clean the kick plate and that kind of thing.
The main walkways in the kitchen do get wiped up usually once a day, too. The kitchen floor just takes a beating in our home, which is why it is also mopped or hand washed in certain areas as needed throughout the week.
If your kitchen gets as much heavy use as ours does, I suggest just cleaning up what gets dirty when it gets dirty and also cleaning it once every day or two in order to make your home feel clean.
What to clean on Saturday
Saturday is our general cleaning day. If we all work hard on it Saturday morning, we are always done by lunch. Then, we have the rest of the weekend free!
You can read more about our cleaning day HERE
What to clean on Sunday
This is an overflow or catch up day for us.
We try not to tackle much in the cleaning department. It’s kind of an overflow day for things that may not have gotten done on Saturday if we were gone for a good portion of the day.
This does tend to happen with kids sports and activities.
If you’re wondering how you can have a clean home during a busy week, it’s all about having a written cleaning schedule and planned cleaning tasks. When you work on each cleaning task super hard, it’s amazing how much you can get clean in 30 minutes.
