Make a Cleaning Plan to Keep a Clean House

Gain More Time by Organizing Housework With a Daily Schedule

Mar 4, 2009 Genna Cockerham

Making and using a cleaning plan can free up valuable time and eliminate stress by organizing housework with a daily cleaning schedule.

Organizing housework on a cleaning plan may seem like a chore, but the time spent creating a realistic cleaning schedule is well worth the benefits of using a plan. A cleaning plan helps to eliminate stress because housework does not build up. Also, there is a feeling of accomplishment when the daily cleaning is done. The reward of organizing housework with a cleaning plan is a clean house.

How to Make a Cleaning Plan

There are a few tools to gather before making a cleaning plan: Paper, pencils and a calendar with family activities and commitments are essential. Begin by making a list of all the housework that needs to be done over the course of a week, breaking it down by room. For example, a cleaning plan for a living room may include putting things away, dusting, vacuuming and cleaning the windows. A bedroom cleaning plan may be similar, with the addition of changing the sheets and putting clothes away. Decide how long it will take to do each chore completely and write that amount next to each chore.

Choose How Often to Clean

Consider whether each chore needs to be done on a weekly basis, biweekly basis or once a month. How often each job is done is a personal decision based on the size of the home, the size of the family and each person’s tolerance for clutter or cleanliness. A small house and a person who prefers an immaculate home may be cleaned from top to bottom every week. A large home may require breaking the cleaning schedule over two weeks. Some housework will only be done once or twice or month, but be sure to add these jobs to the list.

Find Time to Clean House

The next step is to make a list of days broken down by hours. Block off any time that already is taken with work, sports or regular appointments over the course of the week. It should become apparent where there are blocks available in the schedule. Perhaps there are two hours available on Monday or Saturday afternoons are free to divide housework among family members. These open blocks will be the key to plan cleaning.

Plan Cleaning For Each Day

Match up chores to each free block of time by comparing the list of housework and the times that are available. If, for example, there is a two-hour block on Monday, choose to schedule cleaning a single two-hour area for that time, or two 60-minute chores. If the chosen housework does not have to be done every week, plan cleaning for another area during the second week.

Using this cleaning plan method results in finding four hours every two weeks to tackle home cleaning. Go through the entire one or two-week process, and schedule cleaning each area on a specific day until the entire cleaning plan is complete. There may be one day a month that works for the chores in the monthly category, or one day a week that works for each monthly chore on the list.

Using the Cleaning Plan

The first few weeks the cleaning plan is used will help to sound out its strengths and weaknesses. Some people may find that using the one-week cleaning schedule they are cleaning over areas that have remained clean, like a guest room or other seldom used room in the house. Others may find a one-hour chore takes longer or a stay-at-home mom may find a chore planned for the afternoon ends up being cancelled when the baby skips a nap.

In addition, it will become apparent whether it is better to focus on an individual room each day or look for the entire cleaning plan to be checked off by the end of the one- or two-week rotation. It may be more practical to plan cleaning the same job in several rooms on one day, for example vacuuming the entire downstairs one day and changing all the sheets on another, instead of working on one room at a time.

Adjust the Cleaning Plan as Needed

Using a cleaning schedule is an adjustment so taking the time to adjust the cleaning plan is a necessary step. Don’t consider the cleaning plan a failure if it isn’t realistic at first. Evaluate which parts are working and which parts need to change. Experiment with working on one room or one group of jobs each day. When the cleaning schedule is complete and realistic there will be a sense of accomplishment that comes from checking off the daily cleaning list.

A calendar and a list of housework are the tools to create a household cleaning schedule. A cleaning schedule arranges the necessary jobs with a set time every day or week in order to get it all done. Using a cleaning schedule can help keep a clean house by ensuring that housework doesn’t build up. A cleaning plan provides a sense of accomplishment when the daily cleaning is completed. Adjustments may need to be made the cleaning schedule to ensure that it is realistic and meets the needs of the household. Those who find a cleaning schedule helpful may find How to Plan Ahead for Monthly Budget Expenses is useful for organizing household finances.

The copyright of the article Make a Cleaning Plan to Keep a Clean House in Home Management is owned by Genna Cockerham. Permission to republish Make a Cleaning Plan to Keep a Clean House in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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