I’m actually posting what Works for Me every day this week as I prepare my family to go Back-to-School. I’m sharing my routines–old and new–for cleaning, meal planning, paper organization, and more. Read how I’m using Meal Planning to make the next few weeks easier and how I keep my desk clean with a Household Binder. The one thing that worked for me last year and that I’ve missed most with the laziness of summer is my semi-clean house. I am a structure person who lives with three small children. It is a constant battle of wills.
My name is Gina, and I love to vacuum. Sick, but true.
One of the structures that was borne of having a 2-year-old and infant twins and continues to work well for me is my household cleaning routine. I keep myself on a loose schedule (meaning I can change things around depending on our schedule, illnesses, visitors, etc.). Here’s how I keep myself sane my house clean:
- Home Morning: I choose one morning each week to stay home–no errands, no playdates, nothing. That’s the morning that I clean an entire floor; one week it’s the whole upstairs: bedrooms, vacuuming, bathrooms, etc.. The other week it’s the first floor: kitchen floor, fridge, microwave, living room, dining room. The kids help with some chores, like reorganizing the pantry or a closet, and then play while I clean.
- Laundry: Laundry is one area where I’m not very flexible; it must get done, even if it keeps me up late into the evening. If I skip a laundry day, it piles up and overwhelms me. I pick two days of the week (it’s been Monday & Thursday for many months now) and don’t think about it the other days. It’s like meal planning; you don’t have to waste mental energy worrying about it because there’s a set day and plan in place.
- Dishes/Kitchen: These must get done every day, especially when you cook (almost) every night. I try to practice the habit of cleaning-as-I-go, setting things to soak when done, cleaning counters and putting things away right after using them. Every little bit helps.
I have other household routines scheduled on my calendar to be sure they get done: once a month I back-up my computer files, two Fridays each month I download photos off my camera and organize them online, and I have two days a month where I review our bills and budget.
I’d like to incorporate some new routines once we start school, like a “baking day” once the weather cools down and I’m willing to turn on the oven. I really enjoyed baking snack muffins and dinner breads last year. I’d also like to set aside some time once or twice a month to work on DIY projects since I’ve been enjoying those so much.
What is working for you, and what do you find challenging?
And if you’d like to out yourself as a neat freak too, I’d appreciate it.
Head over to Works for Me Wednesday at We Are That Family. There’s a huge Linky of great ideas from a lot of great blogs.
i wish i were a bit more of a neat freak. or maybe just a little of a neat freak. i'm too laid back which = lazy and messy.
My laundry days are Monday and Thursday too. It totally works for me. I used to get so overwhelmed by the never ending laundry mountain, but not anymore!
One thing I started doing because the bathroom was getting out of hand from potty-training 2 kids. Every morning before I get in the shower I spray the toilet and let it soak while I am showering. When I get out I just swish around with a brush. I then quickly spray the shower stall and before I leave the bathroom I wipe down the mirror, the sink and toilet seat. Now my bathroom looks very clean EVERY day and I don't feel like I am slaving away in there. I am also a little less stressed when I walk in there the rest of the day.
I love your ideas! I've tried out several cleaning schedules that work for awhile and then I stop doing them. I've tried one chore a day (dust, mop, bathrooms, etc.) but that gets old having something everyday. I like the one day a week that you don't leave at all and just do one floor of the house. I'm going to give that a try.
I quickly learned when I had my first kid (we still only have one though) that I didn't have time to clean the whole house every nap time. So I also scheduled cleaning and laundry days. Very similar to your schedule. Which took the pressure off to clean every day!
I am most definitely a neat freak. I do laundry two days a week – Tuesday for my and my husband's clothes, and Friday for my daughter's clothes and sheets/towels, etc. so that I can have all of her school things ready right away after she gets home. I also wash dishes every day; I know I will be glad I did in the morning. I clean out the fridge on Thursday and plan the next week's menu so that I can grocery shop Friday morning while my daughter is in preschool. She also has to put away the majority of her toys before naptime and bedtime, so nothing stays scattered all over the house.
I like knocking out all the weekly tasks during the weekdays so we can enjoy the weekends as a family.
I like your ideas and am still trying to find what works best for me. I have a schedule of one or two things to do each morning such as bedding and bathrooms, kitchen counters and floors, laundry, vacuum and dust, etc. I live in an apartment so it cleans rather quickly and stays pretty picked up, but the deep cleaning I was having a problem with. This is going ok, but I think I may try your one day of having nothing else on my schedule idea. That sounds do-able. Thanks for sharing!
Great tips, I'm not quite a neat freak but I do like things to be neat and somewhat clean. Lately I just can't seem to get it together.
I have to do laundry every day, even if it's just one load. I feel overwhelmed if I only do it one or two days a week, LOL