Current Cleaning Routine

Lovely clean space from a remodelers tour I took a few years back.

Hello Dear Friends,

It's so nice to be back in touch with you all again. I hope you are well in every sense of the word.

At the risk of boring some of you to tears, I thought I would share my current cleaning routine as a follow up to last month's post on gratitude and habit tracking. Hopefully, this will inspire you to create your own cleaning routine, or perhaps you have a few tips to help me stay more consistent with mine. I write down the weekly tasks in my Planner Pad and have the hardest time sticking to it. You see, I love having a home that is basically clean most of the time. We all do. And very few of us, myself included, feel joy doing these mundane tasks. This is where a mindset shift and a right fit cleaning routine can help.

For many years I felt burdened in caring for my home. To be honest, I still feel that from time to time: seeing all of the things that need to be tidied, cleaned, painted, repaired or replaced. Over the years with kids and a (sometimes destructive) large dog, our home has become more shabby than chic. But if the home is clean, I can overlook all the things that need to be done and remember how grateful I am to have a home.

With this mindset we can treat cleaning and organizing as a spiritual act of respect for ourselves, regard for others and reverence for the many blessings we have in life. Almost all of the world's great spiritual paths include teachings on cleanliness. When we see cleaning, tidying and organizing as a spiritual act of self-care, it's less of a burden and more of a pleasure for our overall well being. Now, especially, we need to care for our well being in any way and every way possible.

Those are beautiful words and unless you choose to hire out your cleaning--which is totally acceptable if it is in your budget and comfort level--we also need to get to work. Over the years, I have tried so many different cleaning routines as my seasons of life changed. Right now, I have a few daily tasks and break up the bigger tasks throughout the week. This works best for me. It's not too much in one day. And, every day something gets done, which gives me a sense of satisfaction.

Daily household tasks:

Make the bed

Empty the dishwasher

Tidy kitchen after every meal (including washing dishes, wiping down counters and the sink)

One load of laundry to completion (sort, wash, dry, fold/hang/iron and put away)

Pick up or clean up any immediate mess or cluttered surfaces

Vacuum as needed (once a week isn't enough with a large shedding dog)

These tasks are shared by all members of the family, while for the most part, I handle the weekly cleaning tasks.

Weekly cleaning tasks:

Monday = Dust/Polish Wood

Tuesday = Glass/Mirrors/Trash

Wednesday = Vacuum/Mop 1st Floor

Thursday = Vacuum/Mop 2nd Floor

Friday = Clean Bathrooms

Saturday = Basement (or Catch Up)

Sunday = Bed Linens

This is working for me at this moment in time. As I mentioned before, I do not always follow this plan to a tee, but do try to finish the most pressing tasks by Sunday evening in order to start with week with a clean slate. Because I am cleaning on a fairly consistent basis it doesn't matter if I skip a task one week and come back to it the next.

I tried setting up a weekly zone (deep) cleaning schedule and it felt too rigid even for someone who likes a great deal of structure. For now, zone cleaning happens at random based on what is bothering me or catches my fancy. Zone cleaning might include any detail cleaning, decluttering, painting or simple home repairs. I try to do some zone cleaning once a week.

Do you have a cleaning routine? What does it look like? I would love to hear your thoughts!

All my best,

Carolyn