Are you a working mom struggling to keep your home clean and in order? I see you; you are not alone, and I am here to help.
I know how it goes, you get home and you’re exhausted. You have errands to run, kiddos to feed and bathe..before you know it the cleaning falls to the wayside.
Maybe you have tried a cleaning schedule before, and it simply didn’t work. I want to share what works for me and my family in hopes that it will help you too!
Scroll down to download the free printable chore checklist.
How do Working Moms Keep Their House Clean?
In order to keep your home clean, you must have a schedule in place that works for your family. Your schedule must be attainable, or you will get discouraged and stop all together.
Keys to Making a Cleaning Schedule Work
There are several key things that a cleaning schedule has to have in order to work for your family. These things are the most important:
1. Declutter a little every day
Clutter is my worst enemy. I like to take 5-10 minutes in each day in every room and declutter.
I carry around a small basket to make taking trips back and forth a bit easier and not have to make multiple trips.
Decluttering can be a game changer for your home’s appearance.
2. Prevent Messes When You Can
This one is easier said than done, but so helpful if you can swing it. When you start a task, try to finish it if you can.
This helps keep messes and half-done tasks from piling up.
3. Try to Make Cleaning Enjoyable
It’s really easy to dislike cleaning. So, try to make it enjoyable when you can!
My favorite thing to do when cleaning is to turn on some good country music and get to work. When the whole family is involved, we like to take turns choosing genres.
4. Use Your Time Wisely
Sticking to a cleaning schedule is going to be key in keeping your home clean. A cleaning schedule takes out the guess work, so you know exactly what needs to be done.
Another great tip is to never let a few spare minutes go to waste! If you are waiting for your family to finish getting ready, don’t mindlessly scroll on your phone, get cleaning!
Rewiring our brains to see extra time as a way to get ahead takes some time. The ability to identify and utilize those spare few minutes here and there will really help in keeping your home tidy.
5. Clean as you Go
Cleaning as you go is a big one for me, especially in the kitchen. When I am cooking, if I have any down time, it is spent washing dishes or putting items away.
The worst task is cleaning up piles of messes, dishes, and straightening up the kitchen at 9pm. Try to do all of that work while you’re cooking: multitasking at it’s finest!
This tip is also a great one to share with your family so they can participate. The biggest messes in my home come from toys; teaching your kids to clean as they go will prevent a lot of toy clutter.
6. Work with Your Family
Take some of the burden off of yourself and share the responsibility with your family! Giving children age-appropriate tasks gives them a sense of responsibility and helps to teach life skills.
7. Hire Out Help If You’re Able
I know this isn’t easy for everyone to shell out money for a cleaning lady, but it’s so worth it. Outsource the daunting tasks that can be done once a week or once a month like dusting the shelves, cleaning the toilets, etc. to a professional.
This will only leave you with the day-to-day stuff like laundry, cleaning the kitchen, washing the dishes, etc.
What Makes a Good House Cleaning Schedule?
There are several things that go into making a good house cleaning schedule. Those things are:
- Must be attainable for you and your family
- Gives you clear and concise goals each day
- Keeps you from being stressed out and overwhelmed
- Allows you to still have time to relax and enjoy your family
- Keeps your home clean and functioning
Steps to Creating a Cleaning Schedule
When it comes to creating a cleaning schedule, especially for working moms, there are a few key things to take into consideration.
- Decide what is important: When coming up with a cleaning schedule that works, you have to figure out what are the most important things. For me, it’s making sure my home is presentable and functioning.
2. What does clean mean to you? Does it mean the floors are swept and mopped every day? Or maybe it means every piece of laundry is folded. No answer is the right one, but every family is different, and it is important to set your own expectations.
3. Declutter: If you are anything like I was, your house may not be in the best state right now. Take some time and declutter, this will help out with your stress.
4. Organize: After decluttering, you can organize everything left. Making sure everything has a place will be helpful later on when you are tidying up.
5. Assign tasks: Be sure to get the whole family involved! Assigning chores to your kiddos gives them a responsibility and it is great for them to have ownership of something.
Daily Cleaning Schedule for Working Moms
Working moms need to do a little bit of cleaning in the morning and a little at night, everyday, to keep up with the workload. Know it seems draining, but if you have a schedule to follow, it’s not as bad.
Here is a good schedule that’s easy to follow:
Morning Chores
- Make beds
- Unload Dishwasher
- Cleanup breakfast
Everyday Chores
- 15 minutes of laundry
- Pick a daily chore
- Pick a monthly chore
Evening Chores
- Load dishwasher
- Clean kitchen (counters, dishes, floors)
- 10 minute quick tidy around the house
Everyday Tasks
- Monday – Clean bedrooms ie. tidy, organize closets, blinds, dust dressers
- Tuesday – Bathrooms
- Wednesday – Clean floors ie. vacuum and mop
- Thursday – Kitchen ie. Clean fridge and pantry, give kitchen a good clean
- Friday – Clean surfaces, declutter, and dust
- Weekends – Wash sheets and towels, meal plan, clean out car
Monthly chores
- Deep clean appliances
- Wipe down baseboards
- Deep clean car
- Clean out fridge/pantry for expired food
- Clean out closets for seasons
- Clean blinds
- Wipe down fan blades
What is the Best Cleaning Schedule?
The best cleaning schedule is one that works for you. Your cleaning schedule should not feel overwhelming or take hours each day to complete
Your cleaning schedule should be one where everyone has a part to play. The best cleaning schedule is one that you can stick to and keeps your home functioning well.
How Many Hours a Week Should You Spend on Housework?
The amount of time spent cleaning varies from family to family. I would say generally anywhere between 5-8 hours per week should probably be spent on housework.
I know that may seem like a lot, but if you spend 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night every weekday that’s already 5 hours! Then, you can dedicate a few hours on the weekend for the housework that needs to be done weekly/monthly.
How to Increase Your Chances of Making a Cleaning Schedule Work
Okay, so now you have all of these great ideas, but how are you going to make it work?
- Have realistic goals: For most working moms, and really moms in general it is not realistic to have a perfectly clean home. When you are creating a schedule, make sure it is realistic for you (and your family) to complete daily.
- Be consistent: Consistency over perfection every time. If you focus on cleaning every day, you will get into a routine, and it will become a habit.
- Stick to your schedule: Stick to your schedule as much as possible. This ensures that all of the important areas you identified when creating the schedule are being handled.
- Give yourself grace: You are doing a great job! You wear many hats and you are handling it well, so give yourself some grace.
Where Can you Fit Cleaning into your Routine?
I know sometimes it may feel impossible to fit cleaning into your routine. My advice is to take a look at your schedule and figure out when is the most feasible time for you to clean.
I prefer to clean when my kiddos are not around, it’s just easier that way. So this means I am cleaning while they are in bed.
Maybe for you, that means getting up 30 minutes-1 hour before everyone else or even staying up a little bit later. Or, maybe you can squeeze in 10 minutes of cleaning before work and 20 minutes after dinner.
Don’t restrict yourself to a specific time frame. It’s okay to break up your cleaning into segments.
What is the Difference Between Tidying and Cleaning?
Tidying is straightening up, making sure items are organized, blankets folded, beds made, and trash picked up. On the other hand, cleaning is more like sweeping, mopping, washing windows, and scrubbing the baseboards.
Both tidying and cleaning have their place in a daily routine.
Time Saving Cleaning Tools
Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaner
This wet/dry vacuum makes cleaning dirty floors a breeze.
The TinecoS3 is a cordless, self-propelled smart vacuum that uses technology to identify the type of mess it is dealing with. It adjusts the water/suction to clean messes better and more efficiently.
Bissell Steam Shot
The Bissell Steam Shot is the holy grail of cleaners. What makes it even better is that it is chemical free and only uses steam to clean!
You simply press the trigger and it delivers a high powered spray clean to any surface. This is great for cleaning up after kiddos and pets!
Electric Spin Scrubber
Cleaning the showers is one of my least favorite chores. This tool has multiple different spinner attachments and an extending handle to make hard-to-reach places a breeze.
Time-Saving Cleaning Tips
Full arms in, full arms out: I learned this a long time ago when I was a waitress. The idea is that wherever you are going, have your arms full. You are making the trip, it might as well be useful.
Race against yourself: Set a timer and see how much you can get done. I do this all the time and I am always amazed by what I can accomplish.
A cleaning schedule doesn’t have to be overwhelming or scary. Take the time to figure out what is important during the week and what can wait.
Make your lists, rally your family and work together! You may have some trial and error, but if you stick with it a cleaning schedule can quite literally change your life!
I would love to know what your cleaning schedule is! Please share with me in the comments below!
