How to Organize Schedules for Cleaning

If you don't want to be overrun by dust and grime, then you need to organize schedules for cleaning house. A household cleaning schedule will help you to stay on top of those mundane but essential tasks so that your house always looks clean without too much effort. You may still do major household cleaning at key times of year, such as spring, but having a routine for daily, weekly and monthly cleaning of key areas will ensure that this won't be a huge chore. Here are some things to think about when setting a house cleaning schedule.

Level of Cleanliness
One issue to consider before getting started is what clean means to you. For some people, this means having everything sparkling all the time. For others, it's a matter of not having any obvious dust or mess. If you know what you consider clean, this will help you to allocate the right amount of time to house cleaning. Another helpful tip is to consider how much time is available for cleaning and what you can achieve within that time. If you have a full time job and a couple of young children, you will have much less time for cleaning than someone with no kids or responsibilities.

Key Cleaning Tasks
Another important factor in setting a schedule for cleaning house is to identify the key areas of the house to be cleaned and the key tasks within each of those areas. Key areas for regular cleaning will probably include kitchens and bathrooms, which may be in constant use during the day. Bedrooms and sitting rooms may also need regular tidying, while other rooms in the house may need cleaning less frequently. In the end, it will depend on what you consider important and whether you want your house to be spotless or merely tidy. Once you have decided on that, draw up a schedule on a piece of paper that outlines the days and times for completing each task. Here are some recommendations for scheduling household cleaning tasks.

• Daily Cleaning: One key area to clean every day is the bathroom sink. Washing hands and faces, brushing teeth and shaving can leave a lot of grime behind, and it doesn't take much to make a bathroom sink unsightly. If you want your bathroom to be spotless, consider cleaning shower stalls and baths daily and wipe mirrors until they gleam. There are also some tasks that can be done a couple of times a week, such as general tidying. There's always something that's slightly out of place. Going through the house and replacing items in their proper locations will immediately make the house look tidier. You should also take out the garbage a couple of times a week.
• Weekly and Monthly Cleaning: Many other household tasks only need to be completed weekly. These may include removing spots from carpets so that they don't accumulate and look unsightly. Toilets should be cleaned at least weekly to avoid the buildup of bacteria and odors, as should the kitchen sink. Other weekly cleaning tasks include cleaning showers thoroughly, cleaning and mopping floors and dusting. For weekly dusting, stick to the areas that are most visible and are easiest to reach. If your stove or oven requires weekly cleaning, then add these tasks to the roster. It's a good idea to allocate some time every other week for cleaning spots and marks off the walls, as well as vacuuming the floors and carpets. When you dust, there are always some areas that are difficult to reach, so tackle these once a month. If you need to wax floors, doing this once a month should be enough.
• Other Cleaning: There are still a few more chores to tackle at intervals throughout the year. Once a year you should wash the walls so they keep looking fresh. This is also a good time to wash blinds that tend to retain dust, grease and grime. To make this task easier, dust your blinds at least once a quarter. Shampoo carpets a few times a year to remove the dust mites that live in them. Finally, don't forget about closets and storage spaces when cleaning your home. These also need to be tidied and dusted at regular intervals.

Once you have a schedule for daily, weekly and monthly household cleaning tasks, your house should be clean almost all the time. Write your schedule down on a piece of paper, dividing the tasks according to the days and times available.