My Realistic Cleaning Schedule as a Busy Mom

When you're a busy mom, there is always something to do. The second I finish the laundry, somehow there's another pile. I clean the kitchen, someone immediately needs a snack. I pick up the living room and five minutes later it looks like a tornado came through.

So… I stopped trying to keep my house perfectly clean.

This is the cleaning schedule that's actually been realistic for me.

First, I Do a Little Bit Every Day

I've learned that if I completely ignore the house for a few days, everything piles up and then I'm so irritated about it, I "rage clean". Also, I work from home, and since I can’t function in a house that’s not clean, I have to do a little bit every day. I also do the same things the same time and in the same order. I love a routine! It’s also worth mentioning I have children who are responsible for their own bathrooms, bedrooms, and laundry. They each do laundry once per week (they have set laundry days), and they clean their bedrooms and bathrooms every other day.

Side note: Weekends are not included in “every day”! I do not clean on Saturdays or Sundays. Okay, that might be a little off. I clean very sparingly on weekends. Weekends are family time/relax time. I don’t follow a cleaning schedule and I don’t worry if certain things don’t get done. I prioritize my husband and kids on weekends. I might wake up a little earlier on Monday morning if I know I have extra to do.

My “Ideal” Daily Schedule looks like this:

Morning – 30 minutes:

I wake up around 5am. I don’t jump straight into the shower. I tidy up.

First, I light the candles around my house (I keep 5 at all times scattered around in different areas) and spray fabric refresher on the couch & curtains.

Then, I empty the dishwasher.

I sprinkle carpet deodorizer and vacuum the rugs (we have all tile everywhere & just have area rugs, thank God!)

I vacuum the kitchen, master bedroom, master bath, and other main areas like hallways.

Now, I feel ready to start my day!

Afternoon – 30 minutes:

While the baby naps, I dust-mop and wet-mop the main areas (kitchen, hallways, etc.) that I vacuumed earlier.

Throw a load of laundry in if needed. I usually do this three or four times per week. Once or twice for mine and my husband’s clothes, once for the baby’s stuff, and once for things like blankets, throw pillow cases, etc. (Also once for bedding but my husband does that!)

I clean the master toilet. I don’t touch the shower because I squeegee that every time I get done showering so it’s always clean. I don’t touch the counters because I wipe them down every time I’m done with my hair & makeup.

Evening:

I have a gem of a husband who does after-dinner clean-up, so I don’t need to worry about that. He tasks himself with dishes, counters, and wiping down the appliances. He even makes sure to use the stainless-steel polish because he knows how much I love them to shine. I told you, he’s a gem!

While he’s busy taking care of that, I tackle any other small things. Maybe it’s putting the laundry away from earlier. Sometimes it’s a quick wash of the windows or cleaning bathroom mirrors. Sometimes it’s dusting. I make a mental note earlier in the day of which items I want to get done in the evening.

Before Bed:

There is zero cleaning that happens before bed. As much as I love to clean, by 10pm, I’m exhausted and half the time I don’t even want to get up from the couch and actually go to bed!

But there are a few last-minute tidy-ups that I do because without them, my brain wouldn’t turn off to actually let me fall asleep.

First, I make sure the kitchen sink is clean. The kids usually make a slight mess of this when they come for snack around 8:30pm.

I make sure the dishwasher is fully loaded and turn it on.

I do a quick last-minute wipe of the counter in case there are any crumbs from snack time.

I make sure all the dining chairs & bar stools are pushed in nicely.

I put the throw pillows neatly back on the couch in their spots and fold the blankets.

Now, I can go to bed knowing when I wake up, there’s zero messes and everything is just how I like it to start the day again!

In a perfect world, that’s what my day looks like. Sometimes it all goes according to plan, but sometimes life happens, and in that case, I forget the schedule. I don’t stress about it because since it happens most of the time, I know no one is going to die just because it didn’t happen that day. When I get off course, I just do the basics to keep things as tidy as I can.

During those hectic days, I only worry about:

1. Dishes

2. Laundry

3. Kitchen counters

4. Spot-sweeping the floor and maybe a hand-wipe if necessary

   
   

That's my survival-mode cleaning list.

Everything else will still be there when life calms down tomorrow (or the next day!).

My Favorite Trick: The 15-Minute Clean

Does anyone else like to out-run the GPS or rush to see how many things you can get done before the microwave timer goes off? If so, this trick is for you!

Whenever I feel overwhelmed or feel like I have no time to get everything accomplished, I set a timer for 15 minutes.

I don't organize.

I don't start some giant project.

I just move.

Trash goes in the trash. Dishes go in the dishwasher. Clothes go in hampers. Toys go in baskets. Random things get put back where they belong.

Then I wipe down the counters.

It's honestly surprising how much better the house can look after just 15 minutes.

And once the timer goes off, I just stop.

Not only do things still get done, but they get done very quickly and I’m okay with it because I knew going in that I wasn’t going to have time for everything.

What About Deep Cleaning?

Deep cleaning. Oof.

Those are all the things most people (including me!) dread doing but feel so much better once they’re done.

I don’t have a set schedule for deep cleaning. Instead, I have a list of deep-cleaning projects and the list resets at the beginning of each month. That way, I know I have an entire month to complete the list, but I have flexibility to fit the tasks in whenever it works for me.

Most of the time, these projects take place on the weekends with a little help from hubs, but sometimes it’s just whenever I have a few spare minutes (wait, what are those?!)

My Monthly Deep-Cleaning Items:

1.      Dust baseboards

2.      Dust ceiling fans & lights

3.      Clean the blinds

4.      Clean out the fridge & wash all the shelves

5.      Clean the fronts of the kitchen cabinets

6.      Pressure-wash the patio/sidewalks/driveway

7.      Clean behind the washer & dryer

8.      Clean out the pantry

9.      Shampoo the area rugs

10.   Clean whatever windows need it (not all of them at once!)

That’s it. 10 items. Between a little extra help from my husband on weekends and whatever extra time I can squeeze in during the week, it works for me.

I think the main thing that keeps my house so clean is I just clean as I go. I also don’t allow anyone to make messes and not clean up after themselves. We teach our kids to always check behind them for a mess they might’ve left and clean it up. I also don’t allow shoes in the house. Even if they don’t “look” dirty, you’d be surprised at how much dirt accumulates from wearing shoes inside, so that’s a no-go for me.

That’s it. Nothing special, nothing fancy. Just a little bit at a time, every day.

If you want to see some of my favorite cleaning products, you can find them here!