Organise
Let them know we can cope
Without having some sort of a schedule, housework can feel like a big dark cloud that perpetually hangs over our heads. The sheer psychological burden of it can keep us from getting it done or feeling proud of ourselves when we do. But with a schedule, we’ll know which bit of it we’re going to do each day. This makes the task ahead a whole lot easier to digest. We get a daily sense of accomplishment and achievement at having finished what we set out to do, so in the end we feel much better both about the housework and about ourselves. We might even get a chance to put our feet up and admire our handy-work at the end of it!
Daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly cleaning schedules may look something like this; just add and subtract to suit your family’s needs:
Cleaning Schedule:
Monday
- Family laundry
- Clean master bedroom, change and wash bed sheets
- Clean family room
- Vacuum downstairs
- Empty bins
Tuesday
- Family laundry
- Clean living room
- Clean entryway
- Grocery shopping
Wednesday
- Clean baby’s bedroom, change and wash bedding
- Tidy craft and toy cupboards
- Tidy laundry room
- Vacuum upstairs
Thursday
- Clean daughter’s bedroom, change and wash bed sheets
- Clean downstairs loo
- Clean upstairs bathroom
- Empty household trash bins
- Take out trash
Friday
- Clean dining room
- Grocery shopping
- Empty bins and take out trash
Weekend
- Laundry – wash towels
- Change cat litter/clean dog mess in garden
- Clean animal bowl/tank/cage
- Ironing
Daily
- General tidy-up
- Go through mail/post
- Make and clear meals
- Load/unload dishwasher
- Clean kitchen and wipe counters
Weekly
- Sweep front walkway
- Water plants
Monthly
- Clean bins
- Vacuum vents/radiators
- Sweep and tidy garage
- Vacuum under sofas, in corners and on skirting boards
- Dust ceiling fans and mouldings
Quarterly
- Clean refrigerator and freezer
- Rotate mattresses
- Tidy closets
- Clean windows