Kitchen towels
How. Machine wash according to instructions.
Why. Kitchen towels get dirty very quickly because we use them many times a day. This is especially true if you have big family. Towels may look clean, but contain a huge amount of bacteria.
Dishes
How. Before going to bed, wash all the accumulated dishes or simply put them in the dishwasher.
Why. Leaving dirty dishes and pans overnight will make them harder to clean in the morning. In addition, dried food particles serve as a breeding ground for bacteria and cause an unpleasant odor.
Kitchen table
How. Wipe the table disinfectant. By the way, do not wipe all kitchen surfaces with one rag: this will only spread germs around the kitchen.
Why. What do we not put on the kitchen table: keys, bags, money, not to mention products brought from the store. Bacteria from all of these items can get into your food.
Pet bowls
How. Most bowls are machine washable. Just be sure to rinse the dishes thoroughly so that no traces of detergent remain on them.
Why. Unwashed water and food bowls attract various pests and can cause health problems for your pets.
Once a week
Kitchen cabinets
How. Wipe with a cloth and cleaning agent. Please pay attention special attention those places where food particles may fall.
Why. Kitchen cabinet doors collect dust and grease from cooking. There may also be pathogenic microbes there.
Toilet
How. Pour 100 ml of white vinegar or 50 ml of chlorine bleach into the toilet (the main thing is never mix them) and leave for a few minutes. Clean everything inside with a brush and then drain the water.
If there is limescale and rust on the toilet, leave the vinegar or bleach on for an hour. Walk outside with a special disinfectant.
Why. Most likely, you yourself know that a lot of bacteria accumulate in the toilet.
Bath
How. After each use, simply rinse the bathtub with water. But once a week you need to wash everything more thoroughly. Use gentle ones so as not to damage the enamel.
Why. Bacteria accumulate in the bathtub, and the enamel darkens from dirt, grease and hard water.
Shower cabin
How. Wash the cabin walls with warm water and treat with a special antibacterial spray.
Why. This will protect the walls from discoloration, limescale and mold.
Food waste shredder
How. Add ice cubes, frozen lemon juice, or vinegar to the cleaner.
Why. Food particles and bacteria accumulate on the internal blades of the chopper, and ice will help remove them.
Upholstered furniture
How. Vacuum the furniture itself, pillows and don’t forget to go under the chairs and sofas with a vacuum cleaner.
Why. Dust and pet hair accumulate especially quickly on upholstered furniture. Remember to get rid of it, especially if anyone in your family has allergies.
Bin
How. Wash with warm water and soap or a disinfectant solution.
Why. Food particles and bacteria accumulate in the trash can.
Once every two weeks
Curtain in the bathroom
How. Vacuum gently with the brush attachment. Wash by hand or machine depending on the material.
Why. The bathroom curtain absorbs odors and attracts dust.
Switches and door handles
How. Wipe with a cloth and cleaning agent.
Why. A lot of germs collect on handles and switches every day.
Pet sleeping area
How. Vacuum and wash separately from your clothes. If you just want to get rid of unpleasant odor, sprinkle the bed with baking soda and leave it for 15 minutes. Then vacuum up the baking soda.
Why. Your pet's bedding collects fur, dander, and dirt.
Bath mat
How. Wash hot water in the washing machine.
Why. Mold can easily grow on a rug, especially if it doesn’t dry well. In addition, germs and dirt accumulate there.
Microwave oven
How. If your oven has a turntable, remove it and wash it in warm soapy water or in the dishwasher. For the inside of the microwave, place a glass of water with lemon slices in it and heat for 3-4 minutes.
Then wipe off the softened dirt with a damp sponge. To prevent any unpleasant odor, add baking soda to the water. Then dry everything thoroughly with a dry cloth.
Why. After each use, food particles remain in the microwave.
Once a month
Vacuum cleaner
How. Replace the bag, clean the filters and wipe the inside of the vacuum cleaner.
Why. Regular cleaning of your vacuum cleaner will improve cleaning efficiency.
Dishwasher
How. Remove the filter, soak it in soapy water, and then rinse thoroughly. Insert the filter back, place a glass of vinegar on the bottom of the machine and run a full cycle without dishes. Leave baking soda in the bottom of the car overnight.
In the morning, run the cycle again without dishes.
Why. Over time, dirt, grease, and food particles accumulate in your dishwasher. This causes an unpleasant odor and deposits on the dishes.
Children's toys
How. Wash once a month soft toys in the machine on a delicate wash cycle. Between washes, use a sticky roller to remove dust from your clothes.
Why. Bacteria quickly accumulate on toys, and children do not yet have a strong enough immune system.
Coffee maker
How. Fill the water reservoir with a 1:1 mixture of water and white vinegar and turn on the coffee maker. When several cups have drained, turn off the device and leave for an hour. Then turn it back on and run a few cycles with just water.
Why. This will help remove scale.
Sink and bath drain
How. Pour ½ cup down the drain baking soda and immediately pour in the same amount of table vinegar. Cover the hole with a rubber glove, let the mixture work for 10-15 minutes, and then turn on the hot water.
Why. Grease and small debris collecting on the walls of pipes causes an unpleasant odor and...
Bimonthly
Behind and under the washing machine
How. Carefully vacuum the floor behind and under the washing machine, especially around the power cord.
Why. Dust and debris accumulate under the washing machine, increasing the risk of fire.
Fan
How. Spray each blade with white vinegar and then wipe with a rag.
Why. Dust collects on the surface of the blades and spreads throughout the house when the fan operates. This can lead to worsening allergies and respiratory diseases.
Blinds
How. Vacuum. If the blinds are completely dirty, remove them and wash them in the closed position with warm water using soft brush. Turn over and repeat the same on the other side. Then open and leave to dry.
Why. A lot of dust accumulates on them, which is especially harmful for allergy sufferers.
Once a quarter
Hood
How. Remove the filter from the hood and rinse it in hot soapy water, then rinse thoroughly. It is better not to use a dishwasher.
Why. Dust, grease and food particles accumulate in the filter, which impede the operation of the hood.
Fridge
How. Soak drawers and shelves in warm soapy water and wipe down the inside of the refrigerator with a sponge. To remove stains, it is better to use plain soda rather than disinfectants.
Why. This will reduce the risk food poisoning and gets rid of accumulated bacteria.
Books
How. Remove books from shelves, dust them thoroughly, and quickly flip through them to remove dust from the pages as well. If you store books in a stack, rotate them so that the covers do not become deformed.
Why. Paper pages lose color and deteriorate, and they can also become infected.
Under the flower pots
How. Once a quarter, move the pots to a different place so that the window sill or floor under them does not fade. And of course, do not forget to wipe the place where your flowers stand at least once a week.
Why. If the pots are always placed in one place, the covering underneath may become darker than other areas due to uneven light distribution.
Stove (hob)
How. Remove all the handles and wash them in hot soapy water; also wash the panel behind (under) them thoroughly and wipe with a dry cloth. If the handles cannot be removed, wipe them with a well-wrung out sponge and a cleaning agent, and use a toothpick in hard-to-reach places.
By the way, the working surface of the stove should be regularly wiped with a special cleaning agent or soda with lemon juice (1: 1).
Why. Dust and food debris not only spoil the appearance, but also serve as a breeding ground for bacteria.
Oven
How. Treat burnt spots with baking soda, and then sprinkle with vinegar to start the reaction. Wash the grate with soap and water.
To clean the glass door, use glass cleaner or a mixture of water and vinegar (1:1). Soak a rag or paper towel in the mixture, wring it out and place it on the glass with the door open. Leave for half an hour to soften the dirt. Wash with water and dry with paper towels or a lint-free cloth.
Why. Any remaining food particles in the oven smoke when heated.
Twice a year
Pillows and blankets
How. Hand wash or machine wash on delicate cycle and air dry.
Why. This is especially important for those who suffer from allergies.
Mattress
How. Turn the mattress over, alternating turns from one side to the other and head-to-foot turns.
Why. This will prevent the mattress from deforming.
Lamps
How. Turn off the power before removing any parts of the light fixture. Wipe gently with a damp cloth, or soap.
Why. Dust and dirt accumulated on lamps can darken the light from bulbs by 30%.
Behind and under the refrigerator
How. Unplug the refrigerator, remove the protective grille at the back, clean it and carefully wipe the condenser and fan. Vacuum the wall behind the refrigerator. Wipe the side walls of the device and the floor underneath with a rag.
Why. Dust on the floor, mixed with moisture, can damage the floor covering. And excess dust on the walls increases the risk of fire. Plus, cleaning will significantly improve the efficiency of the cooling system, which will increase the life of the refrigerator and save you money.
Shower watering can
How. Remove the watering can and soak it in white vinegar, then rinse thoroughly.
Why. Over time, the watering can becomes clogged, and because of this, the water pressure deteriorates.
Windows
How. Go over both sides with a sticky roller to remove dust. If there is a lot of dirt, wash with water and a brush. Mix 2 teaspoons of vinegar in 3.5 liters of water, pour into a spray bottle and wash the windows with this mixture, wiping them thoroughly with a microfiber cloth.
Why. Dirty windows let in less light, and dust can cause various diseases respiratory tract.
Once a year
Carpets
Washing machine
How. Pour 100 ml of chlorine bleach into the drum or add 100 g citric acid and run the wash without laundry at maximum temperature. Container for detergents manually.
Why. The washing machine drum gets dirty easily, and over time it may develop an unpleasant odor.
Having a cleaning schedule for your apartment will help you maintain peace and quiet in your home and will also reduce the time it takes to do the job if you stick to it.
If you think that organizing and cleaning have nothing to do with each other, you are wrong. One directly depends on the other (and vice versa). If your home is organized, cleaning will be much easier. You will feel comfortable in it and consider it, if not perfect, then at least clean and tidy. Organization allows us to identify places to store things and develop habits of putting things in those places. But at the same time, any solution to an organizational problem begins (and sometimes ends) with cleaning. And besides, even the most organized home needs to be cleaned, in part to keep things organized.
How to create a proper home cleaning schedule
- Consider what cleaning tasks in your home need to be completed on a daily and weekly basis. Our life goes on every day in a vicious circle. Clothes become dirty and need to be washed, dried, ironed and put back in the closet. It’s the same with dishes, for example. Therefore, we want to ensure that our home does not turn into a place where this cycle one day stops closing. The hampers are filled to capacity with dirty laundry, the sink is full of dirty dishes, and there is nothing but dust and dirt everywhere. Unfortunately, most of us cannot afford to hire house help to do all this dirty work, and we have to make the whole wheel turn ourselves. Graph cleaning is cyclical, i.e. constantly and with a certain frequency repeated (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, every six months or year). Having a cleaning schedule and adhering to it is one of the best and most in a simple way making sure that chores are completed on time and the cycle does not stop. Of course, not all tasks need to be done every day. Therefore, you should have several cleaning lists:
- daily;
- weekly;
- monthly;
- seasonal cleaning schedule (in a seasonal one, you can divide tasks into quarters, half-years, or into those that need to be done once a year).
The most important of these schedules are the daily and weekly ones, because doing these things will keep our house from turning into a garbage dump, and you will be firmly confident that everything is under control. It is these graphs that we will focus on now.
In order for you to be able to adhere to the schedule you create yourself, remember the most important rule - it must be realistic. You must clearly define what tasks should be in mandatory carried out on a daily and weekly basis. But at the same time you must be able to complete them. If you work full time and write in your schedule as a daily task to wash the floors throughout the house, it is likely that your schedule will remain just plain paper. Therefore, think about which things are really necessary and possible to do daily, and which are enough to be done once a week or even once a month (etc.)
If, nevertheless, in your opinion, in order to achieve cleanliness of your home, you need to do more daily and weekly than you can, it’s time to attract helpers and distribute some of the overwhelming responsibilities to other members of your family.
All houses and apartments differ from each other (in area, number of rooms, their functional purpose), but most of them are still similar. Therefore, to create a cleaning schedule, I suggest you use ready-made templates:
- how to create a cleaning schedule;
- cover of the “Cleaning” section of the Home Organizer;
- cleaning schedule by room (zone) for the whole year;
- daily, weekly and monthly cleaning checklist;
- seasonal cleaning checklist;
- planning sheet for cleaning the room (zone).
- Create two schedules for cleaning your home: daily and weekly
To more clearly understand how to correctly distribute daily and weekly tasks, I suggest you consider several ready-made practical solutions.- Weekly cleaning schedule according to the Fly Lady system. If you are not yet familiar with the fly lady system, you can familiarize yourself with it on the official English or Russian website. This is what a weekly cleaning schedule looks like using the Fly Lady system (on the left are tasks that need to be completed once a week, on the right are tasks that need to be completed once a day throughout the week.
Every day, according to the fly lady system, you need to:
- dismantle hot spots (hot spots) where dirt, garbage and things that are completely unnecessary accumulate there;
- refresh the toilet and sink;
- wipe surfaces in the kitchen (stove if necessary);
- complete Kelly's task.
Weekly tasks (performed once a week) are (in the fly-lady system this is ECU or weekly cleaning hour):
- vacuum the floors;
- wipe off the dust;
- wipe mirrors and doors;
- remove magazines (and apparently everything that comes across the top in the wrong places);
- change bed linen;
- throw away the trash.
Monthly household chores (in the fly-lady system these are mainly Kelly’s tasks (mainly because they also add seasonal and annual household chores, which are suggested to be done 15 minutes a day (clean the ventilation grill or radiator in the bathroom, etc. ), that is, those things that we do only once a month:
- wipe down the refrigerator;
- wipe down the microwave;
- wipe switches and sockets;
- wash the baseboards;
- polish furniture, etc.
These tasks in the fly lady system are divided into a month and are performed in each zone. In short, the entire apartment is divided into 5 zones, in accordance with 4 full weeks of the month + several days at the beginning of the month of an incomplete week (if such exist). Everyone divides their house or apartment into zones in their own way, but most often everything is quite similar.
- Zone 1: first few days of the month until next Sunday: entrance, hallway, corridor.
- Zone 2: first full week months: kitchen, dining room, pantry.
- Zone 3: second full week of the month: children's room, bathroom.
- Zone 4: third full week of the month: bedroom, toilet.
- Zone 5: the last few days of the month from Monday to the 1st - living room, balcony.
But before you create your list of daily, weekly and monthly tasks in each zone, I recommend making full list all possible tasks in your home for each zone (or room). Use the template: Cleaning schedule by room (zone) for the whole year. A basic spring cleaning plan will help you fill it out. Take it as a basis and distribute what tasks you do daily, weekly or once a month. Seasonal cleaning and things that need to be done once every six months (for example, replacing the filter in kitchen hood or even once a year (for example, deep cleaning of carpets or dry cleaning of sofa upholstery).
- Weekly cleaning schedule from the author of the Clean Mama.net blog. It can be modified, customized and improved.
This is an analogue of the weekly cleaning schedule from Becky, author of the cleanmama.net blog. The main difference between this schedule and the fly system schedule is the distribution of the list of weekly repeating tasks performed in the fly system. According to the fly system, all of them are performed on Monday during the weekly cleaning hour. But an hour to complete all these tasks may not be enough. ECHU on Mondays is only possible if you are a housewife. For Becky, all these things that are done on Monday according to the fly system are evenly distributed throughout the week. On Monday: we clean the sinks and toilets (according to the fly system, this must be done daily), on Tuesday we wipe the soap, on Wednesday we vacuum, on Thursday we wash the floor, on Friday we clear out the trash, on Saturday we change sheets and towels.The following daily routines are also performed daily:
- washing;
- ironing;
- all exposed surfaces are wiped;
- clean floor (the floors are cleared of anything that could fall on them, i.e., of everything unnecessary that should not be on the floor. There is no need to vacuum and wash the floors every day. This is simply an analogue of analyzing hot spots in the fly-lady system )
If you liked Becky's Weekly Cleaning Schedule, you can print this schedule and use it for yourself:
How to create a cleaning schedule
Cleaning schedule from the author of the blog First home love life
The cleaning schedule is also very good in my opinion and deserves our attention. Weekly tasks are distributed mainly by the type of surface being cleaned, with repeating routines performed daily and one additional task added to them: vacuuming or mopping the floors. Moreover, each case concerns only one area (kitchen or bathroom, for example).
Weekly cleaning schedule from a mother of 3 kids and the author of the blog My 3 monsters
In this schedule, tasks performed once a week are distributed depending on the corresponding zone (room) of the house. It’s very convenient and, unlike the fly system, you don’t have to remember which zone you’re working in this week. Monday is the kitchen and dining room, Tuesday is the living room, Wednesday is the parents' bedroom and bathroom, Thursday is dedicated to the children's bathroom, Friday is dedicated to the children's room (and guest room). Add a children's room to the original schedule, since in our country these are still more likely to be children's rooms than guest rooms. That is, if in all previous schedules we simultaneously vacuum the entire apartment on some day, this schedule asks us to focus every day on a specific area of our home. Every day, approximately the same routines are performed as in all other schedules.
Housekeeping. Cleaning
I think illustrative examples give more insight into how to separate daily tasks from weekly (monthly or yearly) tasks. So now you're ready to start creating your own daily and weekly cleaning schedule.
Cleaning control
Some more tips for creating a daily to-do list:
Cleaning Schedule Template
Your weekly cleaning schedule is a list of repetitive tasks that you must do daily (or once a week) sufficient to keep your home clean. Try to keep this list as simple as possible.
Be realistic and after making your list, take another look at how long your daily activities will take. This list should not be too long and take more time than you can spend on it, because in addition to daily and weekly tasks, you should spend time doing the most ordinary (including personal) routines.
You can also break down your schedule and determine which list items you'll do in the morning, which in the afternoon (if you're not working), and which in the evening.
Some tips for creating a weekly cleaning schedule:
As we said above, you need to make a list of things that you will only do once a week. We recommend dividing their implementation evenly for each day of the week and spending 15-20 minutes a day on this task. You can base it on the type of activity or room (see details above) or even combine them, as is more convenient for you.
How to make your home clean
Each day, once you have completed your daily routine, you can begin doing one or more weekly recurring tasks.
Only you can decide how to distribute them so that they fit into your life schedule, and do not forget to involve help in the cleaning process, because practically most of our energy goes into cleaning our house. Be realistic when scheduling recurring tasks each week.
Create a habit of sticking to your daily and weekly cleaning schedules.
Once you have created what you think is a good cleaning schedule for your home, your next step is to force yourself to get used to it and stick to it strictly. Force, because, unfortunately, this is true. Give yourself at least one month to do this, and believe me, it will be easier, because following this schedule will become a habit. But at first it will be very difficult.
How to force, you ask? So you've made your cleaning schedule. Print it out. But don’t put it in your home organizer, but hang it in a prominent place as a reminder to yourself. This could be your home command center, your desk, or any other place that you will constantly pay attention to. Use this schedule to remind yourself what task you need to complete today. No less important task after execution is the execution control process.
For control, fill out and hang it in a visible place, or even better, just print it out and attach it to a tablet that you can carry around the house with you.
How to control cleaning
If you think you don't need this, you're wrong. At least try to use it for a few months until you form a habit. Perhaps in the future you will simply understand how convenient it is. How nice it is to check off boxes on the list after completing another task!
If you declutter and organize your home regularly, sticking to this schedule won't be too much of a hassle. But if your home isn't already organized and cleared, there's a good chance there will be a lot more cleaning than you'd like. Therefore, do not expect results right away, give yourself time, regularly declutter your home and organize it, and believe me, it will become much easier for you to solve cleaning problems than it seems at first. The main thing is to stick to a regular schedule and regularly declutter and organize your home.
But be realistic and revise your schedule if necessary if you feel like it's too much for you. You cannot let maintaining cleanliness in your home turn into flour and hard labor for you.
Remember that your cleaning schedule should be consistent with your typical routine. Try to make your schedule as flexible as possible, and try to get most of it done.
Finally, don't be afraid to rework your schedule if it turns out that it doesn't meet your needs. Work with your schedule for a few weeks, you may realize that you have been too harsh and demanding and the schedule you created simply cannot fit into the time you have and you have failed. Or perhaps, on the contrary, you were too modest and relaxed, and your schedule cannot provide the minimum cleanliness that you wanted to achieve. Don't despair, try changing your schedule to better suit your needs and time constraints and try again.
Keeping your kitchen tidy is an essential part of your daily cleaning schedule. This is one of the most visited in the house. Due to the fact that the kitchen is a place where food is repeatedly prepared and eaten, cleaning will be required several times a day.
Do not leave dirty dishes after breakfast, lunch and dinner. Be sure to wash it and put it in a special cabinet. You should also remove everything unnecessary. This way you can avoid flies getting on your food and dishes. Before eating, wipe the table again with a damp cloth.
Keep your kitchen sink clean. This is one of the conditions for prevention eating disorders. Also, keep the bathroom and toilet clean.
After cooking, tidy up the stove. It’s better to wash it right away than to scrub away dried stains later. To prevent food from falling onto the stove, carefully monitor the intensity of the gas burner or the heating of the electric burner.
Sweep or mop the kitchen floor in a timely manner. This will help you avoid crumbs spreading all over. In addition, this way you can prevent the appearance of cockroaches.
Train your family members to be orderly. Both adults and children should know a place for every thing. It is unacceptable to throw away clothes and personal hygiene items. Having installed simple rules for everyone, you will ease your worries. In addition, this way you can set a personal example for your children.
The place at the doorstep of the house is one of the most frequently polluted. Wipe it with a damp cloth as needed. When entering the house, dry your feet thoroughly. Wash outdoor shoes promptly. Include these items in your daily cleaning plan.
If you have small children then daily cleaning complemented by tidying up the floor. You will need to vacuum and mop almost every day.
General cleaning
General cleaning can be done every week. It is better to do it on weekends, when you can allocate more time. It is better to involve all family members in carrying out large-scale cleaning. This way you can finish the process faster, and the children will develop useful skills.
Even if your child is small, give him assignments according to his abilities. For example, he himself can put things in order in his cabinet or shelf.
If you have the opportunity, beat out the carpets. If this is not possible, use a vacuum cleaner. In this case, it is better to finish cleaning the floor by wiping it with a mop. So you will remove maximum quantity dust and small debris.
Blankets and blankets also need to be shaken. After this, leave them on the rope for a while for better ventilation. At this time, you can vacuum the furniture. To do this, use a special attachment for the vacuum cleaner.
Wipe off any dust on the furniture with a damp cloth. Treat polished surfaces with a special aerosol. Also wipe the mirrors with a cleaning product using microfiber. This will prevent unwanted streaks from leaving on the surface of the glass.
Go through your things, separate dirty clothes. Do a big wash. This way you will save time during working week. Iron the dried one immediately. Prepare the necessary clothing for yourself and your children.
Video on the topic
Related article
Tip 2: Planning house cleaning is the key to family harmony
A woman by nature is called upon to restore and maintain order in the house. But she sometimes needs to rethink her approach to housekeeping so as not to feel like Hercules and not take it out on her loved ones about this. By changing the tactics of putting things in order, you can learn to do everything without sacrificing your personal time and with pleasure.
Household management can be done easily and economically if it is planned and the plan is deliberately implemented. Everyone knows that the word "" is successful management household. IN modern world people rely on intuition and experience, to a lesser extent on any patterns.
The household is huge and vast, like all of life. A house is a reflection of its owners; it requires constant attention. To prevent problems from consuming you, you must learn to break down household chores into parts and conduct them with joy and ease. Much depends on the mood, on rationality. A woman cannot be a workhorse who, trying not to hear criticism of herself, simply gets exhausted while putting things in order in the house. Then hatred for the household will set in, and running it will be a burden, and there will certainly be a drain of negativity on your neighbors.
When does this appear and how to avoid negativity? Creating the appearance of a good housewife, a woman constantly scrubs and vacuums, cleanses to the detriment of her interests, all this leads to housekeeping neurosis, destroying the psyche and life balance. You need to take care of the house not for show, but for yourself; you need to find new ways to maintain order.
It is useful to divide the territory into parts and deal with only one each week, and not all at once. Things should have their own places, and unnecessary and old ones should be disposed of. When there is minimal clutter in your home, keeping it clean is very easy. Housing is not a museum, people living in it leave traces of disorder, we must learn to take this calmly. The most sensible thing is to devote about 15 minutes to cleanliness and order every day; there is no need to stretch this pleasure out for longer than an hour. Fatigue will only cause irritation and hatred. 
You can time your activities using a timer, moving through the shelf or department in the closet. The rest will come next time. Planning, cleaning in small portions will be beneficial and will cause good mood, and most importantly, they will preserve the nervous system.
In the kitchen, bath and toilet, leave these places clean after your stay, you won’t need to return to them again. Most often in the kitchen you need to wash the stove; when it is not dirty, you can simply wipe it with a napkin. The refrigerator also requires attention. Everyone in the family should have their own responsibilities; if they are fulfilled, then there are no problems with cleaning the house. And the main thing that everyone wants is coziness and psychological comfort.
Marie Kondo is a cleaning expert from Japan and one of the most... influential people in the world according to Time magazine, I am sure that by putting things in order, we surround ourselves with pleasant things, and this leads us to self-knowledge - we understand who we really are.
But cleaning, according to Marie Kondo, is not the purpose of life. Therefore, it is important to develop your own cleaning principle in order to spend a minimum of time on it. Then you can use your enthusiasm for those activities that bring joy. What principles will help you avoid general cleaning?
Reduce the amount of stuff in your home
Dust in our house comes from particles of dead human skin, pet hair, and fibers from things stored in this house. Reducing the number of things in the apartment also reduces the amount of dust. This means that cosmetic cleaning can be done less often, and general cleaning can even be done “on holidays.”
Teach your family to put things back in their “rightful” places
Don't let things spill around the house. Each thing should have only one “legal” place - explain this to your family. Things that regularly do not find their place either do not have such a place, or it is inconvenient for household members to remove and get them out of there. Think about a place for every item, and the feeling of clutter in the house will disappear, which means there will be no need for urgent general cleaning.
Details
In every apartment there are places where garbage quickly accumulates and things that end up out of place: the hallway, computer desk, chairs by the bed, etc. If you put things in order every evening, it won’t take much time, and the appearance of the apartment will immediately change. These simple daily actions will allow you not to remember about spring cleaning for a long time.
Anything that has no place goes in the trash!
Take the box and go through the rooms. Put everything in a drawer that doesn’t belong in your home. Why do you need empty plastic bottles in the kitchen? Let's put them in the box! Who would want old magazines on the coffee table? Let's put them there! Having collected such items, think: where will they be stored? If there is no space in any room, mercilessly throw everything in the trash. Less trash means fewer places where dust and debris accumulate - less frequent general cleaning.
Get rid of open places storage
Open horizontal surfaces are the dust collectors that create the feeling of clutter and litter in the home space. Swap open shelves and racks for closed cabinets and glass shelves.
Make it a rule to spend 15-20 minutes cleaning every day
Every day for 15 minutes - and you won’t need general cleaning. After all, in 15 minutes you can put things in order on the windowsill, wash the shelves in the refrigerator or sort out your clothes closet. If you do one small thing every day, then by the time of general cleaning there will be nothing left to “generalize”.
Tip 4: How to organize house cleaning efficiently and with minimal effort
There is a popular joke on the Internet: “I wish I could clean the house and press the “save” button.” Indeed, almost every housewife is faced with the issue of organizing the cleaning process in the optimal way for her. Often you want to spend as little resources (time, effort) on this process as possible, and it is also important that cleanliness and order are maintained for as long as possible. Impossible? This, of course, is an ideal to which we must strive, and at the same time, something can be done now. I'll share personal experience.
1. Decluttering. Agree - the fewer things, the less cleaning. I'm not talking about asceticism - I'm emphasizing the need to get rid of unnecessary, broken things that don't bring pleasure, but only take up space. Conduct an audit of all closets and divide things into three categories: “keep”, “give away”, “throw away”. Proceed step by step: today start with your purse, tomorrow declutter one shelf in the closet, the day after tomorrow - a drawer in the kitchen, then clothes, then shoes, etc. etc. Spend 10-15 minutes a day on one area or another - and you will see how your home will gradually change into better side. Leave only those things that you need and like. Give thanks to the things you decided to say goodbye to. It often happens that it’s a pity to throw it away. Think about what this might be connected with? Perhaps you are holding on to the past too much. Are you ready to make space for the future, for the things you would like to invite into your life? It happens that there are excuses like “I will wear this thing at home” or “I will take this faulty unit to the dacha,” but don’t we deserve to dress decently, beautifully and tastefully at home, and at the dacha we will be surrounded by serviceable and pleasant people? objects? And there is also a temptation to move trash from one place to another (for example, put it on the balcony or take it to your parents), so unnecessary things It's better to break up once and for all. For inspiration, it would be great to read Marie Kondo’s book “The Magic of Tidying Up” and watch the book of the same name (Marie Kondo is a cleaning specialist, the author of her own system). I was also inspired by my participation in a decluttering marathon (on one of the sites of like-minded people), during which we paid attention to certain areas of the apartment every day and counted the number of things thrown away - by the end of the marathon the count went into the thousands, since we also counted large things, and small ones by the piece.
2. Storage. After decluttering, the question of storing things inevitably arises. Every thing should have its place. If you return it there every time after use, the problem of scattered things will be solved - they simply won’t be there. Marie Kondo advocates vertical storage - and this good decision. Vertically folded items take up much less space. But there is not always time to fold clothes this way every time. However, to systematize what can actually be systematized is simply necessary to do. Most likely, you will have to buy special devices for comfortable storage of things - folders for documents, jars for spices, a box for storing creative materials, a bag for toys, etc. Even the most advanced housewives do not hesitate to use empty shoe boxes to store clothes or other things - don’t be shy either. A cookie tin will serve as an excellent house for threads and needles. Get creative! For me, it was once a wonderful discovery of folding bags into triangles - thanks to this know-how, two huge bags with bags turned into one small handbag with neatly folded triangles - freeing up space in the closet. Housewives are coming up with more and more new ways of efficient storage - periodically look through websites on home economics and fly lady.
3. The principle of “regularly and a little at a time.” There are housewives who find it easier to do it once a week and spend a few hours on it. I don't belong to that type. It’s more convenient for me to put things in order every day for 15-20 minutes. This principle is taken from the “fly lady” system - it also suggests using a timer so that there is no temptation to prolong cleaning longer. The timer regulates the time and allows us to evaluate the effectiveness of our work. In the absence of a timer, I turned on the stopwatch. By doing it every day and a little at a time, I began to cope better than when I did it once a week. It is convenient to divide the apartment into zones: kitchen, toilet, bathroom, room, hallway, etc. If the house is large, then such a system for maintaining order does not, unfortunately, exclude extensive weekly cleaning, but it will already go several times faster, since we take care of maintaining cleanliness all week.
4. Attributes for cleaning. Previously, I underestimated cleaning tools, and they can greatly facilitate the process of putting things in order. Thanks to the “fly lady” system, I became acquainted with the “blue mop” and still haven’t parted with it, it seems so convenient and functional to me. The “Blue Mop” differs from its counterparts in that it has a sponge roller and a manual wringing system. It easily absorbs water and is convenient for both washing and wiping the floor. Microfiber napkins for washing mirrors and for wet cleaning are indispensable housewife assistants. Such napkins will tidy up mirrors without any additional funds, but only with a wave of your hand - it will take exactly a minute! Using gloves – mandatory rule. Moreover, gloves should fit properly, be comfortable and convenient, preferably have a cotton coating. It is important that you like the cleaning attributes - then cleaning will be more enjoyable.
5. General cleaning. Periodically, it is still necessary to clean the area globally, in those places where it is not possible to clean weekly or monthly. You can do this urgently, or you can add something extra every time during scheduled cleaning, “for company.” I call this method “plus one”. For example, after completing it separately, you can wipe the doors or baseboards, wash the washing machine, etc., that is, do something beyond the plan.
6. Cleaning products. Are you satisfied household chemicals which one do you use? Perhaps you would like to use more environmentally clean products. Once I asked myself this question, I switched from using cleaning powder to using regular soda. Baking soda does a great job of removing stains from sinks, stoves, and other surfaces. Remember to periodically wash and renew the sponges and wipes you use for cleaning, otherwise they can become breeding grounds for germs. Application essential oils When putting things in order, it will help create a pleasant atmosphere at home. For example, a few drops of mint can be added to the water when washing floors, citrus scents are good for the toilet (a few drops in the toilet), and if you drop a couple of drops on a roll toilet paper- the room will smell fragrant.
7. Planning. Some housewives find it helpful to plan and highlight those items that have been completed. For this purpose, it is advisable to use a beautiful diary that would be pleasant to work with, and not just a to-do list on a separate piece of paper, although this is also effective. If you clean “regularly and a little at a time,” then in your diary it is convenient to record the “zone of the day” (for example, today we will clean the kitchen for 20 minutes), decluttering (for example, we will declutter for 5 minutes), an additional item - “plus one” (for example , wipe the window sill in the room) and perhaps some other small task for 3-5 minutes in case there is time and opportunity to do something for the good of the house. During emergency cleaning, you can simply make a list of mandatory tasks.
8. Cleaning is more than that. There is a saying: “Cleaning is a blessing to the house.” Feel how by cleansing your home, you are literally and figuratively washing away all negative energy. Feel how the house is filled with love and joy during the cleaning process. It is beneficial to pray while cleaning. It is beneficial to recite affirmations, sing positive songs, listen to lectures or pleasant music.
Look for your individual style of tidying up your home and you will feel how the space around you becomes more comfortable and harmonious.
Tip 5: How to do it most effectively general cleaning
General cleaning is not always a pleasant task, but it is extremely necessary. If you clean your apartment thoroughly once a month, then the rest of the time you just need to keep it clean. How to make general cleaning most effective and spend the least amount of time?
Of course, when starting a spring cleaning, it is foolish to hope for a quick completion. First of all, send your family to the beach, for a walk, skiing or to visit your mother-in-law, in general, look at the situation, they are unlikely to provide much help, but come on, they will distract the heating.
Then look around, sort through old things, books, magazines and souvenirs. And those that are no longer in demand, throw them away, donate them, exchange them for more useful ones, or sell them. You shouldn’t feel sorry for cute trinkets, firstly, dust accumulates on them, and secondly, it’s quite possible that someone needs them more. Unnecessary clothes and shoes can be taken to a shelter or orphanage.
The best place to start cleaning is in the kitchen. If there are curtains, we immediately remove them and send them to washing machine. If the refrigerator has not been defrosted for a long time, put it on defrost, wipe the ceilings and walls from dust and cobwebs, not forgetting about the chandeliers and lamps. Now let's move on to the kitchen cabinets. They need to review all cereals and groceries, throw away products that have expired, and check the rest for the presence of bugs and midges. When the products are sorted, you can start washing the cabinets themselves, not forgetting the doors and handles.
Clean the stove and oven using special means. Now it’s the turn of the dishes: we wash pots and pans with a greasy coating using a grease remover. Ceramic and porcelain dishes can be boiled in a bucket or large pan with soda.
Usually by this time the refrigerator has already thawed, we wash the unit and put all the food back into it, be sure to wipe the door and sides.
If you have a microwave, multicooker and other devices in your kitchen, don’t forget to wipe them down too. Lastly, wash the windows and floors.
Next we move to the bedroom. Here, too, you will have to work hard, go through all the closets, move seasonal items and shoes closer, and put temporarily unnecessary ones on distant shelves. When going through your clothes, don’t forget to wipe down the shelves and cabinet doors.
We inspect the ceiling and walls for dust and cobwebs, knock out carpets and curtains, or, if necessary, replace them with another set.
Then we remove the bed linen, leave it for washing, beat out the mattresses and pillows, shake out the blankets and bedspreads. We vacuum carpets, baseboards and exposed floor areas. Once every six months you need to do it with a special disinfectant. You can also go over the carpet with a damp cloth and upholstery cleaner.
If there are children in the house, ask them to put away their toys and books in advance, this will make the task much easier. Well, then, in fact, all the same manipulations as in the bedroom.
Cleaning the living room as follows: we knock out and vacuum upholstered furniture, clean carpets and curtains, and then do wet cleaning.
Let's go to the bathroom. We remove all jars, bottles and shampoos from the shelves, wipe the containers themselves and the shelves on which they stood. We wipe the ceilings, this can be done with a special mop, and then we remove soap stains from the tiles; window cleaner does an excellent job of this task. Then I wash the bathtub and toilet and move on to washing the floor.
Next, we clean the hallway, remove dust from all surfaces, hide unnecessary shoes and clothes for long-term storage. We shake out the door mat outside or thoroughly vacuum it. We complete the cleaning by washing the floors.
Of course, such a large-scale cleaning is difficult to do in one day, so you can divide it into several, planning a specific room for the day.
Every home has problem areas where cleaning is necessary every day. This will take no more than 5 minutes, but will help significantly reduce the risk of spreading the infection.
CUTTING BOARD
The most practical option is a plastic or glass cutting board. You need to wash it every day - this should become the same habitual procedure as brushing your teeth in the morning. It is enough to wash the board with a sponge and soap, and then rinse thoroughly with water. After this, you can pour boiling water over it. If you use a dishwasher, place a cutting board in it every time you run the machine. In addition, it is worth using a separate board for raw meat and birds.
TABLEWARE FOR PETS
You are unlikely to forget to feed your cat or dog, but not everyone washes the plates after dry food. Even if the dishes seem perfectly clean on the outside, bacteria can grow on them e. coli and staphylococcus bacillus, which cause poisoning in both the animal and its owners. Wash your pets' dishes every day, just as you wash your own.
SINK IN KITCHEN
The kitchen sink is a real breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria. E. coli feeds on leftover food, and a moist environment creates ideal conditions for the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew. How to keep it clean? First, clean your sink thoroughly and remove food residues after each dishwashing. Secondly, fill the sink with boiling water every two to three days. It's important to include the sink in your daily cleaning routine.
KITCHEN TOWELS
If you dry your hands, dishes, and work surfaces with the same towel in the kitchen, bacteria (such as salmonella and E. coli) can transfer from the cloth to plates or washed vegetables and fruits. In addition, moisture is an ideal environment for microbes, and wet towels attract various microorganisms. All this causes poisoning. To minimize the risk, use different towels for hands, dishes and work surfaces. Change the dish towel every day, since it is on it that harmful bacteria first accumulate. Wash all kitchen towels at the highest temperature allowed, and then iron or dry them.
Cleaning once a week
Admit it, when was the last time you washed your home phone or disinfected your TV remote control? And you need to do this regularly!
DOOR HANDLES
Each member of the household touches them dozens of times a day, bacteria multiply and are transferred throughout the house. To catch an infection, it is enough to hold a dirty hand and then touch your eyes or mouth. Wash your pens with soap and water every week. If someone is sick at home, wipe your hands more often, you can use a disinfectant solution.
BATHROOM TAP
First you touch them to open the water, and then close them with clean hands. Wash your taps thoroughly with a sponge and soap, at least once a week. If someone in the house is sick, you should do this more often. The same rules apply to toilet flush buttons.
SOFA
The main rule: do not allow your family to eat in the living room! Once a week, vacuum all upholstered furniture using a special attachment. If sofas and armchairs have removable covers, wash them or have them cleaned every two to three months.
BED SHEETS
Dust mites are the most common cause of household allergies, and bedding is one of their favorite habitats. With the constant presence of an allergen, a reaction can develop even in adulthood. Wash bedding weekly at maximum temperature. The same should be done with bedspreads, blankets and pillowcases.
CONTROL REMOTE
According to research, the biggest breeding ground for infection in hotel rooms is remote controls. Of course, only family members use the remote control at home, but nevertheless, harmful microorganisms can also live on it. Wipe the remote control with wet wipes once a week if everyone at home is healthy. If there are colds in the family, do this every day.
SWITCHES
We touch them no less often than door handles. Clean your switches once a week warm water with soap, and pay special attention to the switch in the hallway, which you use when you enter home, even before you wash your hands.
LOCAL PHONE
The phone gets dirty when it comes into contact with the skin, and if you actively use cosmetics, bacteria on the surface of the handset multiply even faster, especially if the phone has buttons. Wipe the tube with wet wipes at least once a week.
TELL YOUR HUSBAND!
A huge number of germs accumulate on the toilet seat (and especially under it) - this is obvious. Men understandably raise and lower the toilet seat several times a day. It is logical for the husband to take over the disinfection.
Monthly cleaning schedule
These surfaces may not get dirty as quickly as the sink or carpets, but you shouldn’t forget about them either! Use this monthly apartment cleaning schedule.
DESKTOP
Wipe the table surface to remove dirt and dust. At home, a damp sponge is enough; at work, you can use disinfectant wipes for office equipment. Be sure to wipe down your mouse and keyboard. Please note: If you often eat in front of your computer, food particles may become lodged in your keyboard. In this case, you need to clean it more often (once a week or whenever it gets dirty) and more thoroughly.
CUTLERY DRAWER
It's not surprising if you never thought to wash it, because we put clean knives and forks in it, right? In fact, if wet appliances get into the drawer, it creates an ideal environment for the growth of microbes, fungi and mold. You don't want all this to end up on the spoons that adults and children eat with, do you? Once a month, remove all appliances, rinse thoroughly with warm water, and clean the holes and grilles with a brush.
ICE AND BEVERAGE CONTAINERS IN THE REFRIGERATOR
If your refrigerator has a drinks compartment, it needs to be washed even when you fill it with clean water. drinking water. The same applies to the ice compartment. On internal surfaces Plaque gradually forms, and mold and mildew may even appear. Study the manufacturer's instructions to choose the best disinfection method. If there are no special instructions, mix vinegar with water in a 1:1 ratio, dip into the solution toothbrush and clean every surface you can reach. Then pass 3-4 glasses through the ice and drink compartments.
VEGETABLE COMPARTMENT IN THE REFRIGERATOR
On fresh vegetables The same number of microorganisms can live on fruits as on raw meat: bacteria from the soil even get onto country vegetables and fruits, which are considered almost sterile and are eaten from the garden without even rinsing with water. To remove bacteria, wash all compartments of the refrigerator once a month with a sponge, warm water and soap.
Cleaning once a year
Let's not hide: some housewives rarely get around to these household items. Add them to your annual cleaning schedule!
CARPETS
Of course, you vacuum them once or twice a week, but carpets need a thorough cleaning every year. If your carpets can be washed or steamed, and your vacuum cleaner has the appropriate functions, it's simple: thoroughly clean all surfaces with special shampoo. Of course, you can wash your carpets by hand, but if the area is large enough, consider calling in a professional cleaning company once a year. In any case, after wet cleaning, carpets must be thoroughly dried, because mold immediately develops under wet coverings. For such drying, many cleaning companies have professional hair dryers.
BLINDS AND CURTAINS
As a rule, it is enough to clean curtains and blinds once a year, but if you live in big city and dust accumulates faster, it is worth doing this as it gets dirty. Don't forget that dust can cause aggravation of allergies and respiratory diseases. Wash the curtains in a machine using a delicate cycle without drying, or take them to dry cleaning. Vacuum the blinds using special attachments.
But they still require a more extensive explanation.
Let's first focus on daily and weekly repeating tasks.
A cleaning schedule for your apartment will help you maintain peace and quiet in your home and will also reduce the time it takes to do the job if you stick to it.
If you think that organization and cleaning are in no way connected, you are mistaken. One directly depends on the other (and vice versa). If your home is organized, it will be much easier for you to clean it. You will feel comfortable in it and consider it, if not perfect, then at least clean and tidy. Organization allows us to identify places to store things and develop habits of putting things in those places. But at the same time, any solution to an organizational problem begins (and sometimes ends) with cleaning. And besides, even the most organized home needs to be cleaned, in part to keep things organized.
How to Create a Cleaning Schedule for Your Home
Step #1: Consider what cleaning tasks in your home need to be done daily and weekly
Our life goes on every day in a vicious circle. Clothes become dirty and need to be washed, dried, ironed and put back in the closet. It’s the same with dishes, for example.
Therefore, we want to ensure that our home does not turn into a place where this cycle one day stops closing. The baskets are filled to capacity with dirty laundry, the sink is full of dirty dishes, there is only dust and dirt all around.
Unfortunately, most of us can't afford to hire house help to do all this dirty work, and we have to make the whole wheel turn ourselves.
The cleaning schedule is cyclical, i.e. constantly and with a certain periodicity repeating (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, every six months or year).
Having a cleaning schedule and sticking to it is one of the best and easiest ways to make sure that housework gets done on time and the cycle doesn't stop.
Of course, not everything needs to be done every day. Therefore, you should have several cleaning lists:
- daily
- weekly
- monthly
- and a seasonal cleaning schedule (in a seasonal one, you can divide tasks into quarters, half-years, or into those that need to be done once a year).
In order for you to be able to adhere to the schedule you have drawn up, remember the most important rule - it must be realistic. You must clearly define which tasks must be completed on a daily and weekly basis. But at the same time You must be able to complete them. If you work full time and write in your schedule as a daily task to wash the floors throughout the house, it is likely that your schedule will remain just plain paper. Therefore, think about which things are really necessary and possible to do daily, and which are enough to be done once a week or even once a month (etc.)
If, nevertheless, in your opinion, in order to achieve cleanliness of your home, you need to do more daily and weekly than you can, it’s time to attract helpers and distribute some of the overwhelming responsibilities to other members of your family.
All houses and apartments differ from each other (in area, number of rooms, their functional purpose), but most of them are still similar. Therefore, to create a cleaning schedule, I suggest you use the templates I prepared:
Step #2: Create two house cleaning schedules: daily and weekly
To more clearly understand how to correctly distribute daily and weekly tasks, I suggest you consider several ready-made practical solutions.1. Weekly cleaning schedule according to the Fly Lady system
If you are not yet familiar with the fly-lady system, you can familiarize yourself with it on the official English-language or Russian-language website.This is what a weekly cleaning schedule looks like using the Fly Lady system (on the left are tasks that need to be completed once a week, on the right are tasks that need to be completed once a day throughout the week.
Every day, according to the fly lady system, you need to:
- dismantle hot spots (hot spots) where dirt, garbage and things that are completely unnecessary accumulate there;
- refresh the toilet and sink;
- wipe surfaces in the kitchen (stove if necessary);
- complete Kelly's task.
- vacuum the floors;
- wipe off the dust;
- wipe mirrors and doors;
- remove magazines (and apparently everything that comes across the top in the wrong places);
- change bed linen;
- throw away the trash.
Monthly household chores (in the fly-lady system these are mainly Kelly’s tasks (mainly because they also add seasonal and annual household chores, which are suggested to be done 15 minutes a day (clean the ventilation grill or radiator in the bathroom, etc. ), that is, those things that we do only once a month:
- wipe down the refrigerator;
- wipe down the microwave;
- wipe switches and sockets;
- wash the baseboards;
- polish furniture, etc.
These tasks in the fly lady system are divided into a month and are performed in each zone. In short, the entire apartment is divided into 5 zones, in accordance with 4 full weeks of the month + several days at the beginning of the month of an incomplete week (if such exist). Everyone divides their house or apartment into zones in their own way, but most often everything is quite similar.
"Zone 1: first few days of the month until next Sunday: entrance, hallway, corridor
Zone 2: first full week of the month: kitchen, dining room, pantry
Zone 3: second full week of the month: children's room, bathroom
Zone 4: third full week of the month: bedroom, toilet
Zone 5: the last few days of the month from Monday to the 1st -living room, balcony"
But before you create your list of daily, weekly and monthly tasks in each zone, I recommend making a complete list of all possible tasks in your home for each zone (or room). Use the template: Cleaning schedule by room (zone) for the whole year. It will help you fill it out. Take it as a basis and distribute what tasks you do daily, weekly or once a month. Seasonal cleaning and things that need to be done once every six months (for example, replacing the filter in the kitchen hood or even once a year (for example, deep cleaning of carpets or dry cleaning of sofa upholstery).
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| photo: cleanmama.net |
I love the fly lady system for its versatility. It can be modified, customized and improved.
This, in my opinion, is the analogue of the weekly cleaning schedule from Becky, the author of the blog cleanmama.net, and I consider it the most successful. At least that's what I use. Below I will give examples of a few more, so you will have the opportunity to evaluate for yourself.
The main difference between this schedule and the schedule in the fly system is the distribution of the list of weekly recurring tasks performed in the fly system. According to the fly system, all of them are performed on Monday during the weekly cleaning hour. No matter how much I try, an hour is not enough for me to complete all these tasks, or on Mondays I am exhausted by this ECHU (weekly cleaning hour) so that these Mondays have become no longer pleasant to me in principle. In my opinion, ECU on Mondays is only possible if you are a housewife. I would do this cleaning on the weekends, but (again:) I like the idea that on weekends you still need to relax and spend time with your family, take care of yourself and your hobbies. So I decided to look for alternatives and came across the blog cleanmama.net
For Becky, all these things that are done on Monday according to the fly system are evenly distributed throughout the week. On Monday: we clean the sinks and toilets (according to the fly system, this must be done daily), on Tuesday we wipe the soap, on Wednesday we vacuum, on Thursday we wash the floor, on Friday we clear out the trash, on Saturday we change sheets and towels.
The following daily routines are also performed daily:
- washing
- ironing
- all exposed surfaces are wiped
- clean floor (the floors are cleared of anything that could fall on them, i.e. from everything unnecessary that should not be on the floor. There is no need to vacuum and wash the floors every day. This is just an analogue of analyzing hot spots in the fly-lady system :)
If you liked Becky's Weekly Cleaning Schedule, you can print this schedule and use it for yourself:
The cleaning schedule is also very good in my opinion and deserves our attention. Weekly tasks are distributed mainly by the type of surface being cleaned, with repeating routines performed daily and one additional task added to them: vacuuming or mopping the floors. Moreover, each case concerns only one area (kitchen or bathroom, for example).
In this schedule, tasks performed once a week are distributed depending on the corresponding zone (room) of the house. It’s very convenient and, unlike the fly system, you don’t have to remember which zone you’re working in this week. Monday is the kitchen and dining room, Tuesday is the living room, Wednesday is the parents' bedroom and bathroom, Thursday is dedicated to the children's bathroom, Friday is dedicated to the children's room (and guest room). I added a children's room to the original schedule because... in our country, these are still more likely to be children's rooms than guest rooms. That is, if in all previous schedules we simultaneously vacuum the entire apartment on some day, this schedule asks us to focus every day on a specific area of our home. Every day, approximately the same routines are performed as in all other schedules.
I think visual examples give more understanding of how to separate daily tasks from weekly ones (monthly or yearly). So now you're ready to start creating your own daily and weekly cleaning schedule. I suggest you download the following template for this:
A few more writing tips daily to-do list:
Your weekly cleaning schedule is a list of repetitive tasks that you must do daily (or once a week) sufficient to keep your home clean. Try to keep this list as simple as possible.
Be realistic and after making your list, look again at how long your daily activities will take. This list should not be too long and take more time than you can spend on it, because in addition to daily and weekly tasks, you should spend time doing the most ordinary (including personal) routines.
You can also break down your schedule and determine which list items you will do in the morning, which in the afternoon (if you don't work), and which in the evening.
A few tips for writing weekly cleaning schedule:
As I said above, you need to make a list of things that you will only do once a week. I recommend dividing their implementation evenly for each day of the week and spending 15-20 minutes a day doing this. You can start from the type of activity or room (see more details above) or even combine them, as is more convenient for you.
Every day, once you have completed your daily routine, you can begin performing one or more weekly recurring tasks.
Only you can decide how to distribute them so that they fit into your life schedule, and don't forget to involve helpers in the cleaning process, because almost most of our energy goes into cleaning our home. Be realistic when scheduling recurring tasks each week.
Step #3: Create a Habit of Sticking to Your Daily and Weekly Cleaning Schedules
Once you have created what you think is a good cleaning schedule for your home, your next step is to force yourself to get used to it and stick to it strictly. I say force because, unfortunately, this is true. Give yourself at least one month to do this, and believe me, it will be easier further, because following this schedule will become a habit for you. But at first it will be very difficult.
How to force it, you ask? So, you've made your cleaning schedule. Print it out. But don’t put it in your home organizer, but hang it in a prominent place as a reminder to yourself. This could be your home command center, your desktop, or any other place that you will constantly pay attention to. Use this schedule to remind yourself what task you need to complete today. An equally important task after execution is the process of monitoring execution.
For control, fill out and hang it in a visible place, or even better, just print it out and attach it to a tablet that you can carry around the house with you.
If you think you don't need this, you're wrong. At least try to use it for a few months until you form a habit. Perhaps in the future you will simply understand how convenient it is. How nice it is to check off boxes on the list after completing another task!
If you declutter and organize your home regularly, following this schedule won't cause you too much trouble. But if your home is not yet organized and cleaned, it is likely that there will be a lot more cleaning than you would like. So don't expect results right away, give yourself time , engage in regular decluttering and organization of your home and, believe me, it will become much easier for you to solve cleaning problems than it seems at first. The main thing is to follow the schedule regularly , regularly engage in decluttering and organizing your home.
But be realistic and revise your schedule if necessary if you feel it's too much for you. You cannot let maintaining cleanliness in your home turn into flour and hard labor for you.
Remember that your cleaning schedule should be consistent with your typical routine. Try to make your schedule as flexible as possible, and try to get most of it done.
Finally, don't be afraid to rework your schedule if it turns out that it doesn't meet your needs. Work with your schedule for a few weeks, you may realize that you have been too harsh and demanding and the schedule you created simply cannot fit into the time you have and you have failed. Or perhaps, on the contrary, you were too modest and relaxed, and your schedule cannot provide the minimum cleanliness that you wanted to achieve. Don't despair, try changing the schedule to better suit your needs and time constraints and try again.
Don't forget, no matter how ideal your schedule is, ultimately it is only a tool that is created to help you with cleaning, and not the basis of your slavery. If you feel that this is happening, redo the schedule again so that it can fit your needs, and, most importantly, capabilities.
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