Being home all day with the kids is hard, but the house also falls on your shoulders, too. Trying to figure out when to clean and how to do it with the kids around can be tricky–kind of like eating oreos while brushing your teeth.

I have created a schedule that keeps the house generally clean most the time and allows for me to keep my sanity while keeping things smelling and looking their best I can. That being said, one of the keys is giving yourself some grace. It is hard, the job(s) you have are hard and some days just saying “I cant get that done today and that is ok”, really is ok. Some days the best idea is to just let the cleaning go and cuddle the kids. Other days, taking just a little bit a day, week, month, etc can help keep things clean and you won’t feel so overwhelmed.

I have decided in 2021 to take part in GoCleanCo spring cleaning challenge. #cleaningarmy bleachpraylove.com/products/spring-cleaning-challenge-download. Follow them on Instagram for ideas how they do it and tag them to be featured! Sometimes you just need a swift kick in the butt to get going!

Below, you will find how I maintain certain areas of the home, and at the bottom an actual schedule of my approximate cleaning.

Cleaning Schedule

Daily

• Dishes
• pick up toys

Weekly

1 job chunk a day, keeps the panic away

• Monday: Multimedia clean up
  • email reply, unsubscribe, report spam
  • phone calls
  • make appointments
  • pay bills
  • organize photos
• Tuesday: Top floor Tidy, Tend to plants, Take in Trash/recycle
  • clean floors– roomba runs on a schedule 9am
  • empty stair bins
  • change bedding
• Wednesday: Wash Yourself, Wash washrooms, wash laundry
  • Non-negotiable bath day. Kids can bathe any time they want but these days are non-negotiable so we don’t say “when was your last bath?”
  • While leaving my shower or while they are in the bath I clean bathrooms:
    • Counters
    • Mirros
    • toilets
    • shower/tubs
• Thoroughly clean 1st floor (School year-Thursday, Summer-Friday)
  • Wipe counters
  • glass stove top
  • restock overstock items
  • dust
  • vacuum
• Fold it/The Laundry & packing (school year-Friday, Summer-Thursday)
  • Fold the laundry, pack the bags for the weekend at the cottage

Monthly

• Windows inside
• Clean the Vacuum brushes
• Garbage disposal
• Washing machine
• Dryer vent
• change out decor

Seasonally/4 times a year:

• Windows (inside)
• Wash curtains and blankets
• Cord Vacuum & Shampoo Carpets
• Railings, light switches, door knobs, and the actual doors

Twice a year:

• Ceiling Fans
• Outside Windows

Once a year/Spring Cleaning

• Clean out pantry
• Dust/wash walls

Railings, light switches, door knobs, doors

Railings, light switches, door knobs, and the actual doors (specifically where you grab to shut behind yourself) get forgotten about, but almost everyone touches them. They can get pretty dirty (and germy). Using a Norwex cloth (kitchen cloth with texture) or a regular wash cloth with the Thieves cleaner helps clean the spaces of grime and germs. I try to do these quarterly.

Floors

I am not going to lie, a huge part of how I clean the counters/floors is the dogs. A lot of the time, I wipe whats on the counters onto the floors and allow the dogs to eat it.

When I have a spot to clean and I don’t want to clean the whole floor, I LOVE our Dyson cordless. It is amazing (on carpet and hardwood) to take care of a small clean up with out having to deal with cords. I find if you clean it fast and “right now” it helps keep the rest of the house clean.

One of my saving graces: iRobot (Pumba our Roomba). It has been awesome in setting a schedule. Not only are my floors cleaned routinely, I have to have the floor tidied by these times so it gives me a deadline. I also invested in the replacement parts. I used the brushes for a year and they just were not picking up like they used to but replacement parts and things suddenly were doing better!

**clean the vacuum brushes about once a month with a scissors and brush comb. I also clean out the filters (with water and allow to dry completely) at this time too. I try to use the hose as it applies more water pressure and less overspray…but we are in Wisconsin so the bathtub needs to suffice in the cold months, too.

If I am going to shampoo the carpets, I vacuum with our corded wind tunnel. I shampoo the carpets when there is a fiasco or about four times a year.

Thieves Cleaner

I am always trying to reduce my home chemical use. I have found the Thieves Household Cleaner to be my go to for just about anything. Kitchen grease, floor stains, pee on the couch, dusting, railing fingerprints and more!

To make my cleaner I purchased a brown glass spray bottle. I then mix one cap of the cleaner with water in the glass bottle.

The cleaner can be bought from any Young Living distributer. If you do not have one, you can contact my friend Sarah.

Norwex

We use a lot of Norwex to try to eliminate chemicals in the home as well. The microfiber helps to pick up dust and hold it there as well, anti-microbial and “self cleaning” and then it doesn’t leave water spots too.

Any consultant can help you but if you need one you can contact my friend Lauren.

Stainless

We have stainless appliances. They are not the smudge resistant ones. When I am cleaning the counters with the thieves and norwex cloth, I also go over the stainless for a quick finger print removal.

Windows

Our dogs and kids are always touching our windows. These are one thing I have learned to let go.
Once a Month: I spray with thieves and use the Norwex window cloth
Twice a year Spring/Fall: we clean the outside of the widows.

Dusting

I do not dust as often as I should. At the holiday switches when the decor is changing, I wipe down the surfaces that all the decor is on. I spray with Thieves to keep the dust from flying and use my Norwex wand or glove.

Ceiling Fans

When we switch the direction of the ceiling fans for the season, we also clean the fan blades at that time. I, again, spray with Thieves to keep the dust from flying and use my Norwex wand or glove.

Curtains/Blankets

Four times a year I wash the curtains and blankets to remove the dog hair and dust from them. I dry with Norwex dryer balls with essential oils to make them smell better.

Clean out pantry

Once a year (usually spring cleaning) I go through and check expirations dates, reorganize, and combine and such the pantry. I also vacuum out the pantry.

Nesting?

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