A Manageable Cleaning Schedule
Cleaning. My least favorite thing to do, right?
When I started the process of homemaking I was extremely overwhelmed by the idea of regularly cleaning my house. I know that sounds gross- did she not clean her house before? Well yes and no. I’m not afraid to talk about this because I know there other people who are embarrassed about their living space and you should know you’re not alone but it is possible to get on top of things.
My space is usually a representation of the state of my mental health. I know it can be easy to judge someone as a slob or gross when you walk into a space that is cluttered, messy and a bit (or a lot a bit) dirty. But the reality is that we don’t always know the reason behind the mess. Maybe that person is extremely depressed and cannot mentally muster up the energy to clean everything and at that point it’s out of control and extremely overwhelming. Maybe that person has another health problem that’s keeping them from being able to be super mobile. Maybe that person is working two or three jobs and trying to take care of their family and why clean up the mess when it’s just going to be made again? Whatever that may be, we ought not to be quick to judge when it comes to someone’s space because you just don’t know. That being said, offering to help someone get a clean slate and set up new systems that will work for them is typically okay, as long as it’s a close relationship and there isn’t judgment being passed.
In this post I am coming at you from the perspective that I struggle with depression, anxiety but I love to be extremely organized. But when I am dealing with a flare up and I’m really down, I find it hard to be organized. I am very excited though because when I was at a mental peak a few months ago I decided to clear the slate, deep clean the whole house, declutter (you can read that post here) and start over. That lead me to where we are now. When I had a bad mental health flare up this last week, my house got a little messy. I got off my cleaning schedule. But I was able to get back on track when I felt better because I set up systems that worked for me, I had already gotten rid of a lot of stuff and less stuff=less clutter and going into the flare up the house was clean so it didn’t get unbearable for anyone.
So let’s talk about the starting point.
I know it can be very overwhelming to feel like you have to clean a whole house, especially when you’re at the beginning of your cleaning journey. I get it. That’s why I didn’t make myself clean the house in a day or even a weekend. It actually took two weeks to get it to where I wanted to “start”. This could take you a day, a week or even a month, whatever amount of time you need, take it! I decluttered each room and as I decluttered I cleaned it. I scrubbed and scraped at the crooks and crevices. I dusted and vacuumed and sprayed until it was fresh and clean. I moved furniture and cleaned the floors really well and I scrubbed windows and sills. I focused on a room or a half a room everyday and I took breaks by giving myself a day off here and there so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed and quit the whole job.
Then I created my cleaning schedule. I know that some people will clean a whole category every day - aka, dishes once a week or spraying all the mirrors but I find that working room by room is helpful for me. Monday-Thursday or just four days out of the week if I have stuff going on, I take a room or set of rooms. I break down the room into weekly tasks and then there are other tasks that are monthly and then I have a set of tasks that are daily, 7 days a week to stay on top of things. In the schedule below I don’t list the daily because they’re things I add to my to-do list automatically. If you need to write them in on your own schedule! As I mentioned I have monthly & quarterly (every 3 months) tasks that I also do. I set an event on my calendar to help remind me! On Friday’s or Saturday’s, whenever I feel like doing it, I do a couple of the monthly tasks I know I need to do. I figure these out based on the need and what I have time for each week. I rest on Sundays. Here’s what it all looks like:
Want this template?
Here it is for free, just download it, print it off and hang it on your fridge! You could even laminate it or cover it in tape so that you can edit or add seasonal or specific tasks.
Not so bad, huh?
It’s just a few tasks a day and I can easily manage to get those in throughout my day. I do them while Hayden naps or during his independent play in his play gym or on the ground. I let him crawl around and be independent of me because also, I can’t be attached to a baby all day, I’d go nuts. Plus it’s really good for his motor skill development and I’m going to stop explaining myself now.. However you need to do them, wear your baby if you have one, divide tasks with your spouse/partner or rotate days that ya’ll clean. I typically don’t ask Dustin to take a whole day or a whole set of tasks because he’s exhausted from working and although I have a lot going on my job isn’t as physically demanding as his. If I need help one day I’ll tell him that I need help with an individual task or I’ll show him the list and see if he can take something. And if I’m having an off day, I’ll let it go and do them the next day or whenever in that week I get to them because at the end of the day my mental health is important.
That being said, your environment plays into your mental health a lot. I know that it can feel like you’re spiraling when you’re trying to take care of yourself but also you don’t feel like it, I get it. So take advantage of your high moments or ask someone to come help you or do it for you because you may just realize when your space is fresh, decluttered and clean that you mentally feel better.
I hope that this helps you and encourages you in your homemaking journey. For more homemaking tips you can follow my lovely friend Allison - aka - @marriedandahouse on Instagram, she gives incredible tips as she walks this journey, and you can check out her blog!