Establish a Cleaning System

Hey there, cleaning aficionado! Ready to tackle the grime and keep your space sparkling clean? Here are some steps to help you establish a cleaning system that'll have you feeling like a cleaning pro in no time:

Step 1: Take a good look around and figure out what needs to be cleaned. Are the floors looking a little too dusty? Is the kitchen sink starting to resemble a science experiment? Write down all the areas that need some love and attention.

Step 2: Determine how often you need to clean each area. Is the bathroom a high-traffic area that needs to be cleaned daily? Or is the guest bedroom only used occasionally and can be cleaned once a month? Take note of the cleaning frequency for each area.

Step 3: It's time to create a cleaning schedule. Make a plan of which areas will be tackled on which days and at what times. Don't forget to include some time for fun in between cleaning sessions!

Step 4: Assign responsibilities to everyone involved. If you're lucky enough to have a cleaning fairy, great! Otherwise, delegate cleaning tasks to your family, roommates, or hire a cleaning service. Make sure everyone knows what they're responsible for.

Step 5: Stock up on cleaning supplies and equipment. Get yourself some heavy-duty gloves, cleaning solutions, brooms, mops, and all the necessary cleaning tools. Get creative and make it fun!

Step 6: Implement the routine! Give everyone a crash course on how to properly clean each area and use the cleaning equipment. Make sure they don't mistake the kitchen sponge for a dog toy!

Step 7: Keep tabs on how your cleaning system is working. Is it effective and efficient? Do you need to make any tweaks or adjustments? Keep an open mind and always be ready to improve your system.

Cleaning needs

The result of performing Step 1: Cleaning needs, might be a list like this:

Cleaning List:

Kitchen:

• Sweep and mop floor
• Wipe down counters, cabinets, and drawers
• Clean sink and faucet
• Clean stove and oven
• Clean refrigerator and freezer
• Wipe down microwave and toaster oven
• Wash dishes and utensils

Living Room:

• Dust shelves, tables, and other surfaces
• Vacuum carpet and area rugs
• Fluff and arrange pillows and cushions
• Clean windows and mirrors
• Sweep or mop hardwood floors

Bathroom:

• Scrub toilet bowl and seat
• Clean sink and counter
• Clean shower and bathtub
• Wipe down walls and tiles
• Wash towels and bath mats
• Refill soap dispensers and toilet pape

Bedroom:

• Change bed sheets and pillowcases
• Dust surfaces, including nightstands, dressers, and shelves
• Vacuum carpets and rugs
• Fluff pillows and straighten bedding

Of course, this is just a sample list, and you should make your own or adjust this to fit your specific needs and preferences. It is okay to not have a perfect list, and to keep on adding things to this.

Frequency of cleaning

In step 2 you will determine the frequency of cleaning for each area. This will allow your cleaning schedule to take shape. You will now have a better understanding of how often certain areas of your home need to be cleaned and what kind of cleaning they require. Your cleaning list may can be revised to reflect the cleaning frequency.

For example, you may have decided that the kitchen needs to be cleaned every day to keep it tidy and prevent the buildup of food debris and grease. On the other hand, the guest room may only need to be cleaned once a month since it's not used as often.

Daily:

• Wipe down kitchen counters, cabinets, and appliances
• Sweep and mop kitchen floor
• Clean bathroom sink and toilet
• Take out trash and recycling

Weekly:

• Vacuum carpets and rugs throughout the house
• Dust living room and bedroom surfaces
• Clean shower and bathtub
• Change bed sheets and pillowcases

Monthly:

• Clean refrigerator and freezer
• Wipe down baseboards and walls throughout the house
• Dust blinds and curtains
• Clean oven and stove

By breaking down your cleaning tasks into daily, weekly, and monthly categories, you can better manage your cleaning schedule and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Remember to adjust your schedule as needed based on your lifestyle and cleaning needs. With a little bit of planning and organization, you can establish a cleaning system that works for you and keeps your home looking its best!

Cleaning tasks on specific days

In Step 3 you can assign cleaning tasks to specific days or times. Instead of having huge piles of clearning to do in the weekend, this will make your cleaning schedule more structured and manageable. Looking at the things you need to do weekly, you can designate certain days or times of the week to complete specific cleaning tasks, which can help you stay on track and prevent cleaning tasks from piling up.

Here's an example of what your cleaning schedule might look like after Step 3:

Weekly Tasks:

Monday:

• Sweep and mop kitchen floor
• Wipe down kitchen counters, cabinets, and appliances
• Clean bathroom sink and toilet
• Take out trash and recycling

Tuesday:

• Vacuum carpets and rugs throughout the house
• Dust living room and bedroom surfaces
• Change bed sheets and pillowcases

Wednesday:

• Clean shower and bathtub
• Wipe down baseboards and walls throughout the house
• Dust blinds and curtains

Thursday:

• Clean oven and stove
• Vacuum couches and chairs
• Clean mirrors and windows

Friday:

• Sweep or mop hardwood floors
• Wash towels and bath mats

Monthly Tasks:

Week 1:

• Clean refrigerator and freezer
• Dust ceiling fans and light fixtures
• Clean and organize pantry

Week 2:

• Wash windows and screens
• Clean kitchen cabinets and drawers
• Wipe down light switches and door handles

Week 3:

• Deep clean bathroom (shower grout, toilet bowl, etc.)
• Clean and organize closets
• Clean and condition leather furniture (if applicable)

Week 4:

• Deep clean carpets and rugs
• Clean and organize garage or storage areas
• Clean oven hood and vent

By assigning specific monthly tasks to each week, you can ensure that all areas of your home are getting the attention they need on a regular basis.

How would you implement your cleaning system?

By breaking down your cleaning tasks into daily, weekly, and monthly categories, you can make the cleaning process more manageable and prevent tasks from piling up. Generally, the weekly tasks may take around 20-30 minutes (or up to an hour) each day, while the monthly tasks may take 1-2h hours to complete depending on the size of your home and the level of cleaning needed.

So if you set aside 30’ each day for cleaning (assuming you are the only one doing the cleaning), and have a list of what you need to do each day, and 1-2h some days of the month for your monthly tasks, you should be good and keeping everything under control.

Of course, this doesn’t need to be a chore, and most likely after getting used to performing some tasks regularly, you can set your music or favorite audiobook service on and just get going.

Assigning responsibilities

After discussing and delegating cleaning responsibilities among all members of the household, your cleaning routine may now look something like this:

Weekly Tasks:

Monday:

• Sweep and mop kitchen floor (assigned to you)
• Wipe down kitchen counters, cabinets, and appliances (assigned to your spouse)
• Clean bathroom sink and toilet (your child)
• Take out trash and recycling (your spouse)

Tuesday:

• Vacuum carpets and rugs throughout the house (you)
• Dust living room and bedroom surfaces (your spouse)
• Change bed sheets and pillowcases (your child)

Wednesday:

• Clean shower and bathtub (your spouse)
• Wipe down baseboards and walls throughout the house (you)
• Dust blinds and curtains (your child)

Thursday:

• Clean oven and stove (your spouse)
• Vacuum couches and chairs (you)
• Clean mirrors and windows (your child)

Friday:

• Sweep or mop hardwood floors (you)
• Wash towels and bath mats (your spouse)

Monthly Tasks:

Week 1:

• Clean refrigerator and freezer (your spouse)
• Dust ceiling fans and light fixtures (you)
• Clean and organize pantry (your child)

Week 2:

• Wash windows and screens (your spouse)
• Clean kitchen cabinets and drawers (you)
• Wipe down light switches and door handles (your child)

Week 3:

• Deep clean bathroom (shower grout, toilet bowl, etc.) (your spouse)
• Clean and organize closets (you)
• Clean and condition leather furniture (if applicable) (your child)

Week 4:

• Deep clean carpets and rugs (your spouse)
• Clean and organize garage or storage areas (you)
• Clean oven hood and vent (your child)

By assigning specific tasks to each household member, you can ensure that everyone is contributing to the upkeep of the home and that no one is overburdened with cleaning duties. This can help prevent resentment or arguments related to cleaning and can create a sense of shared responsibility and teamwork within the household.

Delegation to a cleaning service

Of course, you could also hire someone or a cleaning service to come and clean up for you. This will save you a great amount of time, and possibly brain space, as you wouldn’t need to coordinate and keep an eye on what everyone is doing as much (except for the cleaning service).

However, remember that most likely you will still need to do putting stuff away and decluttering yourself, and each member of your family should take responsibility for an area. For example, you might put stuff away in the kitchen, your partner might do the bedroom and hallway, your children may do the living room and their room.

It is important to have a great decluttering philosophy and system in the house, that everyone is sharing. We will talk about that in the decluttering mission.

What else?

In step 5 - Cleaning supplies - you can create a well-stocked supply of cleaning products and equipment necessary to perform the cleaning tasks outlined in the cleaning routine*.*

You should have designated storage areas for your cleaning supplies and equipment, making it easy to access them when needed. You should also ensure that your cleaning supplies are stored safely and out of reach of children and pets.

Step 6: Implementing the Cleaning System

Now that you have assessed your needs, created a cleaning system, assigned responsibilities, and obtained the necessary cleaning supplies and equipment, it's time to implement the routine. Make sure that all members of your household are aware of their responsibilities and the frequency with which they need to be completed. Set up a schedule that works for everyone, and be sure to post it in a visible location.

It may be helpful to start slowly and gradually add tasks to the routine to prevent feeling overwhelmed. Stick to the routine as closely as possible, and make adjustments as needed based on your household's changing needs. Make sure to teach everyone what they need to do and how, and bring lots of patience to the table!

Step 7: Evaluating and Maintaining the Cleaning System

Encourage your household to stay on top of their assigned tasks, and lead by example by completing your own tasks on time.

Regularly assess the effectiveness of the cleaning routine and make changes as needed. Evaluate the routine to determine what's working well and what isn't. For example, you might consider:

• Are the assigned tasks being completed on time and to a satisfactory level?
• Are there any tasks that are being missed or overlooked?
• Are the cleaning supplies and equipment still effective and in good working condition?
• Are there any changes to your household's needs that require adjusting the cleaning routine?
• Do people want to swap tasks, perhaps they are more skilled for different cleaning tasks than you initially assigned them to?

This might seem complicated, but once you get going it will move a lot by itself. Remain in communication with all household members, and encourage them to become true owners of this process too.

Ultimately, the goal is to establish a cleaning routine that works for all your household and fits your lifestyle. By creating a schedule that works for you, you can maintain a clean and tidy home without sacrificing too much of your time and energy.

Now, we really recommend going for a simple rather than too elaborate of a system.

Try to minimize work, wherever you can. Make the tough decisions when you have to - for example of hiring a cleaning service every once in a while or for specific tasks that you might not get done.

In terms of making the time for it, we have a mission for you that simplifies the entire process.