Home Routine: How To Create a Routine For Your Home That Actually Works

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Create a weekly cleaning schedule that works for your home, and gain a little extra peace of mind through daily routines!

Cleaning Schedule for Your Home

Do you have a home cleaning schedule that actually works for you?

As a wife, mom and business owner, if I don't have a cleaning routine and system in place (that I'll actually use!), our home goes downhill fast.

Note: 2024 Home Planners COMING SOON. Learn more!

So a few years ago I created and started following a home cleaning schedule that actually worked for our family. I don't do it perfectly at all (and I definitely don't keep up with every single thing every single day!), but as long as I loosely stick to the routine when I can, our home stays in decent shape.

I realized that I was constantly making the same lists of the same things to do each week, and created a home cleaning schedule and planner with those items on the list.  Having them mapped out for me meant that I wasn't waking up each day thinking “what do I need to do today?”, but naturally had a list guiding me through each day.

So how what does a cleaning schedule look like? Here are my five important steps:

1 . Morning Cleaning Schedule

I do these things each morning BEFORE I turn on my phone. 

Not gonna lie ~ I don't do these EVERY day, but I do them MOST days:

• Exercise
• Shower
• Make beds (I only make my bed ~ my kids do their own)
• Start a load of laundry
• Clean bathroom sinks (I miss this one several days a week but get it in at least 2-3 days!)
• Plan/prep dinner
• Wash/put away dishes (my family helps with this)
• Clean kitchen counters
• Wipe down kitchen sink
• Tidy main living space

Because I keep up with our home regularly, I can usually finish up everything on the list except exercising and showering in less than twenty minutes. Keeping up with the list daily just makes it easy!

TIP: start with exercise as often as you can, even if it means waking up 30 minutes early. . It will give you more energy and change your attitude for the entire day ~ so very worth it!

2. Nighttime Cleaning Schedule

I do these 8 things most nights before I go to bed:

• Make dinner
• Prep meals for next day
• Wash/put away dishes
• Clean kitchen counters
• Wipe down kitchen sink
• Set out fresh kitchen towels for the next day
• Sweep/vacuum kitchen
• Fold laundry
• Tidy main living space

Again, other than making dinner, everything else on the list takes less than 20 minutes per day. It goes super fast because it's kept up with regularly (and I usually enlist my family to help!)

3. Daily Home Project

I try to tackle one bigger home cleaning project each day:

• Sunday – Make menu plan (using one of these menu plans) and grocery shop (I usually order groceries using Kroger Clicklist to pick up on Sunday)
• Monday – Dust & vacuum
• Tuesday – Quick fridge cleanout, mop floors, take out all trash, clean microwave and stovetop
• Wednesday – Clean bathrooms
• Thursday – Change bedroom sheets
• Friday – Clean electronic screens, sort paperwork, take out trash
• Saturday – “Extra” project ~ like cleaning out the car, sweeping out the garage or sweeping the front porch

MANY of these things do not happen on the day their “assigned” to happen, so if I realize it's Friday and I missed clean sheets day (it's my favorite day!) I'll pop an extra load of laundry in. On busy weeks most of my home cleaning schedule chores get pushed off until the weekend, but since I've maintained our house with my daily lists it's not too bad if I miss a day.

Keeping everything I need pulled together in a cleaning bucket helps me tackle shores fast without having to go looking for the tools that I need.

4. Big Weekly Cleaning Project

I tackle one BIG HUGE SCARY project each week. 🙂 For example . . . 

• Organize the linen closet
• Tidy up the master bathroom closet
• Clean underneath the kitchen sink
• Deep clean the freezer

For me, a “big” project usually takes about an hour, and I try to schedule those two times each year (so if I miss it once, it's not missed forever!) Because my kids are a little older, sometimes they tack the “big” project for the week. (It's a great way for them to earn some spending money, and keeping up with those things regularly makes managing our home just a little easier to keep up with!

5.  Give Yourself Permission To Be Imperfect

I give myself oodles of grace on all that doesn't get done.

I realized when my kids were young that I would never be able to keep up with everything. So I tackle what I can (checking off a list is so rewarding for me!), but then let the rest go. It's not perfect and it's not always easy, but having a system that I regularly stick to means our home is a happy place to come home to.

I know having a home cleaning schedule and system doesn't sound all that exciting (or even important!) but for me, when I walk into our home and things are in order, it gives me a teensy sense of peace in a kinda-crazy world. Our home feels calm (um, most?) of the time, my kids know they can always invite a friend over, and I don't have to “guess” at what to do next. (It just takes away the overwhelm for me!) If you're struggling to keep your home managed each day, a cleaning routine might just work for you too ~ try it for a week or two and see how it goes!

Do you follow a home cleaning schedule? Is there anything that you do regularly that works for you? Leave a comment to share (I'd sure love to hear!) You can also get a free sample of the 2024 Home Planner including my cleaning routine rigt over HERE ~ I know you will love it!