The Best Cleaning Schedule for Moms

Are you trying to keep your house clean but don’t even know where to start?

Maybe you have the best intentions to have a clean house, but it seems the kids are destroying it minute by minute, and you’re just trying to stay afloat.

Let me help you take your house back, day by day, with a realistic cleaning schedule for moms. I know how valuable your time is, and this schedule helps you tackle the clutter space-by-space and day-by-day.

Why a Weekly Cleaning Schedule?

A schedule do you really need a cleaning schedule? I mean, it seems like everything else in our lives is scheduled: the time we have to wake up in the morning, the time we have to get the kids to school and pick them up, our doctor appointments, heck, we are even scheduling play dates and sports. The last thing we want to do is ADD to our schedule. Am I right? We are actively trying to reduce the amount of items on our schedule, why on earth would we ADD a cleaning schedule. Well, the simple answer is a cleaning schedule helps to break up the cleaning into bite-size pieces rather than feeling consumed by the task.

A schedule allows us to have a fixed time that is dedicated to a specific task. If we block out this time to get a task done, then we are more likely to do it. For instance, if I wake up in the morning and know that today, Monday, is the day I mop my kitchen floors. I am more likely to complete that task than if I just have it holding space in my head as “I need to get the floors mopped at some point.” How long would it take to get around to that chore finally? Honestly, I could probably put it off for months if I really wanted to.

This is why scheduling is important. There is always something that needs our attention, and if we are not intentional with our time, we can easily make excuses for why it doesn’t get done. The best way to start and maintain a clean home (and I use this term very loosely because “clean” will vary from household to household) is by putting together a cleaning schedule. So, let’s get to it.

What to Include in your Weekly Cleaning Schedule? Realistic Expectations.

Where do we even begin? There are SO many things in the house that need to be cleaned: the kitchen, the bedrooms, the bathrooms, and the laundry. How do you decide where to start? Honestly, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you start. I’m not going to pretend like I have it all together and my house is immaculately clean every day because…. it’s not. I have four kids, and I’m super realistic about my expectations in terms of “clean,” and you should be too!

Now, this doesn’t mean that I don’t value a clean home, but having a clean home helps my mental health tremendously. However, I also know that if I am expecting my hardwood floors to shine every hour of every day without clutter, I’m setting myself up for failure. I’m going to have things out of place. I’m going to have dirty floors.

The goal here is NOT PERFECTION. Repeat that for me, “My goal for my house is not perfection.”

Our houses are lived in, memories are constantly being made, we are just maintaining. Be realistic with your expectations of cleaning and what that looks like for your family. My version of clean may look like a mess to you, but you know what? That’s okay. Only you know what is realistic for your household, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. You’re doing your best, and that’s all that matters.

If you can’t do every task on this cleaning schedule, that’s okay. There are days I don’t manage to do any of it. The schedule is here as a guide to help me, but it’s not something I’m going to shame myself for if I don’t get to it, and you shouldn’t either.

**Also, side note: We all have seasons of life where sometimes we are on top of our game, and we’re killing it by keeping the house clean. Maybe we’ve hit a season of life where just getting the dishes washed and put away is like hitting. the. lottery. Don’t judge anyone for what their “clean” looks like, okay? We don’t know what is going on behind closed doors. Now, back to our schedule.

How to Break Down Your Weekly Cleaning Schedule

Your cleaning schedule should be broken down into bite-sized pieces. I’ve created a weekly cleaning schedule that is broken down day by day, which helps me stay on top of it. Now, this schedule may not work for you. Therefore, I’ve also added a blank schedule that you can create to fit the needs of your household. When I created my cleaning schedule, I broke it down into rooms in my house. I knew if I tackled one room (or group of rooms), I would be more likely to get it done than to have a bigger, more ambiguous plan.

I suggest leaving your weekends free from cleaning. As moms, the job of cleaning never truly ends. You’ll still be tidying up and doing those everyday tasks, but I like to leave my weekends as my “no-plan days” and prioritize family time since the kids are out of school and my husband is home (most of the time).

How to Stick with a Weekly Cleaning Schedule

Now let’s talk about the schedule. I like breaking our cleaning schedule down day by day. Each day, I target a different room, but you can make your own in a way that makes sense to you.

When I first designed this checklist, I made a list of chores within each room that needed to be completed. If you’re creating your own, I highly suggest starting off by listing all the chores you want to complete during the week and then breaking it down into easier pieces. Each box on my cleaning schedule should take less than 15 minutes, roughly.

Be realistic about what you want to accomplish. I knew I wouldn’t need to or want to clean my windows weekly, which means I’ve bumped that task to just once a month.

**You can download my Weekly Cleaning Schedule and a blank document below for you to create your own weekly cleaning schedule.

Helpful Cleaning Tips

Time Block. One of my biggest pieces of advice is to time block. Schedule a time in your day that you can commit to checking a few items off your list. What time is that? In our houses, my cleaning time block will most likely be during my toddler’s nap time. If you have a time block, you are more likely to complete your task because you’ve given it a designated time.
Set a Timer. Another thing I love to do to get motivated to clean is set a timer. Nowadays, the mere thought of cleaning seems like a monstrous task. On these days, I tell myself I’m setting a timer for 15 minutes. It doesn’t matter where I start; I pick one of my boxes for that day and work on that task for 15 minutes. I usually find that it becomes much more manageable once I start. I also find that I tend to keep cleaning beyond that 15 minutes. There’s something just about getting started that can seem daunting, but once you start, you find yourself on a roll and not wanting to stop. So, if this sounds like you, set that timer and see if it helps!
Realistic Expectations. Again, I know you’re probably sick of this one, but I think remembering is essential. I want you to have realistic expectations. Don’t set yourself up for failure. There may be days you don’t check a single task off your chart, but it’s okay! This isn’t an all or nothing scenario. Don’t be hard yourself, don’t get hung up on it, tomorrow is a fresh new start. Please don’t let it stop you from completing the task the next day. Focus on where you are in the moment and what you’re currently able to do. Maybe you have 5 minutes to clean up clutter quickly, that’s great, start there!
My last piece of advice is to include those kiddos on age-appropriate tasks while you’re cleaning. It’s good for them to develop these valuable life skills. Remember how I’ve told you to break your cleaning into smaller pieces? Do this with your kids, too. If I tell my kids to go clean the playroom, it becomes a back-and-forth war zone, “it’s too messy,” “I didn’t make the mess,” & “I don’t know what to do.” Instead, I pick specific tasks for them to target based on what needs to be cleaned. For example, “You clean up all the magna-tiles and all the blocks.” This gives them a specific task and makes it seem more manageable to them, which means I get less pushback.

Do you already have a cleaning schedule? If so, how has it helped you in your daily cleaning? If not, are you going to try the one I created or create your own? I can’t wait to hear if anyone tries some of my tips and if they help you (I secretly hope they do).

If there is anything I’m missing or something you’d like to know more about, comment below. I’d love to help.

If you have board game clutter you want to tackle, check out my DIY Board Game Storage Tutorial.