• Being a parent is hard work. Whether you stay at home, work from home, or work outside of the home, it is very easy to fall behind on keeping up your house. For me, when this happens, I somehow feel responsible though intellectually I know it shouldn’t all fall on me. I had a routine that I followed for years. I’d clean the entire house really well (working on it for almost an entire day), be proud for a day or so and then felt like I didn’t need to do anything for a while because I worked so hard cleaning. And then poof. Somehow everything fell behind and the house was gross again and cleaning it felt overwhelming. So, I’d start the cycle all over again. Sound familiar? S,o instead of having to catch up all the time, I realized the key to keeping your house clean and neat, was to divide the house into five, more manageable sections (which is what I now practice). My sections include:

    • The kitchen/ dining room
    • The family room/foyer/ laundry
    • The master bedroom and bathroom
    • The kids rooms
    • Guest rooms/ guest bathrooms/ laundry day

    Each section is dealt with one day out of the week, Monday through Friday.

    I spend only 20 minutes of cleaning in each section each day. If for some reason something happens and I’m not able to get to a certain section. No big deal, I will get to it next week at its regularly scheduled time. Letting it go for a week isn’t that big of a deal because all the other sections are done. Most of the time however, I make time to get my little twenty minutes in each day (like my own little workout). I never have to worry when someone calls and says they are on their way. At most I will have to pick up a few toys here and there but overall it looks somewhat together. Here is a detailed list of what I do. You don’t have to follow it exactly, so tailor it to your time frame and your house!

    Monday:

    1. In the kitchen and dining room
    2. Sweep
    3. Mop
    4. Wipe appliances
    5. Wipe cabinets, light fixtures, wall switches, doors, walls and baseboards
    6. Dust blinds, and shelves

    Tuesday:

    1. In the family room, foyer, and laundry room
    2. Sweep
    3. Mop
    4. Wipe light fixtures, wall switches, doors, walls and baseboards
    5. Dust TV, blinds, and shelves
    6. Organize desk
    7. Water plants on porch

    Wednesday:

    1. In the master bedroom and bathroom
    2. Dust furniture and Moldings
    3. Wipe walls, doors, and baseboards
    4. Change sheets
    5. Change towels
    6. Clean the Shower, Toilet, and Sink
    7. Vacuum

    Thursday:

    1. Kids rooms
    2. Dust furniture and Moldings
    3. Wipe walls, doors, and baseboards
    4. Change sheets
    5. Vacuum

    Friday:

    1. In the guest rooms and bathrooms
    2. Dust furniture and Moldings
    3. Wipe walls, doors, and baseboards
    4. Change sheets if needed
    5. Wipe down the sink, toilet, tub, and bath toys
    6. Change Towels
    7. Wash Floor

    Again, each day is completed in roughly twenty minutes. Leaving me plenty of time to hang out with my kids and husband without having to worry about the housework. An added bonus, is having it written down in a visible and easy to see place allows my husband and children to pitch in when they can. When I’m sick (or just want to relax), he knows exactly what needs to be done each day.