If you clicked on this post you obviously have a desire to keep a tidy home for yourself and your family. So congrats- that’s the first step in maintaining a tidy home! Without that desire, you won’t have any real motivation to figure out what practical steps you need to take to achieve your goal. Now you clicked on this particular post because you’re interested in a simple daily cleaning schedule but before I dive into that, I want to break down the different types of cleaning schedules there are and why they are all important in maintaining a tidy home.

Whew, that last sentence sounded overwhelming so let me back up. I’m here to make things simpler for you and that’s just what we’re going to do. First, let’s talk about the different types of cleaning schedules and why they are all important.

How to Create a Manageable Daily Cleaning Schedule

1.)Daily cleaning schedule.

• A daily cleaning schedule is simply the tasks you need to complete each day to maintain a level of tidiness in your home. They are simple, they are straightforward, and they shouldn’t take more than a few minutes a day. But more on that below!

2.) Weekly cleaning schedule.

• A weekly cleaning schedule includes the items that take more time to accomplish but you still want to get done each week so you assign them a day of the week to do. For instance, cleaning the kitchen on Mondays, the bathrooms on Tuesdays, and the laundry on Wednesdays. You can check out this post I wrote on a basic weekly cleaning routine.

3.) Monthly cleaning schedule.

• A monthly cleaning schedule includes areas of your home that need more of a deep clean. Trying to tackle them every week would be overwhelming but you still want to make sure they are addressed. For instance, deep cleaning the inside of your oven. It’s good to keep a running schedule so they still get done, but also do not feel like they need to be done every single week. (Because they don’t!)

4.) Lastly, seasonal cleaning schedule.

• A seasonal cleaning schedule might include areas of your home that you do every season, or sometimes even only once a year. For instance, I like to declutter and clean out my clothes closet seasonally.

Now that you know the different types of cleaning schedules, we’re going to hone in on creating a daily cleaning schedule that will cover the daily essentials.  Why do we break them up? Because the 5 daily cleaning schedule items act as the base of all your cleaning tasks. Do not try to tackle the baseboards, door sliders, or grout before you have these tasks down almost as second nature. Consider this schedule the foundation that you rely on to keep your home running better.

STEP 1: Pick 5 daily tasks you feel need to get done every day for your house to at least not drive you insane.

How’s that for a definition? Another way to think of it would be if you could only pick 5 areas of your home that could stay clean and/or tidy every day and were not allowed to do anything else, what would those five areas be?

I’ll give you mine to help you get started.

1. Make my bed.
2. Run the dishwasher
3. Clean the kitchen counters before bed.
4. Do one load of laundry.
5. Vacuum the living room rug.

And there you have it. Those are my 5 cleaning/tidying essentials that I prioritize every single day.  After years of practicing this schedule, I don’t even have to think about these items. I just do them automatically. The nice part is, even on my craziest or busiest day, as long as I can accomplish these five items I feel like it prevents my house from becoming a complete disaster.

STEP 2: Reevaluate your 5 daily essentials periodically.

Now just because you picked these 5 items doesn’t mean you’re married to them forever. I know I go through different seasons where different cleaning tasks are more important to me. Or one day we will get another cat, and then cleaning the litter box will make its way onto this list. Feel free to experiment until you find the sweet spot for where you are now.

STEP 3: Do NOT add extra items.

This is very important. Once you get these five items down it can be tempting to start adding more cleaning tasks to your daily cleaning schedule. Resist the urge. That’s what your weekly, monthly, and seasonal cleaning routine is for. These are just the absolute essentials. Once we start adding more to our list it’s easy to become overwhelmed again.

ONE LAST NOTE.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t add a quick section about how to make cleaning easier for you overall. My best piece of advice is to own less stuff in the first place. When we have to spend 10 minutes every day cleaning our kitchen counters before we can wipe them down that adds unnecessary time to our cleaning schedule. Did you know that simply decluttering can reduce our overall housework by 40 percent? It’s crazy, but it’s true.

Now if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in your home, don’t worry, I’ve got your back. I created an entire eBook to create and maintain a tidy home for good. CLICK HERE to grab the guide and start worrying about cleaning less.

So, what are your five daily cleaning schedule items? I’d love to know below!