We all know how life goes, we often struggle to get dinner on the table on time, let alone feel like we can get our house cleaned every week. Life is filled with running the kids around from school activities to sports practices and games to church activities.
For me, it is very, very rare that I ever have an entire day, let alone a half of a day, to get my house completely clean. So I admit…my house is never clean! But, it’s never dirty either!….does that make any sense? It does to me, here’s how–I have to get my house cleaned on a weekly schedule.
Clean your House in Only 20 Minutes a Day
I spend approximately 20-30 min. on a daily basis cleaning. It goes really quickly and I sneak it in when I can! Sometimes it’s first thing in the morning other times it’s after I get dinner in the oven or even when I just need a bit of a break from work (thankfully, I work out of the house!).
When I spend just a bit of time daily, my house actually gets cleaned every week. This doesn’t include deep cleaning (inside cabinets, closets, behind furniture, etc), but it’s a good surface level clean. So I say my house is never clean…in reality, it isn’t ever dirty—it just doesn’t get cleaned all on the same day.
I stick to a very simple routine. While the kids are getting ready for the bus, I spend a few minutes walking through the house picking up and putting away anything out of it’s place. Typically this doesn’t take me too long as the kids are responsible for picking up their “stuff” before they head up to bed the night before.
At some point in the day, I carve 20 minutes out of my day for the following:
MONDAY: Grab your dusting mitt and dust in every room. Work your way through the house from top to bottom.
TUESDAY: Clean all showers and shower doors in every bathroom.
WEDNESDAY: Clean toilets, sinks & mirrors in every bathroom.
THURSDAY: Wipe down/polish all kitchen appliances and sink.
FRIDAY: Vacuum every room of the house. Work your way through the house from top to bottom.
SATURDAY: Clean any hardwood or linoleum floors with your preferred method (steam mop, hand wash, swiffer, etc).
You can grab this free printable at the bottom of the post. Hang in your laundry room or on the fridge. Do what works best for you…if you need to double-up on a particular day–do it! Sometimes it’s easier for me to do all of my floors on one day, so I adjust. The biggest suggestion I have is to NOT skip a week…by the time it’s been 2 weeks since you last cleaned your bathrooms…there’s no way to get the cleaning done quickly! Consistency is key!
Free Printable Clean Your House in 20 Minutes a Day Printable
I love this post. I’m printing off your checklist. I recently had to discontinue my maid service and had decided that the method you’re using is how I will proceed. It was so nice to find the checklist already completed. Thank you.
Awesome!! I’m so glad! 🙂
Yes, I’ve found if I do a little cleaning every day, my house stays reasonably clean and I don’t need to spend as much time deep cleaning.
I saw your post featured over at Thrifty Thursday. Congratulations!
THANKS for stopping by, Barb!
I must be going blind…I can’t find where I can print the reminder list. Can you help me? Thanks!
Lynda, this link should work. 🙂
http://sportsmomsurvivalguide.com/wp-content/printables/20-Min%20clean%20house.pdf
Thanks for the good advice. However, I’ve been searching to find help to keep our house clean as we are a lott of working outside of home women. Apparently, it is very difficult to have lists like yours.
In a way, it makes me think that most women are at home raising their kids without going out to bring some bread on the table. This is very strange as we are a lot of working moms and working women in America and Canada…
Just thought to mention it.
Have a good day.
Sorry for the typing mistakes.
I feel the opposite. I work outside the home full time, with a 45 min commute each way and doing a little cleaning each day is a lot easier for me than trying to do it all at once on the weekends. Usually I do my daily cleaning after work, while dinner is in the oven. Then once dinner is done, I have a clean house and a full stomach and I’m able to relax for the evening. (This is by about 7:30-8). If you haven’t found something that works for you yet, you might give this a try.
I actually started my cleaning schedule when I did start working outside the home. If you an get 20 minutes before work to shove some cleaning into, the evenings are so much nicer.
Thank you for the great tips. Being a founder of a start up company every minute counts. Hope you have a great day
Thank you for sharing this!! I will share this with my fellow Mops (Mothers of Preschoolers) Moms!
Thanks for sharing, Teri! 🙂
Thanks for the great way to break down cleaning into manageable bits! I’ll be using this as a start but I’ll have to add one load of laundry a day with a family of five and extra floor cleaning days with a 140 pound dog ugh!!!
No problem! Glad we can help, even a little. 🙂
This is a great list. I noticed you never listed ‘clean counters’ in the kitchen or bathrooms. That seems to be a big thing for me. Did I just miss this? Thanks for posting this for others to use!
You must have a tiny house- it would take two hours for me to dust the whole house – or mop it – or vacuum it. I understand the run through picking up stuff etc but the cleaning? never in 20 mins.
I thought the same thing. It would take me the same amount of time as it take you.
Same here! No way will 20 minutes a day make even a dent in my cleaning chores. It takes me over 20 minutes to vacuum one floor and I have three floors plus basement. Now add in a couple of pets…
Even with a once a week household cleaning service, it still takes me far more than 20 minutes a day to keep things even partially tidy.
Here’s a tip for people who have small children at home: take sandwiches to the park rather than having them cooped up all day going stir-crazy in the house and creating more housework.
If it’s cold weather, dress them, (and yourself), in layers of warm, practical clothes, (from the op shop if necessary), topped with a wind-proof or even waterproof jacket or coat, warm hat, gloves, boots. Getting out of the house early lets children wear off energy, while at the same time giving everyone a chance to exercise at their own pace in the fresh air.
Wendy, thanks for the tip!
Is this advice for real or a ridiculous joke? 20 minutes?! hahahahaha!
“Pre Cleaning: Run through the house and pick up/put away anything out of place.” Really?? So… PRE CLEANING = 2 hours of picking up all 6742 tiny legos my children toss like confetti in every room of our house; sorting through the endless amounts of drawings, permission slips, announcements, and other papers that follow my kids home from school; clearing the kitchen counters of the chaos left behind after I decided to “foster independence” by having my kids make their own lunches; and picking up dirty laundry that somehow always ends up on the floor and never in the hamper– including the 17 different socks my youngest son tried on this morning until he found a pair that weren’t “stupid.”