See my house and get some inspiration to do housework at my Housework blog.
Secrets to a Clean House
Schedule update August 2012
I needed a few changes to fit in with my commitments. I have put a few more things on together now that I have it pretty much down pat. This frees up Monday and Wednesday. I still use the wincalendar every month so I know exactly what has to be done each day. I narrowed the Monday and Wednesday columns then copied and pasted the housework bit into each cell. I don't usually print it out cause I have it up on the laptop in the lounge room. Here is my latest schedule.
Dishwasher - Mon, Wed, Fri
Wash up every morning before breakfast. Pack what you can in the dishwasher.
Get everything done by 10 am - 3 hours
7 am Exercises
8 am Breakfast + shower
8:30am - 10am Housework except Monday and Wednesday
Change sheets every Sat
Wash clothes every Tues, Thurs, Sat
Vacuuming - Tues Bedrooms, Thurs Kitchen, Sat Lounge
1st Tues vacuum bedrooms and clean our our bedroom dust venetians in lower bedrooms and clean windows
2nd Tues vacuum bedrooms and Steam bedroom floors
3rd Tues vacuum bedrooms and Dust venetians upstairs and clean bedroom windows
4th Tues vacuum bedrooms and Dust venetians in lounge and clean poolside windows
1st Thurs vacuum kitchen dining and clean out kitchen
2nd Thurs vacuum kitchen dining and clean out downstairs toilet and bathroom
3rd Thurs vacuum kitchen dining and clean out dining room
4th Thurs vacuum kitchen dining and dust venetians in kitchen and dining and steam kitchen dining floors
1st Fri. clean upstairs bathroom and toilet and windows
2nd Fri clean out my sunroom, including window and door
3rd Fri clean out laundry, including window and door and steam bedroom floors
4th Fri sponge all the edges.
1st Sat vacuum lounge and vacuum upstairs
2nd Sat vacuum lounge and clean lounge, bar, desk
3rd Sat vacuum lounge and steam lounge room floors
4th Sat vacuum lounge and clean downstairs toilet and bathroom
1st Sunday clean out upstairs rooms and clean balcony doors
2nd Sunday blower clean back and front patios and clean patio windows
3rd Sunday clean back table and front door and clean long windows
4th Sunday clean garage windows
Original Introduction from 2010
Of course, a schedule may not be your cup of tea but it works great for me. At least have a look.
Now I was retired there was no real excuse not to do some housework. I worked out what needed to be done and how often it should be done and put it on a one month page from wincalendar
Here is my December 2010 schedule. Pretty punishing but I had a lot to catch up with. Now it is a breeze. At the bottom of the page is a possible schedule for someone with kids and might have to wash and vacuum more.
I could hardly believe how much I was getting done. By Christmas the house was clean and I was organised for Christmas Day. I felt like I had achieved something.
I determined a routine based on what I had to keep on doing each week and each month to keep on top of things.
Monday and Thursday is vacuum, general dust and wash. AM (washing means - clothes, sheets, tea towel and kitchen hand towel, bathroom hand towel. Bath towels when 6 have piled up.)
Every thursday change the sheets. AM
Every 10 days change the towels. AM
1st Thursday clean out our bedroom. AM
2nd Thursday clean out dining and small lounge. AM
3rd Thursday clean out kitchen. AM
4th Thursday clean cobwebs and walls. AM
1st Monday vacuum upstairs. AM
2nd Monday clean lounge room AM
3rd Monday steam floors. AM
4th Monday clean toilets and bathrooms. AM
1st Tuesday clean out upstairs rooms. AM
2nd Tuesday clean out my sunroom, including window and door AM
3rd Tuesday clean out laundry, including window and door. AM
4th Tuesday sponge all the edges. AM
Every Wednesday PM clean some windows:
Kitchen window and door
Patio door and window
Pool door and window
Our bedroom and Neville’s workroom window and doors
Balcony doors
Upstairs windows
Long windows
1st Saturday dust venetians downstairs PM
2nd Saturday dust venetians upstairs PM
3rd Saturday clean back patio and table. PM
4th Saturday sweep front and clean front door.
Wednesday mornings free, Sundays are free and Saturday mornings are free. Generally any Monday to Thursday chores can be swapped to Sunday if I go out during the week.
Now I use this routine to write up each month. The only job that goes longer than a month is the window cleaning cycle. So windows get cleaned about every 2 months.
January's schedule was much more civilised.
February schedule is similar and subsequent months will be similar. I just fill out the template using my routine as a guide. Now I don't even think about what chores I have to do until the evening before or in the morning. I open the jobs file and have a look. Some days I am surprised that there is only one simple thing to do so I have most of the day to sew or read or sit and look at the view with a nice cup of coffee. The hardest chore is vacuuming but even that only takes me an hour and a half when it is combined with something like clean the bathrooms. I am busy and working full on but when it is done I feel great. Occasionally I will swap something if we are having visitors and it has been three weeks since I cleaned out the bathroom. Some things I do as required when I walk past - like clean the bathroom basin or fill the dishwasher. My house looks great. I don't have to agonise over the housework and I seem to have more time to do the things I enjoy. Writing up a schedule allows me to put the chores out of my mind til they are due. I am not always thinking "I must remember to change the sheets" or something similar.
Just to encourage you to think about it at least, I have done up a written plan and a March schedule for more vacuuming and washing as mums with kids might have to do.
