Daily Cleaning

Before I begin I have to admit that I absolutely hate cleaning. Who doesn't right? Surely I'm not alone with that thought?? I feel like more time could be spent with my family if there wasn't so much cleaning. But let's face it...the house has to be clean presentable at all times...at least that's how I see it. There have been plenty of times though that some one stopped by my house unexpectedly and got to witness toys scattered, dishes in the sink, food on the floor, folded clothes on the couch, etc...you know what I mean. I got embarrassed at first but quickly realized that is part of having a family and kids. You can't expect perfection unless you are Martha Stewart and uhh...I'm not her nor do I wish to be.

So anyways I had decided that I needed to do just a little cleaning daily to keep the house presentable at all times. Of course there will always be toys everywhere because we have 4 soon to be 5 kids. I've tried different approaches to this "daily cleaning" but nothing ever stuck. I would do it a few days at a time then something would come up or we had early morning appointments and the cleaning got pushed to the side. For some reason I just can not get into cleaning after lunch time. I felt like if I hadn't done it by that point I wasn't getting it done...so I didn't.

Obviously that hasn't worked out too well for me. Plus with a family the size of ours we ALWAYS have something going on whether it be in the morning, afternoon, or evening so I had to figure out something that would work for me. This is one of my goals for the new year. To come up with a new cleaning schedule that worked...and stick to it! So far I've only come up with my daily cleaning schedule and I haven't really tested it out so we shall see!

I know you are bored so I'll quit rambling and give you my plan! About half is done in the morning while the rest would have to be done at night. If done according to plan the house should stay in a reasonably decent shape all the time.

Master Bathroom
This is where I start my day anyways so starting to clean here in the morning would be the most logical.  
-Put up anything that doesn't belong on top of counter
-Wipe counter and sinks with a wash rag
-Using only a toilet brush (no cleaner) clean the inside of toilet (just making it white)
-Check to see if trash needs taken out
-Take dirty clothes to laundry room

Master Bedroom
-Make bed
-Put away anything that belongs in the room
-Anything that doesn't belong in room goes into basket to be put up when I make it to that room

Kitchen
Morning
-Unload dishwasher
-Reload with dishes from breakfast (and again at lunch)
Night
-Load dishwasher and turn it on
-Handwash anything necessary
-Wipe counters and table
-Sweep floor
-Change rag and towel
**Nightly kitchen duties are done with the help of children so it may take a little longer than if I did it alone.

Living Room
-Pick up anything out of place. If it doesn't belong in there put it in the basket.

Kid's Rooms
Night as part of their chores
-Clean room (toys picked up, shoes in right place)
-Get out next day's clothes and set on dresser
-Any dirty clothes to laundry room

Kid's Bathroom
-Wipe counter and sink with rag
-Wipe inside of toilet with brush
-Check trash
-Kid's take dirty clothes to laundry room after bath time

**Basket with misplaced things will be emptied as I go through each room or after I have finished everything else.**

I'm going to try to do the morning chores first thing in the morning even if we have to go somewhere early that way when we get home it is done and I don't have to worry about it. I'm going to time it in the morning to see how long it takes me without rushing to complete everything and I will update when I know. The list seems kind of long but nothing should take more than a minute.

~As long as this works out for me I can cross this off my goal list!! ~

For a printable version of my cleaning list go here and download it!

 What is your daily cleaning schedule and how long does it take you to complete??

Ashley