It is hard with the busy lives we all lead to find time to keep the house clean. We work, carpool, help with homework and prepare meals. Often it feels like you are the only one in the house who can even see that it’s filthy and because you are the only one who sees it, you feel like you are the only one who cleans. Because you have so much on your plate already, it’s time to create a cleaning calendar to spread out the load. You are not the only one who lives in the house, and you should not bear the responsibility of keeping it all clean.
What a cleaning calendar will do for you
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Cut down on marathon cleaning
Eventually, you have enough of the mess and that’s when you take a whole day to clean the house top to bottom. You may or may not enlist your family to help, but either way, by the end of the day you are exhausted and frustrated and likely still have some things to check off your list that did not get done. Creating and sticking to a cleaning calendar will help your whole household get on board and prevent day long cleaning sessions.
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No more mad dash
The doorbell rings. Did someone really just show up without calling? The phone rings, and your family is down the street and will be to your home for an impromptu visit in 10 minutes. It’s happened to all of us. The mad dash begins to clean the house in the very limited time you are given before someone comes in and sees the “natural” state of your home. Now imagine if someone came by unexpectedly and you were just happy to see them and able to invite them into your tidy home without hesitation.
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Create more family time
When your family follows a cleaning schedule things will be reasonably clean most of the time and you will enjoy relaxing together. It will make the family game or movie night more enjoyable because everyone will be happier and less confrontational, especially you.
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Home safety
Let’s face it, there are some days when if the need arose for you to rush out of the house you would have to leap over piles of laundry and jump over homework to safety. With a cleaner home, you are able to get out in emergencies as well as lower your risk of tripping and falling over clutter on a daily basis. Another advantage is a regularly cleaned kitchen and bathroom cuts down on the germs that may linger and make you and your family sick.
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Become proactive
When you feel like you are running from one cleaning hotspot to another just to keep a semblance of order, you stress out. If you realize you are out of eggs when you start to prepare breakfast or the last bit of toilet paper has been used just when you need it, you get frustrated and feel pressure to get the things your home needs. Organizing a cleaning list also involves being able to be more aware of items your family needs so you can be proactive and have things on hand rather than reactive and stressed out.
How to create it
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Write it down
Create a cleaning schedule on paper and keep it where everyone in the house can see it. Everyone will know what is expected and what they need to do to participate in a smooth running home.
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Prioritize
Make a list of the important things to be cleaned, for some those are the places where guests see when they come over, like your toilet, kitchen sink, and the living room floor. Make it short enough that it can be accomplished within 30 minutes daily so no one feels overwhelmed.
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Delegate to personal preferences (when possible)
You may enjoy doing the dishes or folding laundry, while your spouse might enjoy vacuuming. Enjoy is probably a strong word, but with different personalities and preferences, each person likely prefers doing something different. Involve the people you live with in choosing the tasks and switch up the ones that no one wants to do on a rotating schedule.
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Clear instructions
Your definition of a completed task is likely a bit different than your teenage son’s definition. Make sure to clearly define the task. If the job is to fold the towels, be sure to note that it includes putting them in the linen closet and not leaving them on the floor in the living room.
Keep the end goal in mind. Less stress for you and by association, your family. Be prepared to tweak the calendar to the needs of your home and schedule throughout the year. As you go along, you will find things that are specific to your home and will be able to adjust and prepare in advance to alleviate stress on everyone involved.
