How clean IS my house?

Cleaning the house has always been an area that I could improve upon. I’m good at things like vacuuming, changing the sheets, cleaning the kitchen countertops and table, dusting, and cleaning the bathrooms. Depending on your definition of good, I probably could improve upon my good tasks. During my second trimester, I got into an awesome nightly routine of cleaning and picking up the house. Dishwasher, washing dishes, cleaning the counters and table, picking up the living room, and picking up our bedroom and bathroom. I was doing a load of laundry throughout the week so I didn’t have to spend all weekend doing it. As with any routine, it took about a month for me to do it without thinking about how tired I was or how much I didn’t want to do it. The third trimester hit and I broke the rhythm.

As soon as I got a handle on life with a newborn and toddler, I wanted to get into a good cleaning routine. With my old routine, I felt great after I got all those things done. I could sit down in the chair and relax because my house was clean. Most nights I’d spend 30 minutes exercising and then another 30 minutes reading a book after I had cleaned. The TV would stay off and I’d go to bed feeling  exhausted in an energetic way.

One afternoon I was yearning for some productivity. I decided to create a cleaning schedule that was reasonable. I wanted something that would make me feel good when I fell into bed at the end of the day. I didn’t want something that was going to be unattainable and make me feel guilty. I searched Pinterest and created the following:

Monday – Kitchen

• Clean the appliances
• Clean and organize the refrigerator
• Organize the pantry
• Wipe down the cabinets
• Clean the patio door {i.e.: get rid of toddler and dog slobber!}
• Wipe down the chairs and table legs

Tuesday – Living Room

• Dust the blinds
• Clean the windows and baseboards
• Vacuum
• Dust the furniture
• Remove items that don’t belong
• Wash the blankets

Wednesday – Bedrooms

• Dust the blinds
• Clean the windows and baseboards
• Wipe down the doors
• Vacuum
• Dust the furniture
• Put things away
• Organize closet

Thursday – Bathrooms

• Clean
• Put things away
• Sweep and mop
• Wipe down the doors
• Change towels
• Wash rugs

Friday – Saturday – Sunday … NOTHING!

Daily items include laundry, picking up toys, picking up the kitchen and mail area, picking up the mud room, and picking up our bathroom.

When I was creating this schedule, it dawned on me that I could be setting myself up for failure. Failure when I go back to work. The cleaning schedule that I created would have me doing a lot of cleaning after 8 pm. That’s on top of feeding an infant and feeling the general exhaustion that comes from working all day. I’m still undecided on how I feel about the schedule when I currently have all day to complete the items. Some days they are all done and other days they aren’t. I have better luck doing them if Maximus isn’t home with me. {No surprise there!} When that’s the case, it doesn’t feel like it’s unreasonable or too much of a chore list. I used to do a major clean of my house once a month. It took up all weekend and I felt great after it was done. I’d like to create a schedule that keeps on top of everything so I don’t feel like I need to do a deep clean. If this schedule feels overwhelming once I go back to work, I’ll adjust and come up with something that works better for my life. {And maybe enlist Bryan to help me!}

What’s your cleaning routine? Are you a weekly cleaner or monthly deep cleaner?