Cleaning List and Schedule

Cleaning List and Schedule

Daily:

- Pick up toys, this is not my detail clean but basically enough that they are off the floor.

Boy's job, I still supervise them some-what to make sure everyone is helping, and there isn't too much playing going on.

- Vacuum living room rug.  

Either one of my two older boys or I will do this.

- Dishes, I hate food left on dishes overnight. If there is not enough dishes to start the dishwasher, then the dishes should be rinsed off ready to go in when there is enough.
*Doing the dishes also includes putting food up and wiping down the table and counters.

I usually cook dinner, so it has been agreed that my husband does the dishes. The boys (except baby) are expected to throw away any food on plate after meal and put plate and silverware on counter to be washed. We also are starting to ask older two boys to help unload the dishwasher, or after we have washed them off to help load them in the dishwasher. 

- Sweep kitchen and dinning room floors, of course after dishes are done. 

I usually do this. 

Weekly:

Monday- is laundry day. I try to wash, dry, fold and put up all the clothes. 

I am the main one that does this, but boys do help fold and put up some of their own clothes.

Tuesday- I will wash the towels, bedsheets, and blankets. I usually do bedsheets and blankets every other week.

Again this is mainly my task, boys help some.

Wednesday- Beside the daily cleaning I try to take this day off of any other house chores.

Thursday- Now we start the detail cleaning. We begin with picking up toys downstairs or other misplaced items. Then we go upstairs, empty out the toy tubs in toy room and organize them. For instance the legos have their own tub, costumes in another, hot wheel cars have their own case.

This is primarily the boys responsibility, but I do help and check on their progress.

Friday- Starts off by picking up any toys or miscellaneous things that need to be put up. Then we start vacuuming downstairs; couches and rugs, then vacuum upstairs (there is carpet floors upstairs, downstairs has wooden floors and some tile).

Boys do upstairs (game room and their rooms) and I pick up down stairs. They do the vacuuming downstairs and I usually vacuum upstairs.

Bathrooms- I clean mirrors, counters, toilet, and bathtub. Top to bottom, I wait to sweep and mop the floors when I do the rest of the floors downstairs.

Kitchen- Wipe counters, table, and fridge. Again I wait to do floors last.

Dust- any wooden furniture downstairs. 

Sweeping and mopping- I start by sweeping the tile in the front entrance. Then I roll up the rugs downstairs and move them on tile in front entrance. I also move anything else I can of the floor downstairs into entrance, like: office chairs, tub of blankets, few of baby's toys, dog kennels etc... I sweep out the closets and bathrooms first, then the rest of the wooden floor. I use a cloth sweeper and Bona for the floor cleaner to mop the wooden floors. Next  I sweep the kitchen and dinning room floor. Then I use a swiffer wet jet to clean the tile floors; kitchen, dinning room, and bathroom floors. After all mopping is done I start putting the rugs and all the other things from the front entrance back to their place. 

By the time I get to the sweeping and mopping phase the youngest is laying down for a nap, while the older three either play quietly upstairs or sit on couch and watch a movie. 

This is my ideal cleaning list and schedule. Although if I am expecting guest during the week, I move the cleaning schedule up accordingly. Sometimes I will do the necessary laundry on Monday, hold off on the other laundry and do the rest of cleaning on the day of or before expecting guest.

Monthly Cleaning

Well I really don't have one. I try to pick one extra detail cleaning thing and add it to my weekly cleaning, when I have time. So some things get done once a month and some more frequently as needed. 

Extra Detail Cleaning List:

- Clean ceiling fans

- Wipe doors, light switches, dashboards, etc.

- Clean kitchen cabnits

- Clean out microwave (not used that much)

- Wipe inside and outside of washer and dryer

- Take apart the vacuum parts (the ones I can) and rinse them off and let them dry

- Sweep garage, throw away any trash laying around in there, put away misplaced things that don't belong in garage

- Clean air vents

- Dust picture frames and bookshelves

Seasonal Cleaning 

Its not just Spring Cleaning, I believe every season deserves a good cleaning! Some things might not happen every season of  the year, but at least one season in the year.

Seasonal List:

- Going through all the boys clothes. What fits stays, what doesn't either moves down to the next brother or goes in a box to be pulled down when someone else can wear it.

- Going through all the toys. This will include a keep, throw away, and a give away pile.

- Go through holiday stuff. Is a holiday coming up or did one just pass that I need to put stuff up.

- I also occasionally go through my closet. I either throw or give away what does not fit or I do not want anymore. 

- Go through homeschool room. Organize any papers, books, curriculum etc... Clean, sort, and put away any craft stuff.

Okay there it is. I am sure there is more but that is what came to mind. I don't have this printed out or on a color coded spread sheet. It is so routine, I don't have to have it written down. As boys get older I am sure I will add to what I expect them to do. And this doesn't include our outside chores. But that's another post ...