The Power of Routine: Cleaning

I have to be honest with you...I am not a great house cleaner.  I dream of having a clean house, but I hate actually cleaning it.  In my mind, the perfect wife has the perfectly clean house all the time. Good thing I'm not perfect! ha!

I think my method of organization usually goes in the "organized chaos" category.  I typically know where things are, I just may need to sift through a pile before I get to it.  Anyone else that way?

When we were living in St. Louis, I was working full time outside the home.  It was difficult to clean.  I hated the thought of having to clean the entire house in one day.  Honestly, I thought that's how I was supposed to clean--my mom modeled that amazing behavior for us as kids.  We all knew that Fridays were cleaning days, and when we got home from school, we knew that we had to take all our school bags to our bedroom.  She wanted to enjoy her clean house for at least a day.

Now that I'm working in my home, I do want to have a clean house, but I still don't want to have to clean it all in one day.  So I came up with a schedule that I could stick it.  I came up with all the cleaning jobs and other odd jobs and put them in my schedule as I saw fit.  Cleaning a little bit each day doesn't overwhelm me, and it's manageable.

Here's what my typical cleaning schedule looks like during the week:

• Monday:  On Mondays, the only thing I do is laundry.  This task really takes a couple of hours, and it helps set the tone for the week--especially if I get it all done, folded, and put away! ;)
• Tuesday:  On Tuesdays, I dust.  This really only takes about 20 minutes or so, but it's one task that I really don't like doing.
• Wednesday:  On Wednesdays, I clean the bathrooms.  We have three bathrooms, and I really do try to get them all cleaned on the same day.  However, if I don't feel like I have enough time, I make sure the two bathrooms are cleaned on the main level.
• Thursday:  Thursdays are trash days, so on Wednesday evenings, I try get all the trash in the receptacle and out to the curb.  This definitely alleviates the flailing around and stress on Thursday mornings.  Another task I have assigned to this day is meal planning.  Meal planning is essential to the success of my health.
• Friday:  Fridays are meant for grocery shopping and floors.  I vacuum once a week--I should probably do it more, but I don't, so this is the day I do it.

Other jobs that I do daily are tidying up the kitchen and living area, as well as dishes.  This helps keep me sane throughout the week, and I don't feel like a complete cleaning failure. ;)

If you struggle with cleaning, I'd suggest making a list of everything that you need to get done.  Then assign a time during your days that you can do a couple of things on your list!  If you have a cleaning schedule, share it with me! I'd love to hear about it!

If you have enjoyed this post, please comment below and share it!  After all, sharing IS caring! 😉

---

If you’re needing some encouragement on your own spiritual journey or are looking for ideas on how to begin or continue with your own Bible study, join The Core!