Stay organized and stress less with a squeaky clean system.
If you’re anything like me, a clean home brings you inner peace and calms the anxieties that typically swirl inside your head. But if you’re also like me, you’re busy; between work, having a social life, pursuing hobbies, and dealing with basic life-admin tasks, cleaning is the last thing you have the time or energy for.
After struggling with maintaining a clean environment while not sacrificing every Saturday to scrub toilets and mop floors and do a dozen loads of laundry, I was burnt out. There had to be a way to make sure everything got done and not overwhelm myself.
That’s when I sat myself down and thought about every chore that needed to be completed. Using Notion, I broke the housework up into three categories: daily, weekly, and monthly. This breakdown helped me map out a schedule of what needed to be completed and when.
My routine is based around my own needs, and while everyone has different needs, it can be helpful to have a template to work off of. Below is a list of my daily, weekly, and monthly chores that you can add to or take away from as needed.
Daily
- Wipe down kitchen countertops
- Clean sink
- Fill water filter
- Change out kitchen towel
- Load/unload dishwasher
- Sweep/Vacuum floors
- Scoop litter
- Feed pets and change water 2x
Weekly (Mon-Sun)
- Clean inside microwave
- Wipe down appliances
- Clean out refrigerator
- Wipe baseboards
- Dust surfaces
- Mop floors
- Wash sheets
- Wash clothes
- Clean bathrooms (sink, vanity, mirror, tub + shower, toilet, floors, replace towels, wash mats, empty trash bin)
- Clean fish tank
Monthly
- Clean water filter
- Run clean cycle on oven
- Clean out pantry
- Replace litter and clean litter box
- Disinfect door knobs and light switches
- Clean fan blades
- Replace air purifier filter
- Wash blankets on chair
- Wash shower curtain
This is not an extensive list, there are plenty more chores that could be added. There’re always more chores. Always. ðŸ˜
I also like to use a calendar to help me keep track of what tasks get done on what day. Not only does it keep me organized, it also gives me a sense of accomplishment when I can cross that chore off at the end of the day.
For the monthly tasks, I usually pick a week and add them onto my usual cleaning routine. As you can see below, I’ll deep clean the kitchen on a Tuesday, the same day I normally clean the kitchen, but you can also do one monthly task a week if you wanted to. I’m a glutton for nothing if not simplicity.
The great thing about this schedule is how flexible is can be. It’s completely customizable but includes a well-rounded foundation to build on. It allows me to leave my weekends free to relax and still feel like I’m staying on top of the house.
At the end of the day, it’s not about how many to-do’s you’ve crossed off your list, but rather how much balance and contentment you feel. And that’s what this system helps give me, and what I hope it gives you as well.