Finally, I’ve learned that cleaning schedules aren’t for me. I’ve learned how to keep a home clean–without them!
Would you believe it if I told you that I never really cleaned until I got married?
It’s sad, but true. I once told my husband I grew up with a maid.
“I didn’t know you had a maid,” he said.
“I did,” I hung my head low. “Her name was ‘Mom.'”
My poor mother did it all, but when I began making a home of my own, I realized that cleaning was not my forte.
It’s not that I didn’t want a clean home; I absolutely did. But I simply didn’t know how to balance it all.
For years, I combed the internet for the perfect cleaning charts and schedules. I would print them out, put them in binders, and get to cleaning.
My enthusiasm for my new cleaning schedules would last for a few days, and then I would be right back to square one–frustrated with cleaning and feeling like I couldn’t keep up with it all.
It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized I had been trying to clean around someone else’s personality and not my own.
While those who thrive on structure and regimented routines would excel on cleaning schedules, homemakers like me, who prefer spontaneity and change, would feel boxed in by charts, schedules, and spreadsheets.
Embracing my personality and realizing it was OK to kick cleaning schedules to the curb was a complete game changer for not only my cleaning habits but also my stress levels!
I stopped beating myself up for not conforming to someone else’s ideal.
So how do I clean without a cleaning schedule? These three things have been essential for maintaining my home.
Note: If you need help creating a cleaning approach that’s unique to YOU and YOUR home, check out My Own Clean, a self-paced online course to help you build a personal cleaning strategy.
1. Each day, I focus on completing just 3 tasks–one load of laundry, one load of dishes, and dinner.
My friend Holly taught me that these three tasks are the key to running your home like a well-oiled machine.
Even if I complete nothing else all day long, I feel accomplished when I’ve completed one load of laundry, one load of dishes, and have gotten dinner on the table!
Here are more details about my laundry routine.
2. I do other chores on the weekends.
When I first became a stay-at-home mother, I thought I had to fit my cleaning into each day. But motherhood called, and I found that I much preferred taking care of my children to scrubbing toilets.
When I looked back to my newlywed days, when my husband and I were both working full-time outside of the home, I realized that we had worked together to complete the cleaning on the weekends.
We gave this a try and have been catching up on cleaning on the weekends ever since.
The three tasks I mentioned in the first point keep the house from getting chaotic during the week, and it’s less pressure to do deeper cleaning on the weekends.
In addition, there are some tasks that I only complete right before we have company over (I’m keeping it real, y’all!).
Dusting? That only happens when guests are en route. Don’t worry too much, though–my husband and I love to have guests frequently!
3. I’ve enlisted the help of our children.
As far as I’m concerned, I have the best mom in the entire world. I do wish I had helped her clean, though. I must have been a very lazy child!
My husband and I are determined that our girls will learn how to cook and clean when they are young.
They are now 3, 5, and 7, and we started regular chores with them this year.
I’ve found that this approach to cleaning is very manageable! Knowing myself and knowing what works for me has made all the difference in keeping my home under control!
One Messy Mama
This article rings so true for me! Coming from a country where we had domestic help and moving to the USA and becoming a SAHM I found the cleaning overwhelming and cleaning schedules just make it more stressful. So I clean on a Monday and maintain during the week. I get to spend more time with my kids and not be so uptight about a “clean” house. Great post. Thank you!
Erin
Thanks, One Messy Mama! I wish domestic help was more common in the U.S.!
Aimee
I love this post because it encourages women to DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU! Personally, my husband’s work schedule (firefighter), combined with having lots of littles means I do better with a cleaning schedule. But it’s one I made…for me…in this season of life. Anyway, good post!
Erin
Thank you, Aimee! At 35, I finally feel the freedom to embrace the fact that what works for some doesn’t work for all. I’m so glad you’ve found that too!
Cheryl
I’ve just recently started this journey myself! My husband changed jobs and went from 8-3 to 3-midnight. Having him home during the day is fantastic and I love that he gets more time with our daughter, but I never want to clean while he’s home. I just want to hang out with him! And by the time he’s gone, the baby is asleep, and I’ve fed myself, I have no energy for cleaning. I need to work on doing just a little during each day even though he’s home so I can keep on top of things.
Erin
I am a big advocate on pacing yourself and focusing on the big 3–laundry, dishes, and dinner! Best wishes to you in this adjustment, Cheryl!
Aislynn
Ha! I can’t seem to get the house clean when my husband is home. I don’t understands why but cleaning gets done on Monday after he leaves for work.
Jenica
I’m you!! My kids are the same age and this sounds just like my cleaning style. What chores are your kids responsible for?
Erin
Too funny, Jenica! It’s always fun to find people we can relate to!! Our girls mostly help with things in the kitchen: wipe down the table after we eat, set the table, sweep and mop the floor, help clear the table, help load the dishwasher. We are slowly incorporating more and are having them help put away their own clothes too (they each have their own laundry basket, so they don’t have to sort through all of the clothes to find theirs). The big thing to remember is that it won’t be perfect with them helping out, but eventually it will get better and better and WILL help the family be more of a team and help them to know how to do these things before they grow up! Here is a post my husband wrote on the chore chart we use: https://thehumbledhomemaker.com/2016/01/chore-system-for-young-kids
I hope that helps! 🙂
GreatGramma Sally
My 3 boys are now in their 50’s. My husband and I both worked full time out of the home. The guys were made responsible for certain household tasks, as you say your girls are. Each of them chose a meal that they could make, if needed. They also knew how to do laundry, iron if needed, wash and dry dishes, vacuum and dust. All three of them thanked me for teaching them how to do these “chores” (as did their wives). Don’t eliminate the boys from the learning to “keep house”.
Erin
That is so wonderful, Sally! Thanks so much for sharing! I should have clarified that we only had girls when I wrote this post. We were JUST blessed with our first baby boy!
Marcia
I have also given my teenage kids a big 3 – trash, dirty clothes, and dishes. I told them if they do the big 3 every day, their room will stay clean. And with doing it daily, it only takes 5 minutes as opposed to monthly when it takes 30-60 minutes, not to mention having clutter to step over until they finally break down and do it! They don’t always do it, but when they do, it’s great!
Erin
I love this! I think teaching kids to take responsibility for the cleaning can be a huge win-win; it helps Mama AND it makes them more prepared for adulthood! Thanks for sharing!
Aine
Cleaning Schedules don’t work for me, my husband and I both work shift work, 6 days on and 4 days off, days on can be 6am starts or 7am finishes, 10hrs each day, cleaning schedules don’t work for us & in the mix we have a 7yr olds school & extracurriculars…I clean when I’m at home & awake lol! When working it’s 1 load of laundry, dishes, dinner, roomba cleans the floors & spray mopping, quick & easy!!
Cindy Mata
For me, I do not like to dust…I used to do it for my grandmother every Saturday and she had a million what-nots! I haven’t liked dusting since.
Well kind of. I hired a gal to come help me once, and she taught me how to use the box of attachments that came with my vacuum. I had never opened the box. Now I vac everything.
Never clean before company arrives…this is my number 1 rule. I put everything away. Turn on an amazing candle or two in the front rooms and down the hall to the bathroom. And dim the lights.
Clean the bathroom because they are in there alone…and you want that to be clean.
After they leave, when ever, clean and dust.
They will be more interested in what scent the candles are than the dust. Keep a few small ones on hand to give as gifts. When company comes is the only time I use candles. The rest of the time I use rosemary and thyme essential oil because they fight odors and kill mold and allergens in the air.
Kesha G.
I like your tips and tricks, :). Seven years in and I’m still trying to work on a meaningful system for my family. Thanks for sharing!
Lori
Ive been ‘following’ the same cleaning schedule for maybe 2 years now. On top of the daily tasks (bed making, dishes, laundry etc), I have one or two main jobs each day of the week- a Monday job, a Tuesday job etc. Maybe 3 or 4 weeks out of those years have I done every job on the exact day ? BUT I still follow the schedule because it keeps me in check. If I miss my Tuesday job (vacuuming) I KNOW I missed it and either have to make it up later in the week or make 100% sure not to miss it the next week. It sounds silly having a schedule I never stick to but still keeping the schedule, but it works for me ?♀️
Janine
I like to keep my cleaning schedule flexible as well. I have a bullet list for cleaning things that need to be done on weekends. I give myself Friday, Saturday and Sunday for these things. Important to me is, that they are done by Sunday, so that I can focus the start of the week on other things, rather than feeling dirty and incapable :D. I sometimes do the cleaning all in one day, or I divide it evenly between Fr, Sa and Sunday. This works best, since I like to keep my life a bit more flexible. What is very important though is to never get the house to the point where I REALLY feel dirty. Sometimes before I have a shower, I would just quickly clean the bathroom. Or while my steak is cooking I will scrub the kitchen. Small stuff like that really helps to keep the house clean and don’t let the “dirt” escalate.
Erin
Thanks for the tips!
Patti Gardner
For years, I had a pretty rigid cleaning schedule, and it worked well for me. Now, though, I am an empty nester, who takes care of her toddler granddaughter 3 days a week, and I find that I don’t have the energy I once had to keep up with my old schedule. Whereas I used to do ALL my laundry on one day (laundry day), I now do ONE load three or four days a week. My former attitude was that by doing all the laundry on one day, the job was finished for the week. But that doesn’t work for me anymore, so I gave myself permission to be flexible.