A Look at My Cleaning Routine

 

Since I've been talking about a more simple and minimal lifestyle lately, my cleaning and housekeeping routine is definitely part of that. So I wanted to share my cleaning routine in hopes it can inspire others.


Daily Tasks

Everyday I do a few tasks that keep everything running smoothly in my household. 

 

[Kitchen Reset]

The kitchen reset is crucial for me to have a smooth morning the next day. I ensure all clean dishes are put away, the counters are wiped down, and anything that doesn't belong out is put away.  I make sure there's water in the coffeemaker and that anything needing thawed for the next days dinner is moved from the freezer to the fridge. I also clean as I go when cooking so I never leave a mess behind that I have to deal with later. 

[Mail]

Anything that comes in the mail is dealt with immediately and either stored or tossed afterwards.  No exceptions! 

[Garden Tasks]

During Spring, Summer, and Fall I water anything in my gardens that need watered, check to make sure nothing needs picked or harvested, and clean up any wayward litter that my blow in from the street. Since I enjoy the outdoors and gardening, this is an easy one. 

Weekly Tasks

Each week there are tasks I do, usually on specific days, to keep everything running smoothly. If I have something scheduled on a certain day that prevents me from doing those items, I will move them to my to do list for the day before or after. 

 

[Vacuuming]

I vacuum every Wednesday and every Sunday. I especially love the Sundays because it prepares me for the week by having a neat and tidy home. When I vacuum I do every room high and low and even vacuum the couch real good. I have 3 chihuahuas so there's fur that needs cleaned up weekly of course! 

 

[Washing the Floors]

I wash the floors on Thursday, the day after I vacuum.  I use my robot floor mop to do this task which makes it easy but it doesn't go in the bedrooms, office, or the living room because there's too many obstacles and area rugs. So for those rooms I usually use a wet mop every week or every other week.  

[Watering and Checking my Houseplants]

Every Wednesday (prior to vacuuming in case I get dirt on the floor) I use my moisture meter to check each of my 90ish houseplants and water the ones that need it. I also check for pests and use my scissors to clip off any dead leaves in order to let the plant focus it's energy on new growth. 

[Laundry]

Laundry is done on Wednesdays and I make sure everything is folded and put away afterwards. Anything that needs hung to dry I usually go back to the basement and grab the next day and put it away. Laundry is easy for me because my husband does his separately (he has work uniforms he washes a certain way) so it's only my items and I don't wear anything too crazy - mostly lounge wear and workout gear. 

 

[Bathroom Cleaning]

Every week, usually on a Friday, I wipe down the mirrors, sink, and countertop. I also wipe down all parts of the toilet and then use toilet cleaner and a brush in the bowl.  

[Running the Dishwasher]

There's only 2 of us so we don't really have to do dishes more than once a week. We hand wash large items and pots and pans.  We also wash food storage containers by hand so again, all we need to wash are cups, utensils, plates, and bowls. This is normally done on a Thursday. As soon as the dishwasher is finished running, everything gets put away promptly.

Biweekly Tasks

Every 2 weeks there are certain things I do to keep on a nice routine. 

 

[Meal Planning]

I sit down every other Friday and plan out our dinners for the next 2 weeks I'm a creature of habit so snacks, lunch, and breakfast are the same.  I have a meal planning binder I can look through to select the meals I want to make for dinner. I use those recipes to make my ingredient list which make up my grocery list.  I plan meals based on our life. If we have a lot going on during a certain time, I may plan easier meals.

[Grocery Shopping]

Grocery shopping is done the following Friday, every 2 weeks.  My list is created in the order I walk the store and again I'm a creature of habit so it's easy for me to get in and out pretty quickly.  I don't get tempted by any sales of things not on my list or any impulse buy displays.

 

[Dusting]

I don't have a ton of surfaces in my home, maybe 10 surfaces that need dusted in my entire home. So that get's done every 2 weeks, usually the day before I vacuum so I can pick up any dust that falls to the floor. I also don't have an excessive amount of display items so I don't have to move a whole lot around to dust a surface. 

[Kitchen Deep Clean]

Every 2 weeks I do a kitchen deep clean which means I wipe surfaces really well that I may not wipe down religiously in my daily kitchen reset. This means the top of the microwave, the range hood, and cleaning the sink. 

Monthly Tasks

Every months I have certain tasks I do usually around the same time each month or as needed. 

[Washing Sheets]

We only use our bedroom for sleeping so it's usually pretty tidy but I do wash the sheets once a month, sometimes I do it every 3 weeks but it all depends. I also sometimes throw our pillowcases in with our weekly laundry since that's something our faces literally lay against all night every night. 

[Washing Windows]

This task annoys me so I only do it once a month and I don't even wash every window. The dogs like to stand on the back of the couch and bark at the window when dogs go by so there's a bunch of little spit marks from those goofballs. So the living room windows and the porch door definitely get cleaned every month. 

[Deep Vacuum Clean]

I will move furniture to vacuum underneath it once a month and I also get in every little crevice of the closets when I can. I love how clean my house feels afterwards. I even vacuum our screened in porch on a monthly basis when it's warm out. We have a carpeted porch so it does accrue dust, fur, and pollen...and sometimes dirt from me repotting plants if I don't feel like doing it in the yard. Oops!

Every Few Months

These tasks are things I do throughout the year on an as needed basis. Because I live a simple more minimal lifestyle and I'm very on top of the items I have, including food items, there's not much that needs done with some of these. 

[Fridge and Pantry Cleaning]

Every couple of months I take everything out of the fridge and freezer, wipe it down, discard anything that's expired (this is SO rare), and then put everything back in a neat organized fashion. The cupboards stay organized because I use labeled bins so it's really not hard to go through those. 

 

[Car Cleaning]

I try to wash my car every other month when it's nice out but more important to me is making sure that at least every 2 months I dust the interior, wipe it all down, and vacuum it real good. I don't drive very often. I telework so there's only 1 in office day a month. And I usually run 2-3 errands a month at most so I don't have a very messy or dirty car. It stays parked in our garage after all, but there's still dust that accrues inside and dog fur too! 

 

And there you have it - I know I'm a strict creature of habit but this makes it so easy for me to keep a neat and tidy home that flows very smoothly on a day to day basis. 

 

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