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Let’s talk about cleaning; everybody’s favorite subject. Not.
Ever since moving out on my own, I’ve settled myself into a routine that keeps my home in order. But I myst admit, it was a bit of a struggle. Now that I don’t have my mom picking up the dishes I leave everywhere and following me around with the vacuum sucking up the trail of crumbs I leave behind, I am solely responsible for making sure my home doesn’t end up looking like Gort’s from Halloweentown 2. Remember him? The collector of everything lost? Of course you do.
We all want a clean home for obvious reasons. But what about when you’re working hard on an important at-home project. A blog, perhaps?
When you’re working at home, ensuring a clean environment is super important. Keeping a clean home frees mind of clutter, not to mention, it just makes it easier to find things when you’re trying to get work done.
Blogging is a creative process. And trust me, not feeling your environment makes the process so much more difficult. Which is why I take extra care in keeping my home and workspace in tip-top shape. When your home is clean, your mind follows.
Of course, this isn’t all about me. My goal is to help you keep your home in working order so you can get your work done efficiently and in style. I created this cleaning checklist to help keep myself on track, and it can work for you too. Don’t worry, it’s not too complicated. If it were, I wouldn’t be doing it.
Check back in the next couple of weeks- A free printable cleaning checklist is in the works and will be available very soon!
Now have a look at how this cleaning-hater cleans!
Organizing your cleaning checklist
The thing about lists is they can end up looking very overwhelming, very quickly. I find that they best way of organizing your cleaning checklist is by breaking it up into four categories- Daily, Twice Weekly, Weekly, and Monthly.
What tasks go on each list is totally up to you. However, I always aim to keep all four of my lists roughly the same length. Think about this, when you have a choice between banging out the tasks on a short list, or committing hours on end to complete a longer list, which do you choose? The shorter one, obviously. Nobody likes a long list.
When all the lists are about the same length, it makes me equally inclined to finish all of them instead of putting off the longer ones until who knows when.
Though it may seem a bit nutty, I actually schedule time on my calendar to perform the tasks on each list. This way, I have no excuse for not doing them. I can’t say “I didn’t have time.” Because I did.
Take Action: Write your four cleaning checklists of equal length.
These are things that I do at some point everyday. I may not necessarily do these things at the same time every day, or even all at the same time. Sometimes I’ll do it in the morning, and sometimes I’ll do it while dinner is cooking. It just depends. The idea is that I’ve made these tasks a part of my daily routine, and so I feel strangely incomplete when I don’t do them.
Kitchen
Put away clean dishes and disinfect the dish rack. Wash dirty dishes and disinfect the sink.
Quickly wipe down counters, stove top, and surrounding areas. I like using an all-purpose disinfecting spray for all the areas that aren’t super soiled. Windex MultiSurface Disinfectant works well for keeping many surfaces shiny, smelling nice, and streak free.
Spot clean the floor. (Such as if there are any cooking splatters or spills.)
Windex MultiSurface Disinfectant >> Purchase on Amazon
Living areas
Straighten couch pillows and throws.
Wipe dining table and desk surfaces.
Tidy shoe rack and straighten area rugs.
Bathroom
Disinfect toilet seat and flush handle. I use disposable wipes for this, mainly because I’m just too grossed out to reuse a cloth I know was used on the toilet. Recently, these Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes came into my bleach-loving life, and I’ll never look back.
Quickly wipe down sink and mirror. (Just to clean off any obvious spots.)
Put away stray toiletries, close any open bottles, etc.
Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes >> Purchase on Amazon
General tidy
Gather and take down trash.
Put away any out of place items. If you do this everyday, this step becomes super easy. Most days, there’s hardly anything to do here.
This list looks extensive, but since I do these things every day, nothing is all that dirty or messy. The whole process only takes me about 20 minutes. Maybe 25-30 minutes on a bad day.
Laundry
I do about 4 loads of laundry per week. I use Seventh Generation Free & Clear Laundry Detergent. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like it maybe makes my clothes last longer because it’s gentler?
On Wednesdays I wash my clothes along with my boyfriend’s regular clothes. In a separate load, I’ll wash his dirty work uniforms.
On Saturdays I wash the shower curtain along with towels and cleaning cloths in one load. I then wash the bedding and any other small items I may have missed.
To be quite honest, I’m rather lazy about folding, hanging, and putting away laundry. Wednesday’s laundry tends to hang out in a basket until Saturday, when I’ll go on a folding spree while watching YouTube videos.
Seventh Generation Free & Clear Laundry Detergent >> Purchase on Amazon
Floors
I vacuum and mop two times per week on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I’m rather particular about my floor, which is why I clean it more often than normal. I’m pretty sure most other people clean their floors once per week, but I really like to hang out on my floor, so I like to ensure it is always clean.
I just use average vacuum cleaner, so there’s nothing special about that. For my tile floors, I use a cloth soaked in water and I mop using my feet. It’s an Asian thing, I suppose. It’s how my mother-in-law does it, and it’s now how I do it.
I should mention that I don’t use any cleaning products on my floor unless something particularly nasty spills. In that case, I’ll just spot clean the area with soapy water.
Kitchen
Wipe down the insides of cabinets and drawers. I don’t have very many so this doesn’t take too long. I like using white vinegar on an old wash cloth for this. It’s easy to handle, plus I don’t feel bad about putting chemicals in a confined space with my dishes and food.
Wash silverware tray.
Clean the inside of the toaster and microwave with a cloth and soapy water.
Clean out old leftovers and wipe the inside of the refrigerator.
Do a quick organize/tidy of the pantry cabinets so I know what I need to buy.
Living areas
I straighten the couch cover because it tends to get all droopy and crinkly looking and it drives me nuts.
Dust the furniture and wipe down all surfaces.
Bathroom
Scrub bathtub/shower while curtain is in the wash.
Deep clean the toilet.
Deep clean the sink/vanity area.
Empty the dryer lint trap.
Bedroom
Change bedding.
Dust vanity and dresser tops.
I typically do all of these things on Saturday, just because that’s the day I have the most time to really concentrate on getting it all done.
Wash comforter and couch throw.
Dust blinds, window sills, and window interiors. (I live in a high-rise, so exterior window cleaning is at the mercy of my building management, sadly.)
Dust lamps and lighting fixtures.
Spot clean the walls. Wipe off dirt or scuffs, and knock off any dust clinging to the walls. I find that Mr. Clean Magic Erasers really are magical for getting off tough scruffs.
Mr. Clean Magic Erasers >> Purchase on Amazon
My must have cleaning companion
Oh and one more thing-you may have noticed multiple references to “a cloth.” Seriously, one of the greatest cleaning investments I’ve ever made has been a couple of packs of cheap washcloths. As you can tell, I use them for basically everything. When I’m done I just toss them in the washer, and I always have clean ones available when I need them. Honestly, I don’t even buy paper towels any more.
I use beige ones because they show dirt less, but anything works.
Eco Cotton Washcloths, Beige, Set of 12 >> Purchase on Amazon
And that’s it!
This is the routine that works best for my style and my home, but the key to keeping on track with your cleaning schedule is coming up with a routine that works for you.
For example, I have seen other cleaning routines where the monthly tasks are split up among the four Sundays in the month. While I can see why that works for that person, (so she doesn’t feel like she has so much to do all in one day,) I prefer to get on a roll and power through my entire list all at once so I don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the month.
Action: List all the cleaning tasks that need to be done. Divide the tasks evenly into the four categories.
For some list-building inspiration, check out this post all about how I create encouraging, actionable lists >> The Most Underrated Organization Ideas You Need To Know
Clean however you are comfortable, and know that you are doing something that not only benefits your home, but also your mental state when working at home.
Blogging is so much more than just the blog. It’s a lifestyle built on inner happiness and contentment. A clean home gets you off to a great start every day so you can be the most productive person you’ve ever been.
That’s all for today!
Like this cleaning checklist? You’ll probably find this post useful too >> 17 Pre-Flight Essentials + Free Pre-Travel Checklist
If you find this post interesting, informative, or just plain entertaining, tell me about it in the comments below! And don’t forget, sharing is caring. Share this post!
Till next time. ♥︎
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FTC- This post is not sponsored by any brands mentioned. I purchase all products myself. All opinions are my own. Some links may be affiliated.
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