How to Create an Efficient Household Cleaning Routine

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My children are like tiny, cute, destructive tornadoes that rip through the house with muddy shoes, sticky hands, and the determination to take everything out of its designated space. If your kiddos are anything like mine, then you probably feel like keeping a clean home is just a fantasy. While it is true that having a clean house is a little bit more difficult with young children, it is not impossible and it doesn’t have to take every moment of your day. A household cleaning routine can give you the structure and systems that you need to make it happen.

Creating a Household Cleaning Routine that You Can Stick To

My Personal Household Cleaning Routine

I’ll start off by showing you my personal household cleaning routine and then I’ll walk you through creating your own.

Daily Routine

My daily routine has changed a little bit over the last 3 years. It started as a time-blocked task sheet in which every moment of the day was dedicated to a certain task (including cleaning, play, rest, etc.). I called this routine my “time budget” and it worked well for me until I had multiple small children in my home.

After I had my third child, I found myself feeling bogged down by the time constraints of this routine and I needed something that was a little more fluid. The format of my daily routine switched from detailed times to a more general set of time blocks- “Morning”, “Afternoon”, and “Evening”. This less rigid format allowed me to complete the needed tasks each day, but I could switch up the order of tasks as needed.

I have recently switched back to a detailed time routine because I am at a point in my life where I can manage this format. My current routine is used as more of a guideline than a rigid schedule. If I have my morning chores scheduled for 8:30, but I have a sick baby (or an appointment, etc.) so I can’t get around to them until 10 AM that’s a-okay. Having this routine in front of me allows me to roll with the punches without losing all of the productivity in my day.

My household cleaning routine is mixed in with my daily routine. Instead of listing every cleaning task that needs to happen each day, I simply have “Morning Chores”, “Afternoon Chores”, and “Evening Chores” written into the schedule. Each of these titles has its own list of chores to be completed.

Morning Chores

Feed & Water Animals
Check the Garden
Turn on Wax Warmers
Start the Laundry
Put Dry Dishes Away
Make Beds

Afternoon Chores

Switch the Laundry
Quick Clean-Up
Check Animals & Garden
Monthly Chore
Weekly Chore

Evening Chores

Farm Projects
Feed & Water Animals
Family Clean-Up
Sweep & Mop
Vaccum
Wash Dishes

Weekly Chore Rotation

I also keep a list of chores that need to be completed once a week. These tasks are completed each afternoon when I do my “afternoon chores”.

Monday- Clean the car & the oven
Tuesday- Laundry & Outdoor Cleanup
Wednesday- Dust & Clean Windows
Thursday- Take out Trash & Clean Bathrooms
Friday- Meal Plan & Write Grocery List
Saturday- Wash Bedding & Mop
Sunday- Monthly Chore & Replace Fresh Flowers

Monthly Chore Rotation

The monthly chore rotation includes tasks that need to be completed only once per month. I like to work on one of these each day along with my other “afternoon chores”.

Clean Baseboards
Polish Wood Furniture
Clean Couch
Declutter & Donate
Wash Rugs
Clean Carpets
Wash Curtains & Blinds
Clean Pantry & Fridge
Check Smoke Alarms
Clean Light Fixtures & Fans
Replace Straw

Creating Your Own Structured Household Cleaning Routine

Now let’s get started with your household cleaning routine!

Let me preface this by saying that you shouldn’t expect to have a spotless home at every moment throughout the week. You do still have little people who are living within the walls of your house so there will be messes, but creating a cleaning routine will help you to handle those messes more efficiently and with less stress.

Step #1: Brainstorm

Think about the tasks that need to be completed each day, each week, and each month in your home.
Identify the problem areas in your home. What causes you stress during the day? Is it the toy area? The sink? The laundry? What would make these areas less stressful for you?
Write out your current daily routine (cleaning, playtime, rest, everything that you do during a typical day) and how much time each task takes.

Step #2: Create

Create lists for your morning, afternoon, and evening chores. The tasks on these lists should include chores that need to be completed every single day. Add “Weekly Chore” and “Monthly Chore” under one of these lists.
Create your “Weekly Chore” and “Monthly Chore” lists. The weekly list should include tasks that you want to complete once/week. For example–> cleaning your car, washing the bedding, etc. The monthly list should be composed of tasks that only need to be completed one time each month such as washing the curtains and wiping the baseboards.
Take your a written daily routine and include your cleaning routine by entering “morning chores”, “afternoon chores”, and “evening chores” in the best time slots for you to complete them.

Step #3: Implement Your New Household Cleaning Routine

Keep your written or typed Daily Routine, Morning/Afternoon/Evening Chore Sheet, and Weekly & Monthly Chore Sheets where you can easily access them each day. My daily routine stays on my refrigerator and my chore sheets are in a kitchen drawer.
Try to stay on routine as best as you can to make this cleaning schedule habitual for you.
Make changes to this cleaning schedule as needed. A household is dynamic, always changing, and this schedule needs to be able to change right along with it.

Household Cleaning Routine Printables

Your household cleaning routine can be written in a notebook, typed into a digital planner like Trello, or created with a graphic design software (like Canva) and printed out.

Check out these customized printables and planners if you want printed routines, but don’t want to make them on your own!

Household Management Notebook

The Household Management Binder includes cleaning lists (pre-made and blank), daily routine, a meal planner sheet, grocery list, and more lists/charts to help you efficiently manage your home.