Daily routines are easy and accomplished in a matter of an hour or so. I've shared before what my daily routine is. It consists mainly of the top five: make the bed, clean the floors, wipe down the baths, empty trash, clear the dishes.
I divided my home into four zones (five really but you'll see why I say four in a few moments). I allot one week (six days of cleaning) to each zone. The final two or three days of the month are usually allotted to maintenance cleaning/clearing in the shed, so I can keep that in some semblance of order, hence that is my 5th zone). I have monthly cleaning tasks and quarterly cleaning tasks
My zones are as follows: #1 entries, laundry, porch, deck, patio
#2 bedrooms, baths (there are only two of each)
#3 living room/dining room
#4 kitchen/breakfast area
Zone #1 Entries, deck/porch/patio:
Monthly: clean glass doors and windows
wipe down railings and woodwork around doors
clear clutter that has accumulated
Quarterly: freshen plants, add new ones as needed
wash floors/siding
Update door decor
touch up paint railings/floors/furnishings
Laundry: Monthly: dust
empty the trash (a box where I keep lint,gum wrappers etc found in laundry)
inventory paper goods/ cleaning products I keep stored in that area
sweep/mop
Quarterly: clean washer and dryer (vinegar rinse/scrub agitator, wipe down inside dryer)
move machines to sweep and mop under
wash curtains in doorway
organize/declutter
Zone #2 Beds and Baths
Monthly: wash mattress pad/ vacuum mattress
dust furniture and ceiling fan
put away clutter
straighten closet
vacuum perimeter of carpet (that area where the vacuum doesn't get next to the wall)
Quarterly: lip mattress (marked by quarters so I know if it needs to go up/down or side/side)
vacuum under furniture
clean mini blinds
wash curtains
freshen/change seasonal look
go through clothes and make mend/house/discard piles
straighten drawers of dressers
dust walls
Bathrooms:
Monthly: clean showers
wash window
wash area rugs
wipe down cabinets/outside of shower/tub
treat drains
Quarterly: wash curtains
wash shower liners
freshen decor
dust walls
Zone #3 Living Room/Dining Room
Monthly: dust chair rails, blinds,
clean ceiling fans
wash windows
vacuum perimeters/under chairs, cushions (do this weekly in our fave seats)
cull magazines
clear clutter
Quarterly: wash curtains
wash slipcovers/ pillow covers
change seasonal decor
cull books (Owie!)
sort file folders (file cabinet/in dining area)
straighten drawers (dresser/buffet)
wash/dry unused linens (I do a few each quarter)
dust walls
Zone #4 Kitchen/Breakfast Area
Monthly: clean microwave
wipe down cabinet doors
wash walls around cooking area/behind sink
clean appliances fronts/tops
clean windows
clean inside of refrigerator
wipe down inside of oven
clean drains
Quarterly: clean oven
vinegar rinse coffee maker
vinegar baking soda dishwasher
clean/organize inside of cabinets
clean under stove hood/ under stove top
move fridge and stove and clean under/clean sides
declutter drawers
Breakfast area:
Monthly: clean ceiling fan
dust furniture
clear top of armoire
wash windows
clean blinds
Quarterly: wash curtains
turn rugs/vacuum and mop under them
clean rugs (every six months)
pantry/freezer inventory (I try to update as I use/add things but a fresh list each quarter
is a help)
declutter/straighten inside armoire
That's how I break it down. It looks like a lot of work and it is, but it's NOT all done at once, which is the beauty of it. I break each quarterly list down and choose a certain number of quarterly jobs to do each month. Some months I might do more and less others, but I try to keep it fairly even so I'm not overwhelmed. This method doesn't give you that same 'everything is all clean and fresh all at once' satisfaction but it does keep exhaustion at bay which is far better and the house remains fairly neat on top and under the surface as well. My home is not large and there are just the two of us so the 2nd bed and bath really don't require much attention beyond rotating towels and restocking supplies. We have just enough company to insure the bedding is freshened routinely.
For this reason, I don't include yard work (the flower beds, picking up limbs and trash are my responsibility) and I save those last few days of each month for the shed or bigger tasks that I want to accomplish.
When I set up this list I purposely did so with an eye to what I might accomplish if I worked full time. At the time I set it up, I was cleaning my own home and my dad's and later it was Mama's and Granny's as well as my own, so I figured that was the same as working full or part time, lol. I might concentrate my time for quarterly tasks on one weekend day, but divide monthly and daily tasks over the weekday mornings or evenings. I try to be zone specific when working but with John's new night schedule I might mix it up and work part of a week in one zone and part of it in another. I feel a schedule is much like a budget: you have a road map but it's okay not to stick strictly to just one path so feel free to mix it up to suit YOU and your home. I find housework truly can be a joy when chores don't overwhelm.
2 comments:
I don't know how on earth I found your blog, but I am glad I did! I have been reading past posts and *stealing* ideas and plans...so glad that I found you!
Christy Lee
Hi Terri;
I just stumbled across your blog. (I'm glad I did!) I also do zone cleaning. I ran across the idea several years ago on a website called Fly-lady and prior to that, I bought a book called "Get Your Act Together" about 2 sisters who devised a program or organize their homes by using 3 x 5 index cards.
I've enjoyed checking out your blog; I'll be back.
Brenda
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