May Mini-Challenge: A Cleaning Plan for our Clan

How has the cleaning been going this month?  I was struck with the flu so things slowed down a bit this last couple of days, but I still have big plans to get things done within the last 9 days in May!

Although I have shared bits of this in the past, I figured there was no time like the present, given this month's challenge, to share another super quick cleaning tip!

Create a cleaning plan!

I have plans to go into much more detail on how we work together as a family with our chores, in an upcoming post, however, I thought it was worth popping in to share a high level version today.

We have tried every reward system and chore chart system in the world.  And nothing really stuck or worked until we placed all of our daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual cleaning tasks, in a single happy home.

Here's the deal.  Our home doesn't always sparkle.  We are not living in a magazine ready home and it is very loved and lived in by five crazy folks and two furry pets.  That said, if I don't give myself and my clan some sort of cleaning plan, the house goes downhill, and fast!

The process to create a cleaning plan was quite simple:

First, I started out by going through the rooms in our home and jotting down on a scrap sheet of paper, the different cleaning tasks that should take place within each.

Second, I assigned a frequency to each task.

Third, I categorized each task by frequency, on a more streamlined cleaning checklist.  With so many items I want to tackle each day/week/month, having them on a single checklist ensures I remember to wash our linens and cycle clean our dishwasher.

Fourth, we are a clan that works together so we can play together.  Rather than having separate chore charts for each kiddo, they actively use the family cleaning checklist as well.  Each chore is assigned to a member of the family to take ownership of.  That way, no one person is left managing all of the household tasks, and everyone can find a routine. 

Fifth step is to pop that checklist into a nice big frame.  The glass front acts as a dry-erase board so that we can clear the checklist each day/week/month, etc...  Since I have OCD list making tendencies, this method prevents me from writing and re-writing our tasks.

Final step is to dedicate a spot in the house for the frame to be mounted.  I try to keep fridge clutter to a minimum, but the frame keeps it looking more polished.  And the side of the fridge isn't all that visual from other areas in the home, but it's a nice little nook to dedicate to our lists.

The frames are mounted with Command Picture Hanging Strips, and can easily be removed down the road if we should need to.

The other frame you have spotted above, is our nightly routine and schedule.  It is just a simple way to keep the fam on track with time management and prioritizing simple daily habits {such as helping with chores, doing homework, reading and brushing teeth}.  Because we have learned the hard way, without schedule help, our days slip away fast!

Do we stick to our schedule every. single. day?  Nope.  We like to live on the wild side and skip a day from time to time....  Of course no day is predictable and things come up and life gets crazy busy with school events and play dates, but the checklist is a simple way to keep us on task and ensure our home gets some love along the way.

Anyone else use a checklist to stay on track with cleaning and household chores?  What's your favorite cleaning task {mine is cleaning glass}, or how about your least favorite {that would be toilets, ew}.

 

Pssst!  For a limited time only in the spirit of the monthly challenge, you can snag your free cleaning checklist printable here!  You can also purchase a customized version from my Etsy shop here.  Love y'all!