House Cleaning Schedule and Cleaning Checklists (free printables)

Free printable house cleaning schedules and house cleaning checklists.

One of my New Years Resolutions is to keep a cleaner house. I have come up with a few tips to help you stay on the ball this year, including some free printable house cleaning schedules and house cleaning checklists. Here are all of my tips, if you are wondering how to keep your house clean this year.

Follow a Cleaning Schedule

I have this house cleaning schedule that is taped to my laundry room wall. I try to follow it as closely as I can.

I have daily tasks that I tackle every day like laundry and dishes. I also have a daily chore- it’s usually a different room per day. I also have cleaning checklists we use to make sure everything is done in that room. I tape the checklists onto the backs of cabinet doors so my kids can see what needs to be done. I’ve even laminated them and they can use dry erase markers to check them off. You can download all of my checklists here: House Cleaning Checklists House Cleaning Checklists

Make Your Bed Every Day

Start every day by making your bed as soon as you get out of it. This is TMI, but I have challenged myself not to even go into the bathroom before I make my bed. Since I have to pee as soon as I wake up, I’m always in a hurry to make my bed quick. I have found that if I don’t make my bed first thing when I wake up, I don’t get to it. It’s such a small thing that makes all the difference.

One Load of Laundry Every Day

I have to do a load of laundry every day or else it piles up and becomes a laundry mountain that is a beast to get through. One load a day only takes a few minutes, but 17 loads in one day takes an eternity. So, after you get up and make your bed, start a load of laundry. When I start a load of laundry first thing in the morning, things just get rolling, and my day is way more productive. I start a load right when I get up, then, once my morning routine is done, it is ready to dry, fold, and put away. 

One Load of Dishes Every Day

I try to do at least one load of dishes every day. I have 4 kids, so lots of times I will do more than one load. But at least one load is the rule. Here’s how I tackle the dishes. While my kids are eating breakfast, I unload the dishwasher. Then we put our dirty dishes right into the dishwasher all day long. At the end of the day, I will start the dishwasher before bed. Then it will be ready to unload the next morning. In the Summer, or when my kids are home from school, this is their task.

Wipe the Bathroom Counter as Part of Your Bathroom Routine

When you are doing your morning bathroom routine (brushing teeth, hair, makeup), get in the habit of quickly wiping down the counter and sink. This will help keep things put away and stop the clutter from accumulating on the counter. Plus it makes your bathroom feel so much more fresh and clean. I use a Clorox wipe to cut down on the laundry and to keep things disinfected.

Wash Sheets Weekly

I wash sheets every Friday. I do the master bedroom sheets one Friday and then the kids’ bed sheets the next Friday. When I wake up on Friday, instead of making my bed, I strip the sheets off the bed and put them in the washer. This counts as my load of wash for the day.

Have the Kids Help

I believe that the best thing you can do for your kids is teach them how to pitch in and help while they are young. So my kids use these weekly chore charts.

You can download this chore chart and edit it for your own family here:  Weekly Chore Chart Free Printable

Set Clear Expectations

One of the things that stops me from being successful in keeping my house clean is that if I can’t get everything done in one day, or my day doesn’t go as planned, I get frustrated and feel like I’m behind. I think it’s so important to realize that you won’t always have a spotless home, and guess what- that doesn’t matter. It’s good to keep a tidy home, but things happen and family should come first. So if you are enlisting the help of your kids in keeping a clean home, just realize that they won’t clean the toilet right 90% of the time, but it’s the fact that they are learning and trying that really matters.

I have these printable cleaning checklists in pretty much every room in my home. I know this seems OCD, but the reason I have these is because I would ask my kids to clean the bathroom (or it would be on their daily chore chart), and they would go in and wipe the counter and say they were done. So now I keep a checklist on the inside of the cupboard door, so they can go down the checklist and make sure that everything on the list is done. I even have it laminated so they can use a dry erase marker and check off whatever they’ve done.

You can download all of my printable cleaning checklists here:  House Cleaning Checklists

Or if you want a version you can edit, you can download that printable here: Kitchen-checklist.docx

Quick Pick up Before Bed

Try to do a quick pick up before bed. This is part of our kids’ bedtime routine. We set a timer and spend 10-20 minutes quickly picking up before we brush teeth, say prayers, etc.

Go to Bed with a Clean Sink

Try to go to bed with a clean kitchen sink. I have found that when the kitchen is clean, the whole house feels a million times better. Keeping a clean sink is key to a clean kitchen. This is easier because we try to put our dishes in the dishwasher as we use them.

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DOWNLOAD FREE PRINTABLES HERE:

I hope these tips will help you stay on the ball this year! If you want to download my free printable cleaning checklists and cleaning schedule, just click on these links below:

house cleaning schedule

 

House Cleaning Checklists

 

Weekly Chore Chart Free Printable

 

Kitchen-checklist.docx (this is the editable word doc, if you want to create your own cleaning checklists)

 

Here are some of my favorite cleaning products that help me keep a clean house:

This spin mop is seriously amazing! I don’t love mopping, but this makes it at least bearable! Haha!

 

 

I use Pine Sol for everything- in my mop bucket, in spray bottles, and even to clean my toilet. I love that it disinfects while it cleans!

 

I keep a few of these empty spray bottles on hand- One is for pine sol, one for bleach, and one with dishsoap and water. I label them with sharpie right on the bottle and it helps me because my kids can easily see what they are, and they just grab the spray bottle they need.

 

 

I use these microfiber cloths for seriously everything. I keep a bunch under the sinks in the bathrooms, and in the kitchen. I use them on my countertops, floors, appliances, and walls and baseboards. They are really amazing!

 

 

These Norwex cleaning cloths are really expensive, I know. But I love them for my windows. I don’t really use them anywhere else- but they work amazingly well to clean my windows and I feel like they are worth the splurge!