The Ultimate Weekly Cleaning Routine
If you’d rather watch paint dry than spend another Saturday cleaning your home, you’re in luck! Let me introduce you to a weekly cleaning schedule. So-called, because it happens on the week (and just a tiny bit on Saturday)! No more collapsing in a heap on your recently-Swiffered floor, utterly spent from scrubbing and wiping and dusting and fussing.
In my former days as a clean-the-whole-house on Saturdays kind of person, I seriously resented any form of cleaning. Today, I resent it at least a *little* bit less thanks to a cleaning system that assigns one task to each day: manageable, bite-sized chores that take no longer than 15 minutes each day to accomplish (time yourself!). In my mind, this is far superior to a 4-hour marathon cleaning session every Saturday. But if that’s your bag, stick with it!
Here’s what this weekly cleaning schedule looks like:
Monday: Welcome to “Dust and Vacuum” day. It makes sense to dust and vacuum on the same day, because once the dust that you’ve dusted away falls to the floor, all you have to do is quickly hoover it up. So wield your duster like a Harry Potter wand and get to it. In my apartment, this takes me 7 minutes MAX to quickly run it over shelves, tops of artwork, along baseboards, on lampshades and on plants (which helps leaves receive the full spectrum of sunlight!). Donezo. We’ve got 8 more minutes on the clock, so grab your cordless vacuum and get going.
You can quickly vacuum underneath random stools, chairs and desks, but focus on the open areas. If you want to be a hero and vacuum underneath all your carpets too, be my guest! I personally save the deeper vacuums for my once-a-month cleaning sessions.
Tuesday: Welcome to “Floor Day.” Whip out your spray mop and do a quick once-over of your floors using an ’S’ pattern (this mopping technique ensures you’re tackling all areas). My go-to cleaning concentrate for floors these days is: 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol (which prevents streaks and dries FAST), plus a few drops of dish soap. Does it smell like rubbing alcohol, you may ask? Yes. Will the smell last for more than a few minutes? Nopity nope.
I tackle floor-mopping like I do vacuuming, with a casual swish and spin of the mop underneath chairs, desks and tables. No need to shift around your furniture like it’s moving day to get to every nook and cranny (I save all that maneuvering for the monthly deep clean). Is anyone crawling underneath your sofa to inspect it for tumbleweeds? My cat, possibly. But for now let’s hang that mop in your closet and call it a day.
(N.B. I mop bathroom floors on floor-mopping day, but feel free to tack this onto bathroom-cleaning day if that’s your preference.)
Pro Tip: Try to mop yourself out of a room, so you’re not having to constantly mop over your tracks. Easy peasy.
Wednesday: Today’s laundry day. In my household, I designate two days for the laundry: Wednesdays and Saturdays. On Wednesdays, I like to wash my light and dark clothes (separately, both on COLD). I air dry most stuff, while tumble-drying the socks and boxers. I’ve also cut down on drying time significantly with some wool dryer balls that hang out in my dryer at all times. If I do a wash in the AM and hang my clothes to dry then, they’re conveniently dry by the end of the day. I give them a quick fold, put everything away and then voila! No more pondering or dealing with clothing laundry for the rest of the week.
Thursday: Welcome to kitchen-cleaning day. This is the chance to wipe down the grotty-looking stove (I use All-purpose cleaner made of warm water and dish soap), spritz the appliances (same All-purpose cleaner here), wipe down the countertops (l see you, space behind the sink), and deep clean the sink (my go-to is baking soda and a dish soap drizzle!). After whipping around the kitchen, I’ll disinfect the kitchen sink and countertops with a spritz of hydrogen peroxide (let sit for 10 mins, but no need to wipe after!).
If the spirit moves you, you can give the kitchen floor a once-over with your vacuum for any stray crumbs underneath your fridge and dishwasher, etc. And if you have a few lingering minutes on the clock, take a peep at the fridge for anything that might have passed its expiration date. This is a relatively chill cleaning day, as my kitchen is relatively compact.
Friday: Friday is bathroom day, by far my least favorite cleaning day. I simply do not enjoy cleaning bathrooms. The mess of it all! On this day, I grab my cleaning caddy, plunk it down, and get to work . I wipe down counters, clean and disinfect sinks and faucets, spray down the glass shower door, spritz the mirrors, disinfect the toilet with hydrogen peroxide, and give the bath mats a good whack to remove dust and dirt (or I throw them in the wash if they’re looking a little dirty).
Miraculously, all this moving and shaking takes me just 15 minutes on the clock if I’m speedy. At least on the other end of vigorously cleaning a bathroom is the promise of a sparkling clean space. And there’s something lovely about having a thoroughly clean bathroom going into the weekend.
Saturday: Another laundry day, this time for the bed and towels. I like to wash these on the same day. I toss the towels in together, then plop them in the dryer. Take the sheets off the bed then give those a nice wash. Once dry, I just place them back on the bed and don’t have to worry about storing extra sheets. One of the great untold laundry hacks! Washing your sheets over the weekend is nice because you get to appreciate them more while sleeping in. Nothing more to do on this day. The end.
Pro Tip: If you have white sheets, a 1/2 cup baking soda in the drum really whitens those whites!
That’s it! That’s my cleaning schedule. When transferring over to a weekly cleaning schedule, it helps to create reminders on your calendar. If you’ve got a chalkboard or white board in your kitchen, now’s the chance to use it! With time and repetition, these tasks will become second-nature. Less cleaning, more sleeping and dreaming.