De-Clutter Your Life (Week 1, Day 7)
De-Clutter Your Life – Week One
Hip2Save Cleaning Calendar
Many of you mentioned the need for a weekly cleaning schedule. To help out a little (since I can’t actually go to your house and clean it for you) I put together a cleaning schedule that works well for me.
SCRUB-A-DUB! 🙂
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Monday
- Change/wash sheets & bedding
- Empty all wastebaskets
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Tuesday
- Sweep/mop all hard flooring surfaces (excluding bathroom/s & kitchen) and vacuum all carpeting & rugs
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Wednesday
- Clean bathroom/s – a) With a disinfectant spray or homemade natural product (try vinegar or dish soap + baking soda solution) wash and dry the sink, tub/shower & toilet b) Sweep and mop/scrub floor and base boards c) Shine mirror with a glass cleaner or homemade natural product (try vinegar + water solution or newspaper for wiping rather than a cloth or paper towel) d) If necessary launder shower curtain, curtain liner and/or bath mats
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Thursday
- Wipe down all window sills, stair railings and spot clean walls
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Friday
- Using a microfiber cloth, duster or dryer sheet (reader tip!) dust all table tops, shelving, bed frames, etc.
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Saturday
- Clean Kitchen- a) Sanitize counter tops (Be sure to remove all small appliances and other items first) b) Sweep/mop kitchen floor & shake out and/or vacuum area rugs/mats c) Clean the inside of the microwave d) Wipe down and polish (if you have stainless) appliances e) Toss expired/spoiled refrigerator items f) If necessary degrease range top and/or range hood
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Sunday
- Put your feet up! 🙂
DAILY DUTIES
(TIP – Choose a time of day that you can dedicate 20 – 30 minutes to…. First thing in the morning or end of the evening usually works best. Pick some motivating tunes, put on your headphones and enjoy yourself!)
Bedroom’s – Make bed’s * Place clean clothes away and dirty clothes into hamper * Tidy night table and dresser surfaces
Bathroom’s – Wipe down sink, tub & bathroom fixtures * Squeegee shower door after each use * Tidy countertop * Empty trash can if needed
Kitchen – Wash and store dishes, pots & pans * Wipe down counter surfaces, range top & table top * Scrub and dry sink * Take out the garbage if needed * Living Room, Hallway, Staircase * Adjust sofa cushions and fluff pillows * Put magazines, toys and other clutter in their appropriate places
MONTHLY DUTIES
(TIP – Pick one day a month to knock it all out by assigning tasks to each family member…. then choose a reward to enjoy together!)
Throughout House – Wash windows and glass doors * Clean screens * Clean/dust blinds and wash curtains if necessary * Clean and/or replace air filter of heating/cooling unit * Dust light fixtures & wall vents * Wipe down walls & baseboards * Vacuum under & behind furniture, remove cushions from sofa and chairs and vacuum crumbs & debris
Kitchen – Clean cabinet surfaces * Wipe down cupboard and pantry shelving * Thoroughly clean interior and top of refrigerator * Clean oven interior or run self-clean cycle if available
Bathroom– Use a heavy duty cleaning agent to scrub any grime and soap scum built up from sink, tub, shower and plumbing fixtures
ANNUAL/QUARTERLY DUTIES
(Most of these are chores that may be done as frequently as you desire.)
Bedroom/s – Flip Mattresses according to tag instructions * Rid closets and drawers of items that have been outgrown or not worn in 6 months. Sort items by consign/eBay, charity, family, trash, etc.
Bathroom/s – Clear medicine cabinet, bathroom pantry and vanity drawers of medications, toiletries, etc. that have expired or that are no longer being used
Kitchen – Pull out the refrigerator to vacuum coils and vent * Go through pantry/cabinets and throw away items that have exceeded their shelf-life. (Check to see if you can donate these items to a local soup kitchen or charity.)
Living Room, Hallway, Staircase – Shampoo carpets and rugs * Clean dryer vent * Clean out and re-organize hall closets, kitchen pantry, built-ins, etc (Donate and/or sell items that you wish to remove.)
I use a similar system but purchase the list from motivatedmoms.com. $8 for a year and I just print out the list each week. It is great because she includes chores that often are overlooked and only need to be done periodically.
I am tired after just reading the list! LOL!
As far as “daily duties” you forgot to mention to check Hip 2 Save! for the latest deals! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!
I just copied and emailed to myself. I needed a list thanks this will help a lot.
great list, I have one of my own that I do…….thanks for your hard work, had a great time at CVS today
You can use coffee filters to wipe down surfaces. It works especially well when windexing windows and mirrors.
This list is great! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for this list!! I needed a jump start in getting a routine down and this fits me to a “T”! Thank you!!
It’s a big list, is doing the clothes laundry in there? I couldn’t find it. I’ve been looking for a list like this!
I was wondering the same thing, but then I realized there is NO way I could really schedule laundry…. I have to do it as I get a full load (which is almost daily for the girls, especially with potty training, lol). They like to help me put it away too, which sometimes creates a bit more work 🙂
Just a laundering tip I found helpful when potty training…We (thankfully) now have our laundry room on the same level as our living space and I placed a plastic wash tub in the laundry room where my preschooler could put his OWN soiled pants & underwear in. This way his dirty items weren’t put together with his other clothes and left to stink up his room. I then would better remember to throw his underwear, etc. in with whatever I was washing that day. My family now knows that if they get clothes REALLY dirty or wet at dinner, craft time or outside play that they take those clothing items off and put them directly into this plastic tub ready for special laundering attention. I too LOVE that my preschool boys are learning to help out with laundry and be responsible for their own messes…hopefully their future wives will thank me later! (MUCH later!!!!) ;0)
Thank you! This list is *amazing* 🙂
Great list!! I wash about 3 loads a day of laundry just when ever I can
Thanks! Sometimes using something different helps to inspire me. This sounds great. I usually wind up making my own daily lists and this sounds fun.
this is great, i hate making list, so you took the hard work out of it. the only down side is i have to clean the floors daily or else it just gets bad!
Oh, how I love you right now!
I am seriously going to copy this… alter a few things to fit our household… then print it and hang it for my son!!! (& hubby and I)
I babysit some weeks 7 days a week… some days I start at 7am and dont see the last baby leave until 9:30pm. I have very little free time. My son does what he can to help but if I dont have the time to dictate to him, he is lost. This will help him to know what he needs to do and my hubby & I to do those things he cant.
Collin,
great list. I plan on starting this list tomorrow,
I have started using Norwex products to clean instead of chemicals. Everyone wshould check these out. Saves a lot of time cleaning and no chemicals
Does anyone have any hints to clean glass shower doors. The build up of soap scum is almost impossible to remove no matter what I have tried. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Try switching soaps. I use Bath & Body Works shower gel and NEVER have soap scum. My husband starting using my shower and uses bar soap…you guessed it; now I have soap scum! This can prevent the build up next time. Good luck!
What I find usefull that dramatically reduces shower cleaning is a flat squezgy found at Walmart, Meijer, Target, etc. Using this to wipe the walls after each use, GREATLY reduces cleaning for me at least!! It works wonders!!
MIght I add, I use this on the inner shower curtain and the floor too! No really!
magic eraser super strength works fantastic on soap scum.
I use dryer sheets. They work great! And the best part is that I use them for the laundry first and then use them to clean the shower. Great way to get a little more use out of them.
Like Nicole said, dryer sheets. We have really hard water and you just take a dryer sheet and a bucket of water, and there you go. Just keep the dryer sheet moist while you wipe. You can follow up with vinegar too.
I have really hard water too. I finally gave up and ripped the stupid glass shower door down, filled the holes, hung a rod and liner. I was afraid the water would get everywhere because it’s in our stand up shower but there hasn’t been an issue. One of the best home improvement things I ever did and it only took a couple of hours!
I use vinegar to clean the shower doors, it is the only thing I have ever found to work. I mix 50/50 vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray down the door and scrub – a little elbow grease goes a long way too!
Wow! Thanks for all the suggestions. I will definitely try them. I really appreciate it!
Excellent! I going to print it out and post it on the fridge FOR MY HUSBAND! Sweetly titled with “HONEY DO LIST”. 😉
This is a great list! Thanks for making it!
THANK YOU! I have been wanting to create a simple daily list and haven’t gotten around to it. Now I have no excuse!
Wow! Love this post! Thanks, Collin! I’m a fly lady by heart, but haven’t gotten back on the program, so I am going to try this for a week.
thanks for the list but when you work full time just a little hard to do these things each and every day
I thinks it helps to do 20 minutes a night so you’re not blowing your whole day off on cleaning.
Thank you! I wanted to tell you, you should come to Salem Oregon next. We would love it and Oregon is awesome!
I totally agree 🙂
Thank you SO much for this! You are a lifesaver — seriously!!!
Love this list. I have done this at different phases in life and really like it. It really helps from things getting so overwhelming. I’m going to print it off and start again
This helps a ton! Now let’s see if I can stick to it!!
Wow that is a lot of cleaning. Is this list for people who work outside or inside the home? I work and just looking at it discourages me. Do any working moms out there get this type of cleaning done? I need help if someone of you do.
I’m a stay at home mom and I have a hard time getting this kind of cleaning done. I don’t know how working moms could do it.
I need help too. It looks exhausting after being gone all day & meeting up with everyone at home afterschool/work. Seems like I cram too much into Saturday & Sundays. By doing that I am finding I do not even go coupon shopping….
I’m with you Milissa! I have a full-time job and this list could NEVER get done this regularly! And I keep a pretty clean home. Who has time to launder the sheets EACH week!?
Thank you! I was starting to feel bad after reading this list. 🙂 But it’s nice having a list – good motivator!
I only work 3 evenings/week but what do you ladies who are home during the day do with your kiddos while you’re cleaning?
My daughter is 9 months old and she’s recently learned to crawl and pull herself up so even if she’s in the same room, if she’s ‘loose’ I spend all my time keeping her out of things and making sure she doesn’t fall backwards onto something hard. She doesn’t like her Exersaucer or her Pack N Play for more than a couple of minutes now. I can usually clean up the kitchen while she has breakfast and I’m hoping to get a Super Yard soon so she has someplace safe to play where she can still move around but any other ideas…??
I love this list!! Thanks so much for spelling it all out and making it seem so easy.
That’s a great list. flylady.net really helped me get organized with this too. You clean a different part of your house each week, with maintenence daily and a weekly ‘house blessing’ for general cleaning. It’s really motivated me to minimize and declutter…my hubby loves it! 😉
Cool list !!!! Thanks for posting and Happy Mother’s day 🙂
i like your list. i also attack the mail daily (put coupons away immediately, pay bills immediately, phone call if something is wrong, open packages and put away… to not let there be a pile), and i put away kids “small” clothes as soon as i notice it (maybe wear it that one last day but then wash and put in hand-me-down box immediately vs sorting every few months).
FLYLADY.net – she is amazing — and free! Just a word of caution though…while her goal is to de-clutter her site tends to be a little cluttered for some at times.
I read another great tip in a magazine somewhere that works WONDERFULLY for me: Set a kitchen timer to 10 minutes. Spend only TEN minutes in each room but make yourself NOT leave that room for the entire 10 minutes. Toss anything that needs to be put in another room together in the center and leave it until the 10 minutes are up. My problem is starting in one room, finding something that goes in another and then finding myself 45 minutes later still in the 2nd room because I found something to distract me from my original purpose! If I’m in a hurry and company’s coming or something, I’ll set my timer for 5 mins per room and can usually get my house company-ready in 30 minutes or less!
I do this with my weeds in the yard….I set a timer for 15 to 30 minutes ( depending on how much time I have) and do a speed pull….This way I get the weeds out and can move on with my day…
That’s a GREAT idea! It seems so easy to be distracted when I need to be doing housework LOL 🙂 I’m going to try that….
Love the list! Just copied it to hang on my fridge. I get side tracked very easily doing chores so maybe this will help me stay on track!!! Thanks!
Thank you so much I really needed this!
thanks so much this is great ….i had no idea that you could have so many uses for dryer sheets!!! WOW
Its amazing at how much of that list I already do……..just not quite such an organized fashion.
need tips on how to mobilize the troops to help. i feel it’s me against two destructive children and a husband who doesn’t lift a finger (he does his share in other ways, of course). i feel like i’m just walking around morning til night picking up debris.
I’m with you on that one! Sounds like my family!
I am so motivated!! Thanks for the lists!!
I love these lists but let me ask, is this primarily for SAHM’s?
I think this is meant to be a guideline for anyone, not just for SAHMs or moms in general.
Thanks you for the list. I have never been an organized person and the list is something I could easily follow.
Wow – can I come live with you??? My house will NEVER be this clean with two toddlers running around all day. I’m lucky to get all of these things done once a month 🙂 I started to feel guilty just reading this list…but we’re all happy and healthy…who cares if I haven’t polished the stainless lately!
I’m SO bad about cleaning and think it’d really help if I just had a few simple tasks a day and a set schedule! I don’t know why that never occured to me before. Thanks! 🙂
Watch out when using vinegar for cleaning – it should not be used on marble surfaces. Even the composite marble should not be cleaned with vinegar – it pits the surface.
This is great! Maybe I can get my 3 year old to help me tackle some things ; ) allowance??
My house is over 2,000 squ. feet (just happened to be the best ‘deal’ we found when house shopping!) so I have needed a list; hopefully something daily that will help me to get organized, so I am going to try this. 🙂 Thanks. And I agree w/the laundry w/the reader that says she has to do it nearly everyday, that’s me too! So much laundry, all the time!
Thank you! I showed the list to my hubby last night and we are on board starting today! I’ve been looking for something like this to guide me on how to keep control a little at a time because by the time we decide to tackle it, it has become an all day session. And that is very frustrating. You rock, Collin!
Thanks for this list, Collin!! I usually do ALL of my cleaning on one day and it takes ALL day (usually because my little one is at my feet the whole time!) This list won’t make US feel so overwhelmed. Thanks again!
Thank you for this list! I’m so excited to try it! I’ve been wanting to make a list like this but couldn’t decide what chores to include or which days to schedule them. This will help me out A LOT!
Thanks so much i was just trying to do this for myself now that you have one i don’t have to think about it!! your the best thanks so so much!! Also when are you going to give away some more shirts!!!
Thanks! Wow, we sure do a lot of cleaning, huh? Shesh…having it all written out makes it a little scary! I’ve copied this and have it posted in my office cabinet – thank you?!?!?! :0)>