Cleaning Routine Results, Getting Organized

This was supposed to be a one month challenge but the world decided to upend every routine we had and so here we are two months later with our cleaning routine results! While we are all still adjusting to this social distancing lifestyle (I really miss my Dollar store trips and crafts!) and the kids being home until the next school year starts, I have made some strides when it comes to sticking to my cleaning routine. Is it perfect? Not yet… but it’s getting there and I feel confident enough to make this post.

Cleaning Routine Results, Getting Organized

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Cleaning Routine Thoughts

Although I found it difficult to get started with a cleaning routine it did get easier over time. Just like starting an exercise routine getting motivated to do something we don’t really enjoy can be difficult. There is a tendency to try and put things off or slip back into old habits. It can take a lot of time for people to build long-lasting health-related habits and this seems to be true with cleaning habits as well.

In fact, I’m still working on it! I didn’t follow the cleaning routines perfectly every day and it definitely became a lot more challenging when the schools closed. Having the kids home all day every day seemed to increase the chores and decrease the time I had to do them in. However, I have made a lot of progress and there are definitely areas of the house that have benefited from the routine. I’ve found it a lot easier to keep up with the laundry by doing a load every couple of days rather than trying to do several loads on Sunday before everyone needs it for work and school. Tidying up the countertops and making an effort not to use them as a junk paper dumping ground when we come home has helped a great deal s well.

We’ve also put a lot of time into de-cluttering the unseen areas of the house and while that might not be noticeable at first glance, it’s definitely helped my stress level when it comes to the house. By getting rid of a lot of the useless items taking up space in the closets and cupboards I have more space for things that previously ended up on the counter-top and other areas of the house. Decluttering these area’s is an ongoing process that I really think will help s time goes on.

Was it Ultimately Helpful?

Overall do I think Cleaning Routines can be helpful? Yes, I think so! Are they a perfect magic bullet for a tidy home? Probably not, like most things they are a tool that can help us out but ultimately they are only as helpful as the effort put in by the person attempting them.

The effort you put in will be the ultimate deciding factor in your success but since the results are easy to see and almost immediate it’s also a bit easier to stay motivated once you get started. It’s nice to see clean, clutter-free countertops and the first time you’re able to find what you need in your previous junk drawer rather then digging for five minutes you’ll be sold! You’ll find a growing desire to keep things this way and although the first clean up can be time-consuming the maintenance gets easier and easier as you go!

The Cleaning Routine I Used

I tried several versions of a cleaning routine when I first got started. Some of them focused on spending small amounts of time in every room every day (15 minutes per room) and some of them rotated your projects based on time limits – 20 minutes doing the dishes, 20 minutes tidying up, etc.

While these did help and I can see how they might be useful for people who get bored I found that they didn’t really work very well for me personally. Picking away at the rooms little by little just didn’t give me enough of a visible change to keep me motivated. In the end, I came up with a schedule that had me focusing on one room a day. Seeing the rooms transformed from cluttered to tidy made me feel like I was truly making a difference and while it took a lot more time, in the beginning, it was easier to keep up with in the end. This left me with more time to work on the out of sight de-cluttering projects.

Of course, just because this schedule was the one that worked for me doesn’t me its the one that will work for you and you should defiantly try out a variety and customize them to fit your own needs. I’ve collected quite a few options on my Pinterest Home Cleaning Routines board for you to check out!

My Cleaning Routine

Monday

• Kitchen & Dining Room
• Dishes
• Laundry
• Sweep
• De-cluttering Project – 15 minutes
• 15 Minutes General Tidy

Tuesday

• Living Room
• Dishes
• Laundry
• Sweep
• De-cluttering Project – 15 minutes
• 15 Minutes General Tidy

Wednesday

• Bathrooms
• Dishes
• Laundry
• Sweep
• De-cluttering Project – 15 minutes
• 15 Minutes General Tidy

Thursday

• Back Office
• Dishes
• Laundry
• Sweep
• De-cluttering Project – 15 minutes
• 15 Minutes General Tidy

Friday

• Bedrooms
• Dishes
• Laundry
• Sweep
• De-cluttering Project – 15 minutes
• 15 Minutes General Tidy

Saturday

• Dishes
• Laundry
• Sweep
• De-cluttering Project – 15 minutes
• 15 Minutes General Tidy

Sunday

• Dishes
• Laundry
• Sweep
• De-cluttering Project – 15 minutes
• 15 Minutes General Tidy

Tips & Tricks To Keep It Going

• The Proper Supplies – Cleaning is a lot easier when you have the right tools to get it done. Sure I could spend forever trying to clean something with soap and water but if I can get something that does the job faster then I should! This is provided that it is safe to use and fits within our budget of course. I would love a robotic vacuum cleaner to help keep up with the dog hair but those things cost a pretty penny so a broom will have to do for now!
• A Way to Keep my Tasks Organized – I am a big fan of following to-do lists, I generally feel motivated when I can cross things off or mark them as completed in my journal so I’m going to use my daily planner to help me keep organized during this venture. I expect that you could also use a digital calendar or magnetic fridge whiteboard too if you want.
• A Way to Keep Myself Entertained and Motivated – While running I tend to find music distracting enough to keep my brain from saying ‘this sucks let’s go home!’ and I know for a fact my brain likes to play similar tricks while cleaning except they tend to be of the ‘let’s do this tomorrow!’ or ‘let’s just watch one episode of this show first’ variety. To combat this I will try to turn on some music or listen to an audio boom/podcast while I work. thankfully my Trekz Air will provide me with a convenient hands-free way to do this!