Cleaning Plan of Action

Tell me what you think, I've been contemplating this for a while and I've even tried some other tactics but I'm at the point that we HAVE to establish a routine or we're a lost cause.

Chores are for Monday-Saturday with Sundays off. Dh argued that the Sabbath is actually Friday sunset until Monday sunrise, I told him Sundays are off. Only Sundays.

LAUNDRY. I hate laundry. I really hate laundry. I want someone to come wash/dry/iron/fold/put away our clothes. It isn't going to happen so I have to get real. Instead of doing the procrastination thing and letting it pile up, I've decided to do ONE LOAD a DAY.

Monday ~ Jeans
Tuesday ~ Towels
Wednesday ~ Whites
Thursday ~ Khakis
Friday ~ Dark Colors
Saturday ~ Light Colors & Sheets

Okay, so Saturday might be two loads, that's fine with me. Sheets are easy! No folding, straight from the dryer to the bed awaiting them and I think it would be a nice way to start Sunday. Clean, fresh, soft sheets- just enough to make you want to sleep in. Lol. Yeah, right.

My solution for socks. First off, the kids have plastic bins in their top drawer to keep their socks separate from their underwear and other items. Camille's socks have gray heels and toes, Danny's socks have Hanes written in blue, and dh's and my socks are easily identifiable. When sorting laundry to be laundered, I am putting both of the kids' socks in a zippered net bag (like a lingerie bag for washing) and dh and mine in another zippered net bag. This way, Camille can match up just hers and Danny's socks and I will do dh's and mine. I've eliminated 1/2 of the workload! Any socks that do not have matches still go in the person's drawer and hopefully they will meet their mate soon.

If not, the orphaned socks will be put into cleaning detail! Do you know how much help the kids are around the house with socks on their hands?

Socks + kids + pledge = dusted furniture
Socks + kids + windex = clean glass and mirrors
Socks + kids + PineSol = clean walls, baseboards, counters, sinks, wash the car, etc.

Just put the socks on the kids' hands and spray with whatever desired cleaning product and let them clean away! Put some fun, dancing music on and boogie throughout the house. I wouldn't suggest this for any child that would stick their sock in their mouth but Danny had a blast today cleaning the wall, dusting furniture and washing windows. I think I'm going to throw away all sponges and just use socks from now on. They can get into tighter spaces and when we're done, into the laundry they go! No worries about germs, mildew and bacterial growing in them like sponges. The only drawback is that it requires a little more elbow grease.

Daily, Weekly and Monthly Chores
I've taken each room and decided what needs to be done daily, weekly and monthly to keep our home under control. MrsCleanJeans' Housekeeping with Kids by Tara Aronson helped a lot with this and so did http://www.chartjungle.com which has free chore charts and more. I've put this in a spreadsheet for our family's use but I'll go room by room here. The daily chores will be divided amongst us and we will tackle the weekly chores for each room on a certain day every week.

Monday ~ Kitchen Weekly Chores
Tuesday ~ Den Weekly Chores
Wednesday ~ Bathroom 1 Weekly Chores
Thursday ~ Bathroom 2 Weekly Chores
Friday ~ Learning Room & Dining Room Weekly Chores
Saturday ~ Bedrooms & Hallway, Outside Weekly Chores

I've left room for modification, we could easily combine the bathrooms on one day instead of two. Saturday may have too many chores to be accomplished but we'll see. Each day the daily chores will be done plus the weekly chores of one room, seems managable.

KITCHEN
Daily:

• Empty/Fill Dishwasher
• Wipe Counters
• Sweep Floor nightly
• Set up coffee pot
• Empty trash after dinner
• Replenish Paper Towels
• Feed Dog

Weekly:

• Clean out Leftovers
• Sweep/Mop
• Clean Microwave
• Wipe Cabinets
• Clean Trash Can
• Wash Dog bowls
• Check Expiration Dates

Monthly:

• Clean Fridge Inside and Out
• Wash kitchen window inside and out

DEN
Daily:

• Toy Pickup (before lunch, before bedtime)
• Put away books
• Put movies back
• Vacuum if needed

Weekly:

• Vacuum/Mop
• Dust Furniture
• Dust Ceiling Fan
• Dust Lamps
• Clean TV screen
• Spot clean walls
• Dust/Clean Baseboards
• Clean under furniture
• Vacuum under cushions

Monthly:

• Wash blankets
• Wash curtains

BATHROOMS
Daily:

• Wipe Sink/Counter when finished
• Stock Toliet Paper
• Put clothes in hamper
• Hang Towels
• Put Toys Away
• Squeeze/hang washcloth

Weekly:

• Empty trash, preferably Wed. (day before Trash Day)
• Clean tub/shower
• Clean sink
• Clean toilet
• Clean mirrors
• Sweep/Mop
• Wash cabinets
• Wash baseboards
• Dust lights
• Restock TP supply in cabinet
• Replace towels
  

Monthly:

• Wash blinds
• Wash windows
• Clean out drawers
• Clean out cabinets

Learning Room & Formal Dining Room
Daily:

• Books & Supplies Tidy-up
• Toy pickup

Weekly:

• Vacuum/Mop
• Dust furniture
• Dust chandelier
• Dust lamps
• File papers
• Spot clean walls
• Clean baseboards
• Clean under furniture and under cushions

Monthly:

• Replace A/C filter
• Dust China
• Dust drapes
• clean windows
• Purge school items

BEDROOMS AND HALLWAY
Daily:

• Make Bed
• Put clothes away
• Put toys away nightly
  

Weekly:

• Clean sheets
• Sweep/Mop
• Dust
• Clean mirrors
• Clean baseboards
• Spot clean walls
  

Monthly:

• Clean out closets
• Wash blinds
• Purge Drawers
• Dust drapes

OUTSIDE
Daily:

• Water plants and yard
• pick up toys
  

Weekly:

• Dog Poop Detail
• Wash dog
• Clean carport and drive (leaf-blower)
• Wash car inside and out
• Weed garden areas
  

Monthly:

• Seasonal responsibilities

Here's the spreadsheet: Click Here


Okay, menu planning is next!