I like to have a clean house, but I really don’t like being the one to clean it. Unfortunately, I don’t think paying someone else to clean my house, that I’m capable of cleaning, is a good use of my money. But, I have found a few things that make cleaning my house much more bearable.

First: Having a routine. Having a good routine so everything gets done on a regular basis keeps everything cleaner and easier to clean as I go along. The messes don’t pile up, and I don’t feel overwhelmed trying to get it all done all at once.

Second: Letting my routine work. I chose to do certain chores on certain days throughout the week. That way my whole house gets done every single week and again, nothing piles up too badly. If it’s not the day to mop the floors it’s easier to ignore the floors knowing I will get to them in the next couple of days.

Third: Add in larger jobs when my schedule allows. Cleaning windows is something I do all at once. It’s always on my mind in the spring and sometimes in the fall, so I make sure I set aside time to get big jobs like that done. But, because the inside jobs are small enough, and take less than an hour each day, doing a big job once in a while doesn’t feel overwhelming.

Last: Leave a little bit of time every couple of days for high traffic areas. I don’t just take care of my floors once a week, but most of the floors stay pretty clean because we always take off our shoes when we come in. But, the entry floor gets dirty a lot faster than once a week, so I sweep that floor at least 3-4 times a week depending on the season. Wiping kitchen counters happens multiple times a day, but the deep cleaning of the kitchen only happens once a week.

When my kids were at home, I had a lot of help to get things clean and it didn’t take long even if we did it all in one day. Now that they’re all mostly gone and busy, I do most of the cleaning by myself. Breaking it up into smaller, daily items has made something I dreaded before, something I only slightly dread and am motivated to complete early in my day so I can do other things knowing my house chore for the day is finished.

Here is a typical week of cleaning at my house:

• Monday: Toilets and then grocery shopping. Grocery shopping takes a while since the store is 30 miles away, so I only do one chore on Monday’s
• Tuesday: Floors . Sweeping, moping, vacuuming, and once every few months carpet cleaning.
• Wednesday: Counters and sinks. All bathroom counters and sinks along with other flat surfaces in my house. This day takes the longest at just over an hour.
• Thursday: Showers/tubs and dusting. Not all the showers get cleaned every week because they don’t all get used regularly, but at least 1 gets cleaned every week.
• Friday: I’m not home Friday’s, I’m in Anchorage (70 miles away). On my way home from the temple I stop at Costco and do any bulk shopping I need to do.
• Saturday and Sunday: I don’t schedule any chores either day. Saturday’s I try to just get everything straightened back up that needs it. Sunday is a day of rest, other than keeping the kitchen mess down, I don’t do any other cleaning.