This post is all about a homeschool mom’s cleaning routine.
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Like most moms, I don’t like having a messy house. A lack of cleaning routine will turn me into a mean-mommy-monster (say that ten times fast) quicker than anything else.
If you’re like me, without a cleaning routine you feel the constant battle with the cluttered mess that threatens to take over your house. A surprising and unintended consequence of homeschooling is the constant quest to keep the house clean.
Being home during the day and preparing all meals at home equals a bigger mess and need for a cleaning routine.
I have found over the years that establishing a cleaning routine makes all the difference at My Homeschool with a View. There is much more patience and productivity (and grace) flowing from me when it doesn’t look like an EF5 tornado dropped down right in my living room.
In this post, I will give you the sane cleaning routine that I have developed that will work for anyone. And it usually doesn’t take more than thirty minutes a day.
If you need some inspiration or ideas for how to accomplish a clean house while homeschooling, then keep reading. Without further ado, here is my Save-Your-Sanity Cleaning Routine.
How to Start a Cleaning Routine
Start with a Deep Clean
When decideing to begin a cleaning routine, getting started is often the biggest challenge. This is especially true if you have let your house go for awhile (it happens).
The best way to get start is to take a weekend and do a deep clean. This cleaning routine is great for keeping a house clean, but it works better when you start with a clean slate.
I find that even if I haven’t stuck with the routine for awhile, I have to take a weekend and do a reset. My family recently took advantage of a blizzard that left us stuck at home to get our house in order. This is never fun and always a lot of work, but the reward of a clean and orderly house is well worth it.
Establish a Cleaning Routine for Kids
It is important to set the proper expectations for the whole family. Everybody lives in the house, so everybody helps clean the house.
As a homeschool mom, being home with your kids doesn’t mean your job is to be the maid. Teaching and raising functioning human beingsis a full time job and takes a lot of effort and attention.
There is no way one person can do everything, and teaching kids to contribute to a clean house will set them up for a happy life.
Give everybody jobs to do according to their ability. I highly encourage you to establish a cleaning routine for your kids, or bring them into your cleaning schedule.
Cleaning Routine Schedule: Daily Chores
Morning Cleaning Routine
Unload Dishwasher
It is important to start the day with an empty dishwasher so dishes don’t pile up in the sink all day long. In homeschooling families, most meals are eaten at home which produces a lot of dirty dishes.
Being able to clean up dishes as soon as they are used is a huge time saver. You don’t have to spend much time standing at the sink or loading the dishwasher. Teaching kids to put their dishes in the dishwasher as soon as they are done is a great way to get them involed in your cleaning routine.
My husband usually does this task first thing in the morning while our coffee brews.
Start a Load of Laundry
Kids are perfectly capable of doing their own laundry. My oldest started this at age 8, and my youngest suffered from FOMO so he started at age 6.
Everybody does their own laundry on their assigned laundry day. This includes washing sheets/bedding. I do the household laundry, like towels, once a week, but other than that everyone does their own laundry.
This is all that we do for chores in the morning. I find that I like to start homeschooling right away as we are more productive this way.
Sample Laundry Schedule
Here is what my laundry schedule looks like. Of course, adapt to make things work for you and your family.
Monday: Towels and Household Laundry (Mom)
Tuesday: Youngest kid starts with sheets and bedding, then proceeds to clothes. Washing, drying and folding are ideally completed in one day.
Wednesday: Oldest does all of his laundry, the same as the youngest.
Thursday: Mom’s laundry day. I wash, dry and fold only my (no household) laundry.
Friday: Catch up day.
Weekends: Dad does his laundry. For some reason this really surprises people. I don’t do my husband’s laundry and he’s good with that, so everyone else should be too.
Afternoon Cleaning Routine
Switch Laundry
In the afternoon (around lunchtime) we switch the laundry to the dryer and start a second load.
Run the Dishwasher
If our dishwasher is full enough after lunch, then we will run a load. When this happens I usually will empty the dishwasher later in the afternoon or while I am cooking dinner.
Weekly Rotating Chore
The rotating chores are things that only need to be done once a week. Our rotating chore schedule is as follows.
Monday: Vacuum upstairs bedrooms
Tuesday: Vaccuum basement and stairs
Wednesday: Clean bathtubs and mop bathroom floors
Thursday: Mop wood floors (main level)
Friday: Things that need to be done less often (cleaning baseboards, dusting window blinds, etc)
Evening Cleaning Routine
After dinner is when the majority of our chores get done. We don’t have many evening activities so this is the time that works best for us to get the most cleaning done.
Kitchen Clean Up
The kitchen works well as a rotating chore that kids switch every week. Rotating weekly instead of daily works best.
Some nights are messier than others, and you don’t want one kid getting stuck with the messy dishes while the other gets pizza night. Rotating weekly seems to keep things pretty even.
Kids may need some parental help with this chore, but if cleaning the kitchen throughout the day, this isn’t a big undertaking.
Kitchen clean up includes loading the dishwasher, wiping down counters and sweeping/vacuuming the floor.
We mop the kitchen floor once a week, usually on Friday because that’s pizza night and there are no dishes to clean. This seems like a big job but it only takes about 10-15 minutes.
Pet Care and Vacuuming
Whichever child is not assigned to the kitchen takes care of feeding and cleaning up after pets. This includes vacuuming the pet areas so they stay pretty clean overall.
Pet areas get vaccuumed everyday, but the rest of the areas are on a weekly cleaning schedule.
Bathroom Wipe Down
Do a quick wipe down of the bathroom sinks and toilets. Once a week we swish a toilet wand inside the bowl.
This is a pretty easy job and only takes a few minutes. This is the best way to ensure you always have a clean bathroom for guests.
In my house, everybody does a bathroom. When my kids were younger I used to do them all. I found that since the bathrooms get cleaned every day, it doesn’t take very long. I can do four bathrooms in about ten minutes when we keep up with our cleaning routine.
Wipe Down Dining Room Table and Vacuum Dining Room and Living Room
This is a pretty quick job too, but makes a big difference in neatness and appearance of a house.
In my house we have dark hard wood floors that show every piece of dirt and dust. I have this Dyson Stick Vacuum with wood floor attachment that I love using on my wood floors and stairs.
Put Laundry in Dryer
Since this job is really quick, you can do this whenever you have a free minute. Just don’t forget to do it or you will have stinky clothes.
Evening is a great time to get laundry folded and put away. Put on a fun show for kids to watch and they can unwind for the night as they fold.
Tips for Establishing a Cleaning Routine for Stay at Home Moms
No Cleaning Schedule Is Perfect
It’s important to remember that no routine is perfect and it will never be followed perfectly. That’s okay.
If you miss a weekly chore, don’t try to make up for it the next day. Just pick up where you left off and the chore will get done the following week.
If you miss wiping down bathrooms one night, they will get done the next night. Don’t be a slave to any cleaning schedule. Let it make your life more peaceful not stressful.
Make Your Own Cleaning Routine List
This cleaning routine list is meant to be an example that you can get ideas from. Always do what works best for you and your family.
Find the things you prioritize and put them on the list. No matter what you do, it needs to be manageable for you. Give yourself some grace as you go through the process of establishing your cleaning routine.
This post is all about establishing a cleaning routine.
Other posts you may like:
Your Ultimate Guide to a Family Command Center
Ten Easy Ways to Get Kids Outside
Homeschool Planning: Daily Schedule | My Homeschool with a View
