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What to Clean and When | Housekeeping Guide

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Have you ever wondered if life is harder than it could be? Sometimes, as homemakers, we make life harder for ourselves without even realizing it! Today I’m talking about what to clean and when. How often do you really need to clean out the refrigerator? Let’s talk about it.

What to Clean and When @ AVirtuousWoman.org

30 Days Of Intentional Homemaking: Day 15

Families need women who make home a special place to live, learn, and grow. There is no other job that presents as many opportunities for shaping (for the good or the bad) the future of our country – of our world – than that of a homemaker.

Intentional Homemaking @ AVirtuousWoman.org

Each of us is a homemaker. Whether you work outside the home or stay home full time, you are a homemaker. Whether you live with a big boisterous family or it’s just you and a couple of children – or just you and your husband – or even just you -, you are a homemaker. We’ve all been called to the ministry of homemaking.

You can find the rest of this series here.

➡️ Download today’s workbook here.

One day a few years ago, I had this epiphany moment and realized that there were a lot of little things I did on a daily basis that added stress to my life without me even realizing it. Like not doing my chores when I should. You think you’re having more fun, until you realize you just created more work for yourself.

Let’s face it. Most of us really just want to clean as little as possible and still maintain a reasonably neat and tidy home. I know some of you really love to clean and that’s awesome. But I know many of us have so much on our plates that keeping the house neat feels like an impossible task at times.

Understanding what to clean and when will help you create a cleaning routine that works for you.

related: How to Create a Cleaning Routine 

Homemaking and housekeeping aren’t necessarily the same things. You can be very clinical and orderly in your housekeeping and have a clean home by doing your chores every day.

Creating a space that feels like home, in my opinion, embodies so much more than just getting the chores done.

But, chores are certainly a big part of homemaking. Knowing what to clean and when can help you manage your home, keep things tidy, and find time for the fun stuff that makes home feel like a special place.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 31:27 that the virtuous woman looks well to the ways of her household. So, we can gather that homemaking is an important role that we as women can and should take pride in.

Homemaking isn’t about making your home perfect. You do live there after all and no one wants to be afraid to sit down in their own home. Homemaking is about creating a space that feels like home – a place that is warm and inviting, a place that makes people feel welcome and comfortable.

What to Clean and When

Okay, so being honest. You don’t have to clean according to this schedule. Honestly, if you find a different schedule works better for you, that’s great!

I’ve found over the years that when it comes to cleaning my house that my greatest enemy is a lack of self-discipline. If you want to have a clean house, you just have to get up and clean it. You’ll feel better. I promise.

Knowing what to clean and when is helpful – especially if we aren’t sure what to do each day!

The Daily Chores

These are the chores that ideally will be performed on a daily basis. I promise, each of these chores only takes a few minutes when done every day.

Part of the problem is that we think chores take longer because, let’s face it, when you’ve let things pile up a lot of work is involved.

If you are a chronic procrastinator, you probably have found chores to always be cumbersome requiring a great deal of elbow grease – much more than you are willing to put out without being forced.

Having said that, if you house is overwhelming right now, this make take some extra determination at first. But, if you put in the upfront work and get your home in order, these eight simple chores will be so easy to accomplish daily.

I highly recommend doing these eight daily chores first thing in the morning if you are able. Get them out of the way and you’ll find that your day is more pleasant, the house is in order, and you don’t have to stress about company popping in unexpectedly when the bathroom is a mess.

The Daily Eight

  1. make beds {5 minutes each}
  2. start laundry {start, switch, fold, put away 10 minutes total}
  3. sweep floors / vacuum {5 – 10 minutes}
  4. tidy kitchen {20 – 30 minutes after each meal}
  5. wipe down bathrooms {2 minutes per bathroom}
  6. straighten house {30 minutes or less}
  7. 10 minute declutter {10 minutes}
  8. take out trash {2 minutes}

The Weekly Chores

Weekly chores are those that maintain your home so that it actually feels clean. When you let grime build up on the floors because you haven’t mopped in four weeks, things start feeling a little gross. The same goes with bedding. Sleeping on sheets that are cleaned each week is so much more comfortable!

These are the chores you might want to set aside for a particular day. Maybe you don’t work on Wednesdays so you can make that your cleaning day and knock these chores out in the morning.

related: Get a FREE 5 piece gift set of cleaning supplies with your first purchase from Grove Collaborative.

Alternatively, you could do one chore each day. Well, since there’s eight chores, you could do two on one day. The point is, really give it some thought.

  • What does your schedule look like each week?
  • How can you fit in these chores so that they get done each week?

There may be other chores you want to add to this list depending on where you live, your lifestyle etc. Or maybe, just maybe some chore don’t need to be done every week.

related: How to Keep a Clean House + Free Printable

For instance, maybe it’s just you and your husband living at home and your refrigerator stay clean most of the time. Clean it every other week.

But, ask yourself if you are simply procrastinating because you don’t want to clean or if you really don’t need to. You know your lifestyle. Be honest with yourself.

Only you have the power to change what needs changing in your attitude and homemaking.

The Weekly Eight

  1. Mop Floors
  2. Wash Bedding
  3. Dust Furniture and Bookshelves
  4. Scrub Bathrooms
  5. Clean Out Refrigerator
  6. Clean Stove/ Oven/ Appliances
  7. Clean Mirrors
  8. Clean Out One Drawer or Closet Space
What to Clean and When | Proverbs 31 @ AVirtuousWoman.org

The Monthly or Seasonal Chores

And finally we have chores that don’t need to attended to as often and might vary from household to household. These are the chores that can often be done when you notice they need done.

For instance, one evening you look up at the ceiling fan and realize it’s dusty. Go ahead and schedule a day to clean those fans and while you’re at it, clean the light fixtures too.

related: The House that Cleans Itself by Mindy Starns Clark

Again, there may be other chores you want to add to this list depending on where you live, your lifestyle etc. And again, depending on your lifestyle you may need to clean these more or less often. Just be honest with yourself when you are creating your house cleaning routine!

The Monthly or Seasonal Eight

  1. Dust Ceiling Fans and Light Fixtures
  2. Wash walls, doors, and light switches
  3. Clean window treatments
  4. Spot clean furniture and carpets
  5. Dust under and behind appliances and large pieces of furniture
  6. Replace filters
  7. Check fire alarms
  8. Wash windows

Depending on your household there may be other items to add to these lists, but this gives you a basic idea of what to clean and when in your own home.

The Purpose 31 Weekly Checklist Binder

The Purpose 31 Weekly Checklists is a set of 52 weekly household checklists you can print and check off each days chores to keep your house clean and tidy.

If you miss a chore one day you can do it when you have time – or just skip it because you know it will come back around in the rotation!

The weekly rotating chores are listed Monday through Friday with a catch up day on the weekend.

This is an easy to use, rotating chore list perfect for those of you who want to be told what to do each day to keep your home in order. 

Features:

  • daily chore lists
  • weekly rotating chores
  • space to write notes or add to your to do list
  • 52 Bible verses – different one each week

You can purchase my favorite planner paper here. You could also use an ARC punch and binder system.

Buy the Proverbs 31 Weekly Checklist Binder here. 

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