I’m often asked how I keep my house clean and organized — and do everything else I do.
While I AM super busy, my house is NOT as clean as you think! I also don’t have any kids, and my husband is pretty organized {yup, I know how to pick ’em}…so I have a few things going for me!!
That said, the main reason our home stays clean enough and organized enough for us to live, work, eat, and entertain is because we have daily and weekly routines.
I don’t have time to thoroughly clean my house every day — do you? However, my routines save me a bunch of time and allow me to quickly clean-up and de-clutter the main areas of our home. And since I do them every day, I’ve gotten super efficient. I can practically do them with my eyes closed!
Here are a my current daily and weekly routines.
1. Morning Routine:
I need a regular morning routine…I always have! It helps me get out of bed and out the door on time.
- Make the bed
- Open the curtains
- Get dressed and ready
- Eat breakfast
- Wipe down the kitchen counters
- Clean out the dishwasher (if it’s clean)
- Start a load of laundry
If I can accomplish these tasks before I dive into the rest of my day, I am ready for anything!
2. Evening Routine:
I LOVE waking up to a decluttered house! So every night before bed, we take about 15 minutes to…
- Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher and turn it on
- Wipe down the table and the counters and put any clean dishes away
- Fold blankets and put pillows back on the couch
- Put shoes by the door or in our bedrooms
- Throw any trash away and bring the paper out to the recycling
- Put dirty clothes in the hamper
- Pack our lunches and pick out our clothes
Knowing that the house is picked up and presentable helps me sleep just a little bit easier.
3. Weekend Routine:
I know everyone has different standards of “clean” but I like to do a good cleaning job every weekend, especially if we are expecting any company. My husband is great about helping too — we have our “jobs” down to a science and can whip out all these chores in about an hour on Saturday morning!
Andrea:
- Laundry (I also do laundry throughout the week as needed)
- Dust
- Sweep & Mop the hard floors
- Clean out the kitchen sink and wash the counters
- Wipe down baseboards, door frames, and window frames (these are always so dusty)
- More laundry!
Dave:
- Vacuum and shake out the rugs
- Clean the bathrooms
- Help fold laundry
- Take out the trash
- Wash the dishes
These basic routines save us so much time every week. We each know what we have to do so there’s no guessing or trying to remember the last time we cleaned the toilets.
My house isn’t perfect, but I am OK with that. It’s clean enough and organized enough for me and I have plenty of time left for other, more enjoyable activities!
What are your time-saving clutter-busting routines?
Elizabeth says
I never make my bed first thing. But do what they practice on the Continent. I throw the covers
back to exposed sheets and open the windows. To air the bed and refresh the air in the room
I swear it stops bed bugs and also after the body heat, and natural sweating thru the night.
I would think its the hygienic thing to do. And makes the bed fresh not stale. On the Continent
they sometimes hang the duvets out the window to air.
Taylor at Household Management 101 says
I love schedules and routines, and my house would be a tornado without them. They are what makes household management possible for me.
I love seeing your lists, by the way, of your routines. I think it is so helpful to see what others do to get ideas for yourself!
Leslie says
I love routines, too! One thing we don’t do is the shoe thing though. That will definitely be something to help us out. thanks!
Betsy (Eco-novice) says
P.S. My husband and I do both dislike waking up to or cooking in a dirty kitchen. He’s better at doing the dishes at night than I am. I’m pretty useless at night.
Betsy (Eco-novice) says
My time-saving cleaning tip is to lower your standards and clean less often. Not for everyone, but it saves me time, money and sanity.
Kara @ Home With Purpose says
I wouldn’t survive without my routines!!