As an auditor, I thoroughly look forward to the summer each year. After a long and grueling busy spring season, all I want to do is relax and enjoy the weather. However, the summer is also the time of year I have the most visitors.
To help myself reduce the amount of time I need to spend prepping my house for guests, I try to stick to a cleaning routine on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. This works best for me because I am the type of person to completely put off a task the second I start to get overwhelmed. To help myself stay on task and keep a good routine, I created a Summer Cleaning Schedule that’s broken out by daily, weekly, and monthly tasks.
The tasks that are a bit less time-consuming and also just need to be done on a daily basis, are all included in my daily cleaning routine. Since I currently live alone, some of my daily tasks don’t necessarily need to be completed every single day, like taking out the trash. However, as long as it’s something you do more than once a week, I think it’s fair to include an “every-other-day” task in the daily section.
Daily
- Make bed
- Do dishes (unload/load dishwasher)
- Wipe down counters and table
- Take out the trash
- Quick tidy-up: My rule of thumb for a quick tidy-up is to pick a different area each day (i.e. living room, bedroom, etc.) and to spend no more than 20 minutes just tidying up. This will help you stay focused and to prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed and putting off cleaning altogether.
For the weekly tasks, this is where I think your cleaning schedule will really start to look different based on your own lifestyle and household. For instance, I have a big pup and for some reason, her food and water bowls start to look questionable if left unwashed for too long so I try to wash them every week, every two weeks at the longest.
The same rules apply to this section. For any task that you complete more than once a month, even if bi-weekly, then I think it makes the most sense to include that cleaning task in the weekly section.
Weekly
- Change bedding
- Do laundry (including actually putting away laundry!)
- Sweep and mop floors
- Vacuum rooms and rugs
- Clean dog bowls
- Disinfect sinks (this will help avoid any pesty gnats/bugs)
Honestly, the monthly list is the one I’m the most sure of! Personally, I think regardless of your lifestyle/household, the things on the monthly cleaning list are tasks that you should be doing at least on a monthly basis. Especially cleaning small appliances, like your air fryer. 😉
Monthly
- Dust fans and shelves
- Clean appliances
- Wipe down furniture
- Deep clean bathrooms
- Clean out the car
- Disinfect trash cans
- Clear out the fridge and wipe down the shelves
- Declutter a space
Now I know some of these items may not be applicable to your specific lifestyle or there may even be some things that you prefer to be done on a different basis (i.e. weekly vs. monthly), and that’s totally okay!
No matter what your preference or routine is, remember to do what works best for YOU!
To help you get started, you can download my completed Summer Cleaning Schedule to use for keeping track of your cleaning tasks. But if you’re looking for a more personal routine, I’ve also made a blank cleaning schedule template so you can create a cleaning routine that works best for you, and most importantly, one that you will stick to.
As a reminder, the goal is to simply get into the habit of keeping your space clean and clutter-free. The sooner you start adding small changes into your routine, the sooner they will become a habit and a beneficial part of your life.
Happy cleaning!
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