How to Organize your Cleaning Schedule

Welcome to Week 3 of our Organize your Life series!

To read the 1st week’s post, on Organizing your Mind, click HERE!

To read the 2nd week’s post, on Organizing your Schedule, click HERE!

If you are just joining in, please link up your blog here so we can all help motivate each other…PLUS, there is still time to win the book, Organize Now!.

I am reading and using the book called Organize Now! by Jennifer Ford Berry to help me organize my life.

This week is…

Why Make A Cleaning Schedule?

• No More Crazy Cleaning – You will not have to worry about cleaning or run around cleaning it before someone comes over.
• Less Stress – When my house isn’t clean, I always feel relaxed. I know what day I am going to do each chore so I can relax and know there is time in the schedule to get it done.  This allows me not to be thinking of cleaning while I am playing with my kids!!  This is the greatest feeling EVER!!! :)
• Better Time Management – You can manage your time because you are on a schedule.  With this being said, I call fall off or jump ahead of my cleaning schedule and not worry. Remember, it is only cleaning!  (Oh, did I just say that?)  If I miss a week at something, life goes on.  Please don’t obsess over your schedule.
• Control Procrastination – It is easy to put off cleaning but a schedule can keep you motivated and on track.

How to Make a Cleaning Schedule

• List your tasks. Make a list of everything that you can possibly think of that needs cleaning.
• Determine frequency of tasks. To determine the frequency that you need to do a certain task, think about what makes sense and what is reasonable for you.  Do what makes the most sense to you. I love having sparkling floor to start my week, so I do them on Monday.  Then, I like to clean my bathrooms next, so I do those on Tuesday.  Then I make my week a little easier and dust on Wednesday (which is also my shopping day) and vacuum on Thursday.
• Gather your cleaning supplies.  Not having your cleaning supplies ready is a big waste of time  and distraction.  So before you get started make sure you have what you need. This is what my cleaning bucket looks like.

My kit includes…

Basic H spray bottles filled with Basic H and water

Basic G (Germicide)

Household wipes

Disinfecting wipes

Scour Off

Sponges

Scrubber Pad

Microfiber Mirror Cloths

Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

• Use an all-purpose cleaner.  I use Organic Basic H for almost everything in my house!  I don’t need to carry a different bottles around for each surface.  You can use Basic H on all washable surfaces plus it will save you time because I believe it gets the job done quicker and it will also save you money because it is concentrated.
• Control your Clutter. There is nothing worse than a bunch of clutter. Get rid of ALL clutter!!! Do don’t need STUFF!!!
• Assign people to tasks. Give each family member a chore if they are old enough.  I even have my kids do little chores.  You cannot start them too young, right? :)
• Put it in writing.  You can document your schedule however you like. You can make your own, buy one or get a free printable online.  (Below, I will show you Martha Stewart’s printout.  I love Martha!)  Use whatever works for you. 
• Stick with it.  Feel free to reward yourself for staying on track!  This is not an easy thing to do so please do something for yourself!!!

Below are great checklists for things that you should do everyday, weekly and monthly around the house!

CLEANING 6 THINGS TO DO EVERYDAY

CLEANING WEEKLY CLEANING

CLEANING MONTHLY CLEANING CHECKLIST

Here is my My Cleaning Schedule

Daily

• Wash/Disinfect the counters
• Sweep/Vacuum the hardwood
• Vacuum the family Room (most days)
• Laundry (I try to do at least one load a day)
• Pick up the family Room toys
• Wipe down appliances
• Dishes/Dishwasher
• Stovetop
• Pay bills (I try to pay them, the same day we get them)
• Make the beds

Weekly

• Wash the hardwood floors- Monday
• Bathrooms- Tuesday
• Dust house - Wednesday
• Vacuum – Thursday
• Organize the kids rooms- Friday
• Organize the fridge- Wednesday (when I shop)
• Garbages- Tuesday

When Needed

• Shampoo the carpet (about 4 times a year)
• Dust fans
• Wash walls/doors
• Dust baseboards
• Wash the couch
• Wash the Windows
• Wash the mirrors the house
• Wipe down furniture
• Vacuum lamp shapes
• wipe down lamps
• Wipe down cabinets
• Dust/Wash vents
• Dust blinds
• Deep clean appliances

How I Clean

I named this post A Different Way To Clean because I have NEVER bought  a Fantastic, a 409, a Pine Sol,  a Lysol, Clorox Wipes, a Tide, etc.  I have never used a toxic cleaner since being married!!  I clean differently than most people.  I only clean with ALL natural products.  I did this even before it was  cool to be green!  At first, my only reason to do this was because it was cheaper.  I used and still use Shaklee Get Clean products.  Now, after being more educated on why it is so important to be toxic free,  I am really glad that I have been using these the whole time!!!  Toxins are dangerous, as in hurtful, as in not very clean at all.
When most people think of green cleaners, they think: expensive or lack of quality.  With the Get Clean products that I found, nothing is further!  These are CHEAP!!!!  And they WORK!!!!  '

Let me tell you what I use and how!

Kitchen

Let’s begin with with the  Kitchen because we spend most of out time in there!  I feel like I am in there all day!  As soon as I am done cleaning up a meal, it’s snack time!  Does that happen to anyone else?  I run my dishwasher everyday and I always  try to wipe the stainless steal appliances down every night.   I HATE going to bed with a messy kitchen!!!  I love waking up and coming down to a clean room.  I am in a better mood when there are no dishes out, the stove is clean and their are no fingerprints on the fridge!  I also like to sweep or vacuum the floor everyday (several times a day under their high chairs).  
In the kitchen I use…..

Basic H2 Organic Super Clean Concentrate and my super microfiber cleaning cloth for the appliances, cabinets, counters and walls.

Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste  for my sink and my appliance deep cleaning.  Click

HERE to see how I clean my oven!

Basic G- Concentrated Germicide for disinfecting my sink, counters, knobs, floor and whatever else I want germ FREE!

Dish Wash Concentrate for washing pots, pans or anything else by hand.  I only use 1 drop per dish!  This stuff is really powerful!!!!

Dish Wash Automatic Concentrate for my dishwasher.  I only use 1 teaspoon of this stuff and I NEVER pre-rinse  my dishes.  CHEAP!!!!

Here is a before and after of the fridge…

Here is a photo of my polished sink using Scour Off…

Here is a before and after on my window…

Bathrooms 

Next,  I’ll tell you about the bathrooms because everyone likes start with the grossest area and get it out of the way.   I use…

Basic H2 Organic Super Clean Concentrate for the windows and mirrors.

This stuff works…..with NO streaks!!!   I mix 2 drops of the concentrate to my 32oz. water spray bottle. (It costs $.02 per 32oz.  That’s right, it costs me only a 2 PENNIES  for a 32oz. bottle)  CHEAP!!!! I told you. 1 bottle of Basic H²equals the cleaning uses of 5,824 bottles of 26 oz. Windex. WOW!!!!

Here is a picture of the awesome window and mirror super microfiber cleaning cloth that I use.

Here is a picture of my mirror.  NO STREAKS!!!!

Basic G- Concentrated Germicide for the sink, toilet, floors and bath/shower.

I really like to disinfect!!!  I have three kids who put there hands everywhere and I don’t want germs everywhere!!!

I wrote more about Basic G HERE!

Here is a picture of my bathroom cleaning bottles. I put this  on the door.  I have these bottles in every bathroom.  It is simple , neat and easy!

Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste for the bath/shower, floor and sink when needed.

This stuff takes off rust, mold, hard water residue and other build up.  And it SMELLS like cherries!!! And totally safe!

Here are before and after pictures of some hard water residue on my sink drain. (I know it’s gross!  Don’t hate me!)

WOW!!! Look at that sparkle!!!

I think that is pretty much it for the bathrooms, lets move on to floors

Floors

I try to vacuum or sweep everyday.  I don’t know if it is just my family but we REALLY need to do this everyday!  We get kinda totally dirty here!  I found a floor duster that I really like and the dusts the baseboards too!  YAY!!! 

It is by o-cedar.

Here is a picture of it at work!!!

I also love to use my BFF aka my Dyson vacuum.  I love it!  Now that my son is crawling and trying to eat everything he sees, I have just been leaving it out all the time.  Anytime I see something on the floor, I just turn on my Dyson and suck that baby up before my son finds it!

I use the attachments to get baseboards, lamp shades and furniture.

I have the Dyson Ball Slim and it’s great because it is so easy to move around and it’s lightweight!

For washing my floors, I use…..guess…..

Basic H2 Organic Super Clean Concentrate

This awesome no rinse, no residue, streak-free formula works great on any floor!  It seriously makes my wood shine.   For floors,  mix 1 tablespoon of Basic H + 1 gallon of water.  Apply to floor with sponge or mop.  I just put it in a spray bottle, spray it on the floor and wipe it with a microfiber mop.

Here is my little helper!  Look at the floor shine!

Dust

Now, how do I dust?  I don’t!  LOL, I wish!  This family makes a lot of dust or at least we see it more because of all of our dark wood  floors and furniture.  Usually I dampen my super micro fabric cleaning cloth with my Basic H.  I also use a really long duster to get my fans, vents, light fixtures, stair railing, walls and ceiling.

Here is another picture of my helper.  I find it best to give the kids their own set of cleaning tools to keep them busy.  It’s never too early to teach the art of cleaning!

Laundry

Laundry for 5 is not an easy thing to do!  I have a system that works for now until I can get the kids to do their own.  Right now I put ALL the the dirty laundry  form everyone in our family in my side of our closet.  I have 3 laundry baskets for  whites, lights and darks and 1 basket on my hubby’s side for his work clothes.  I also keep a laundry basket in my laundry room for hand towels, wash cloths, etc.  All of my laundry products are concentrated and NON-Toxic.  It is totally safe for your skin.  It is great for sensitive baby skin!

I use…

Fresh Laundry Concentrate
Soft Fabric Concentrate
Soft Fabric Dyer Sheets
Nature Bright

I can’t say enough about the laundry products!  A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!! They get the stains out EVERYTIME!!!

Here is a picture of the baskets in our closet…

Here is a picture of our laundry room basket…

Extra Tips

Have your kids ever drawn on your furniture with pen?!?!?  Mine have,  a normal mom would probably freeeak out! But not me.  Basic H gets it right out!!!!  AND in less than ONE MINUTE!!!!!  I just put in on straight and scrubbed in right out!

Here is a before and after of my chair with pen on it…

I also really like the Magic Eraser for scratches on the furniture. 
Here is a before and after of white paints scuffs on my dresser.

And that is how I clean and what I use!!!!

I also showed you ALL MY CLEANING POSTS OF 2010 HERE!!!!  Go check them out for more cleaning ideas and tips! :)

For more tips, please read this book!

 

I can’t wait to read about your cleaning schedules!!!!

Have a great day!

 

Also, don’t forget that you can get a FREE SHAKEE CINCH SAMPLER KIT (over $100 value) with the purchase of a Shaklee membership (a $19.95 one time fee to save you 15% off ALL orders including your first order) or ShakleeDistributorship ($39.95) AND a $70 order at member price (MN).  To get this special,  place the products in your cart, and then it will tell you that you qualify for the free Cinch Sampler Kit at the top.  After that, sign up as a member or distributor. You DO NOT need to place the sampler kit in your cart…it is automatic, just make sure to check if you qualify.   Please note, if you become a Gold Ambassador, you do not need to place an order to get the free kit.  Please email me at donahuewellness@hotmail.com for any questions.  ***Plus, I will let you know of ALL OF MY NEW MEMBER SPECIALS!!!***  You can read about my Cinch results here and my sister’s amazing story here.

How to Organize your Schedule

Welcome to Week 2 of our Organize your Life series!

To read last week’s post, on Organizing your Mind, click HERE!

If you are just joining in, please link up your blog here so we can all help motivate each other…PLUS, there is still time to win the book, Organize Now!.

I am reading and using the book called Organize Now! by Jennifer Ford Berry to help me organize my life.

This week is…

Organizing your Schedule

Having an organized schedule is an essential!!!  Time management is actually something that I have struggled with in the past.  I would go on spurts.   Sometimes, I would feel in total control and other times, I had to really push myself to stay on track.  By controlling your schedule, you can choose how you spend your time!! :)  I feel way may relaxed and calm when we are following our daily schedule!

Here are your goals for this week:

Get a daily planner.  You can make one with printables and a binder or buy one.  I just use printables that I made from Word or that I made myself.  Use what works for you!  Everyone is different and so should is their planner.

Plan for the month.  Figure out your monthly schedule, dinners, babysitters, appointments, errands, monthly chores, etc.

Here is a free weekly meals planner that I found here that I thought was simple and useful.

Weekly Meal Planner

Make a master To-Do list.  This is a list of EVERYTHING on your mind!  Just write it here. 

Master To-Do List

Sort your To-Do List.

A.  Today list- Then go through your master list and then prioritize.  Make a daily to-do list.  Fill it with things that you need to do today like… pay a certain bill, register for a class, etc.

DailyTo-Do List

B.  Weekly list-  This is a list for things that  you need to do this week, like…use a coupon, send a thank you note, buy a gift, etc.

WeeklyTo-Do List

C.  Future list-  This is for things you want to do in the future, like...a playdate, a night out, etc.

FutureTo-Do List

Schedule your families appointments.   Get all your families appointments scheduled and done with! (Dentists, Doctors, hair cuts, etc.)

Get a small notebook by bed.   This is a great idea because I always feel like my brain comes up with great ideas right before bed and then I can right them down.  I keep a notebook in my nightstand for this.

*tips*

Be realistic.  Don’t try to do more than you can handle!

Schedule downtime.  You and your family needs this! :)

Schedule pampering.  This is important…make the time!

Schedule dates.  Schedule dates with your hubby, kids, friends and family!

For more tips, please read this book!

Ok, I get a lot of email from people wondering my personal daily schedule…so here ya go!

First, I have to say that it seems like it is always changing…nap times change or go away, breastfeeding or not, school, summer break, homeschooling, private school, not working out, working out, husband working really long hours or on time, ect.  There always seems to be an altar in our schedule.  We will get on schedule and then something happens and we need change up the routine again.  That is just part of life with 3 young kids, I guess.  It keep it from getting boring anyway! :)

My Schedule

6:00-  Wake Up.  I wanted to wake up at 5am but I am just too tired so 6am it is.  I get up and get ready for the day.  I get dressed, apply my make-up, brush my teeth, make my bed, pick out the kids clothes and then start breakfast.  Also, I like to start a load of laundry!

7:00- Eat/Clean.  We usually always have eggs or a shake for breakfast with a fruit.  You should always start your day with a quality protein.  Sometimes we will have bagels and cream cheese or oatmeal instead.   After breakfast, I clean up the kitchen an do all the dishes.  I also get the kids dressed and make Grace’s school snack.

8:00-  Off to school.  This is about the time that we start getting our jackets on and hop in the van to bring Grace to school.  During the drive to school, we say our morning prayers.  After we drop her off we drive across town to my gym.  All this pretty much takes the whole hour.

9:00-  Workout.  I drop the boys off at the gym nursery.  They actually LOVE it there and they get a ton of exercise there.  They run around and play in the tubes and slides.  I can’t believe that I bring them there because I never thought I would let the boys play around those germs, but they are fine!  They seriously beg to go there and I wash their hand like crazy before we leave.  Anyway,  I LOVE going too!!  Since I have been on a real exercise routine,  I feel great!  I feel better about my self and have more energy too!  I workout for about an hour 4-6x week.  I try to lift weights twice a week, and do kickboxing, pyloxing, yoga, step,  zumba and the elliptical.

10:00-  Errands.  After I workout, I get the boys, wash their hands, put on their jackets/shoes and get back in the van.  Then we run any errands that need to get done including going grocery shopping.  If we don’t have any errands, we just go home and snack, lol.

11:00-  Pick up.  Time to pick-up Grace.  That was quick!  Actually, I need to leave at 11:15.  I go get her, talk to the other moms and drive home.

12:00-  Lunch.  We eat lunch at noon everyday!  We usually have leftovers, sandwiches, salad, pasta or something like that.  I also make sure that we eat a fruit and veggie too!  I then enjoy my cup of coffee while I read or do flash cards with the kids. We like the Your Baby Can Read flashcards!   They love when I read to them and so do I.  They can actually pay attention to me because they are still in there chairs/highchair.  After this, I switch my load of laundry and clean up after lunch.

1:00-  Nap/work.  I give Matthew naps everyday still.  He is almost 2 and he loves needs his naps.  To put him down, I change his diaper and clothes, give him a sippy cup and read to him.  After that, I lay him down in his crib, say his prayers, turn on a little fan (to block the noise) and walk out.  Next, I get Grace and Michael started on worksheets or crafts, get out a toy and they can watch a movie.  Since Matthew is sleeping, this is my only time to get any real work done.  I finish the laundry and get all my chores done for the day.  I will share my cleaning schedule with you next week. :)  I forgot, sometimes the kids help me with the chores.

2:00-  Shaklee/Blog.  This is when I work on Shaklee and blog.  I also take my pictures during this time.

3:00- Learning time.  This is when I like to sit with the kids and do crafts, worksheets, numbers, letters, read, sing songs, homework, etc.  We LOVE this time! :)  The kids love to do workbooks and color.  We also LOVE all crafts for kids!! :) Matthew usually wakes up sometime during this hour.  This is one of my favorite times of the day!!!

4:00-  Clean-up/Make dinner.  This hour is my “prepare for hubby hour”!  I like to have all the toys picked up, house spotless and dinner ready on the table before Scott comes home.  My mom always did this for my dad so I was just used to that idea and my husband really appreciates it.  I start by preparing and cooking dinner. The kids LOVE helping me cook! :)  While the food is cooking, we do a quick run through the house and pick up everything!  I straighten all pillows and throws, turn the lights on, and try to look good.  Yes…I fix my make-up and sometimes change my clothes.  I love wearing yoga pants all day but my hubby likes me in jeans so sometimes I will change.  This can be a hectic hour but totally worth it.

5:00-  Eat dinner.  Dinner and clean-up usually takes the whole hour.  We eat together as a family every night and never watch tv while we eat.  We love to talk about our days and enjoy the family.

6:00-  Play/Read.  Every night, after dinner, we spend quality time as a family!  LOVE this! :)  Since it is cold out now, we play inside games.  We love board games, cards or other educational games.  This is also a great time for the kids to spend quality time with their daddy!  After games, we read to the kids on the couch and then one parent takes Matthew and the other takes Grace and Michael.  One person will get Matthew ready for bed and the other will get the older kids ready.  (You know…brush teeth, jammies, etc.)  Then we read to them…Matthew in his room and Grace and Michael in Michael’s room.  Matthew’s routine is the same as his naptime routine.  For the other kids, we start by having Grace read aloud and we read to them.  After that, we say prayers and tuck them in.

7:00-  Hubby time.  This is when me and the hubs can hang out and talk, read, watch tv or whatever.

8:00-  Shower.  I like to shower at night after the kids are in bed.  It also saves me so much time in the morning.

9:00-  Work.  I get back to work answering emails and writing posts.

10:00-  Bed.  Pray and go to bed!  :)

So there you go!  I hope it was not too long.

To be honest, this was a little scary writing all this.  Now, I feel like you know A LOT more about me.  I know everyone’s schedule is different and different routine’s work for different people.

I might of missed stuff, but that is a normal day.  Of course, everyday is not the same.  We also have play dates, visits the the library, etc.   I feel that there is enough room for downtime and I also feel that this is pretty realistic.  Sometimes I stay up way to late and sometimes I don’t workout.  This is my guideline that works for us now.  This summer, we will change it again, lol!

For more tips or organizing your mind, please read Organize Now!

So please try to organize your schedule this week and tell us how you did that. 

How did you apply these goals to your life?

We love reading about this so please share all!!!! 

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Now it is your turn to share your schedule!!!!