Weekly house cleaning schedule: organize your household routine

There are those who like it, those who can’t stand it, those who roll or run away. Yes, it’s about housework. A study carried out by professors at the Universidade Federal Fluminense concluded that women spend an average of 26 hours and 20 minutes a week to get the house in order. And with the recent changes in the hiring of domestic workers, the tendency is for these tasks to occupy more and more the agenda.

But lack of time in everyday life doesn’t have to be synonymous with disorganization. On the contrary, with a little planning it is possible to keep the house always in order, without working yourself to death, defends personal organizer Adriani Gonçalves, from AG Personal Organizer. “Many people don’t like it, but for a good organization and administration of the house, routine is essential. Establishing an order in the tasks facilitates and guides for what should be done, when and how”, says Adriani.

Where do I start?

The first step in organizing your house cleaning routine is to make a list of everything you need to do and the time each task requires. Then, create a schedule distributing the tasks by the days of the week and the month – and, of course, put it into practice. This organized house-cleaning schedule tends to be much more efficient than doing the entire housecleaning in a single day.

Establishing routines is key to getting organized. The creation of this type of script, by the way, is one of the principles of the Fly lady method, an American system created to help with cleaning the house and that has been followed by women all over the world.

In drawing up this schedule, it is also necessary to consider the frequency of each of the activities listed (whether they need to be done daily, weekly or monthly, for example), adds the personal organizer. If necessary, make modifications to the itinerary as you deem necessary, according to the size and needs of your family.

What to do and when?

Some tasks deserve (or should!) be done daily – like washing the dishes and making the bed. But including other less “desired” ones (cleaning the toilet, for example) in your daily routine can also help you save time and avoid inconvenience.

Some of these tasks will take less and less time if they are done regularly. Therefore, they should be part of a daily house cleaning routine. But other tasks can be spread throughout the week. As a weekly routine, organizational consultant Adriani Gonçalves suggests the schedule below. “The tasks can be reordered as needed and the script also serves to guide day laborers and maids on what needs to be done”, explains Adriani.

Monday

• change bedding
• Changing bathroom towels
• Put the clothes to wash
• take out the trash
• Separate weekly bills payable

Tuesday

• Sweep the room and bathrooms
• Dust off furniture
• Cleaning appliances (including the oven and microwave interior)
• wash the toilet

Wednesday

• sweep the rooms
• Cleaning kitchen glass and tiles
• Changing bath towels
• put clothes to wash
• Caring for indoor plants and/or garden

Thursday

• Shake the rugs and beat the doormats
• Organize kitchen cabinets
• Clean the inside of the fridge
• take out the trash

Friday

• Washing tiles and shower stall
• clean mirrors
• Dusting the furniture and vacuuming the house
• Go to the supermarket

Saturday

• sweep the whole house
• put clothes to wash
• take out the trash

Sunday

• Set weekly menu
• make shopping list
• organize the kitchen

If you prefer to change this itinerary, it is important to ensure that the refrigerator and cupboards are cleaned one day before the day defined as the day to go to the supermarket, advises Adriani. “In the same way, prepare the menu for the week before you go shopping – if you don’t have all the products at home, put it on the list”, he adds.

It is important to remember that there are other activities that are not so obvious or commonplace, but that are also indispensable to keep everything in order. Therefore, your cleaning schedule should include tasks for the month, semester and year as suggested below:

Once a month:

• Empty and sanitize kitchen cabinets, especially the cutlery drawer
• Empty and wash groceries jars
• Wash the spark plugs in your water filter
• Flip the mattresses on the beds
• Wash curtains and light rugs
• Organize clothes closets and drawers
• Clean switches, chandeliers, walls and ceiling

Every 6 months:

• Wash the heaviest curtains and rugs
• Wash or change the filter in the air conditioners and extractor hoods
• Apply petroleum jelly, silicone or beeswax to natural leather furniture
• Apply wax remover on wooden floor
• Clean and sanitize sink drains and siphons

Once a year:

• Dedetize the house
• Adjust or change flush valves and faucets
• Clean roof gutters

Clean house, free time

Like any change of habit, it will take some time for you to definitely get used to a house cleaning schedule. “It takes an average of 21 days to get used to any kind of change, especially if it includes routine,” says Adriani.

The planning of tasks optimizes the performance of activities, requiring less of your time to keep the house in order and pleasant. With a schedule of what needs to be done, it’s also easier to delegate tasks – if you don’t live alone, you shouldn’t do everything yourself.

By saving time (and energy!) with household chores, you’ll be more in the mood for the activities you really love.