A Weekly Cleaning Schedule You’ll Actually Stick To!

Let’s be honest – keeping a clean house can feel impossible.

Between the piles of laundry, crumbs on the floor, and toys scattered everywhere, cleaning often takes a back seat. But what if I told you there’s a way to keep things under control without spending hours every day scrubbing? How about a weekly cleaning schedule that’s realistic, simple, and…mom-approved?

In the past, we had a cleaner come every other week. In order to save some money after I left my full-time Corporate job in June, we put our cleaner on pause and I took on the majority of the cleaning responsibilities. I do well with routines, so I created a weekly cleaning schedule to follow. It’s been going well so far! Creating a weekly cleaning schedule isn’t about perfection; it’s about finding a routine that works for you. In this blog post, I’ll share my weekly cleaning schedule, as well as some tips on how to make cleaning easier and more enjoyable.

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My weekly cleaning schedule

I’ve been following this schedule for the last couple of months:

There are also some basic maintenance cleaning tasks I do daily. I also do laundry 2-3 times per week.

This weekly cleaning schedule works!

The weekly cleaning schedule I’m sharing covers the tasks that I’m responsible for. My husband does the majority of the dishes, takes out the garbage, and does other cleaning tasks that involve more heavy lifting. His tasks aren’t part of my weekly schedule.

The logic behind my weekly cleaning schedule is that because we used to have a cleaner coming every other week, I want to make sure that each of the rooms are being cleaned every other week. That’s why I have a Week 1 and Week 2 in my schedule.

Originally I thought I’d do all of my Week 1 tasks one day, say on a Wednesday, and all of my Week 2 tasks on the following Wednesday, so I was only doing major cleaning one day a week. However, after attempting that I was exhausted. My therapist suggested that I do a little bit of cleaning each day to make it less overwhelming. That’s how I came up with the weekly cleaning schedule that I use today. Each task takes me about an hour or less to get done.

Daily Maintenance

Every day I do some basic maintenance cleaning tasks. On weekdays, I wait until my girls are out of the house and then I do some organizing, like putting away any toys they left out. A few times a day I use my Bissell Pet Hair Eraser to clean crumbs and other residue off the floors and surfaces. On weekends I’m using the hand vacuum a lot more often since my girls are home and they are very messy!

Laundry

I do 2 loads of laundry each week, usually on Mondays and Fridays. To make things easier, I don’t separate colors. I just throw all the clothes together and wash them on cold. Some weeks I do a third load, if it’s time to wash any sheets or towels.

Week 1, Monday – Dust and organize main level

Every other Monday I dust and organize our main level. I start by just clearing the clutter. I then go around with my Swiffer Duster and dust off all the surfaces. Once I finish I go around with the hand vacuum to clean off any lint or crumbs I pushed onto the floor. Finally, I use Windex to clean the glass surfaces in our family room.

Week 1, Tuesday – Vacuum main level

Every other Tuesday I vacuum the main level. Cleaning the floors is my favorite type of cleaning since it makes me feel productive. I also get a bit of a workout in moving the couches and coffee table so I can get to reach all of the flooring. I absolutely love our Dyson Ball Vacuum! It’s light and easy to push around. We have hardwood floors and tile, so I can’t speak to how well it works on carpet.

Week 1, Wednesday – Dust and organize upper level

Every other Wednesday I dust and tidy up the bedrooms on our upper level. This can be tedious since all the dressers have clutter, but I do the best that I can do! I also do some organizing in my girls’ bedrooms, but I like to let them take the lead on that.

Week 1, Thursday – Vacuum upper level

Every other Thursday I vacuum all of the rooms on our upper level. Sometimes I just combine this with dusting and organizing the day before if the dusting creates a mess that I want to vacuum up right away.

Week 1, Friday – Wash floors

Every other Friday I use my Swiffer WetJet to wash the floors on my upper and main level. The WetJet is really easy to use on both wood floors and tile. We always seem to have some sticky patches near where my girls eat and the WetJet cleans them up great!

Week 2, Monday – Clean kitchen

Every other Monday I clean the kitchen. I wipe off our wooden kitchen table and then clean it with Pledge. I clean the appliance windows with Windex. Finally, I clear off all the surfaces and spray and wipe down the counters, kitchen island, and sink with Fantastik Multi-Surface cleaner.

Week 2, Tuesday – Clean downstairs bathroom

Every other Tuesday I clean the bathroom on our main level. It’s not too bad since it’s just a toilet and sink. I spray and wipe down the bathroom mirror with Windex and the sink with Fantastik. Recently, I started using Scrubbing Bubbles Drop-ins in all of our toilets and that definitely makes cleaning the toilets easier! I still need to scrub a bit with our toilet brush, but it’s definitely less scrubbing than before we started using the drop-ins. Finally, I spray and wipe down the toilet with Fantastik.

A funny story about the drop-ins is that they turn the toilet water blue, and the first few times my three year old went to use the toilet she was scared of the blue water and cried! She’s gotten over it at this point, ha!

Week 2, Wednesday – Clean master bathroom

Every other Wednesday I clean our master bathroom. I have to admit, I just don’t feel as confident that I’m doing a good job cleaning the bathrooms as I do cleaning the rest of the house, which is why it’s my least favorite cleaning task. I start by spraying and wiping down the shower walls, both sides of our shower door, and our bathtub with Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Shower Foamer Spray. Next, I spray and wipe down the bathroom mirror with Windex. Then, I clear off our bathroom counter and spray and wipe down the sink, countertop, and toilet bowl with Fantastik. Finally, I scrub the interior of the toilet bowl with a toilet brush.

Week 2, Thursday – Clean girls’ bathroom

Every other Thursday I clean my daughters’ bathroom upstairs. I use the same steps and products that I mentioned in cleaning our master bathroom.

Week 2, Friday – Clean basement

Our basement doesn’t get used as often as the rest of our house, so I just clean it when necessary every other Friday. Cleaning the basement usually involves putting away toys, vacuuming with the hand vacuum, and washing the floor with my Swiffer WetJet.

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How to make the weekly cleaning schedule easier and more enjoyable

Six months ago, if you asked me if I enjoyed cleaning, I would have said “absolutely no!” However, now that cleaning our home has become one of my main responsibilities, I wanted to find ways to make cleaning easier and more enjoyable.

Making cleaning easier

• Find ways to be more efficient. We’re all busy with what feels like a million different tasks on our plates. Look into products or tools that can make cleaning easier. For example, I used to pour the toilet bowl cleaner in the bowl and scrub with the toilet brush. Now I use the drop-ins which makes cleaning the toilet quicker and easier.
• Break it down. Use trial and error to come up with a cleaning routine that works for you. Break down the tasks to make them more manageable. Adjust your routine as needed.
• Make cleaning part of your routine. Daily cleaning is part of my morning routine checklist. Prior to that, I wasn’t used to cleaning on a regular basis, so getting started felt overwhelming. Making it part of my regular routine has helped me feel like a more organized mom. I find it a lot more manageable now, and even enjoy it (except for those bathrooms!) If you prefer cleaning at the end of the day then put it in your evening routine checklist instead!

Making cleaning more enjoyable

• Keep yourself entertained while cleaning. I love listening to podcasts for moms. My favorite podcast right now is Wholeheartedly with Kendall and Galey (former Peloton instructor Kendall Toole!) which isn’t just for moms, but is great for any woman with anxiety or other mental health issues.
• Be kind to yourself. Do I clean my house as well as our cleaner did? Probably not. Is the cleaning that I do better than doing nothing at all? Absolutely! Try not to push pressure on yourself to make your house look absolutely perfect. I know I can do a better job on the bathrooms but I’m learning (and improving!) as I go.
• Reward yourself. Once you finish a cleaning task reward yourself with a little break, such as a cup of coffee while watching your favorite show.
• Acknowledge the other benefits. There are other benefits of cleaning besides just having a clean house. It’s important to realize that if you’re cleaning, you’re moving, which means you’re getting a little exercise in too!

Sticking to a weekly cleaning schedule doesn’t have to be stressful.

By breaking down tasks, spreading them throughout the week, and finding ways to make cleaning more enjoyable, you can keep your home tidy without feeling like it’s taking over your life. Remember, it’s not about perfection—it’s about creating a routine that works for you and your family. So, take a deep breath, put on your favorite podcast, and give this schedule a try.

A cleaner, more organized home is just a few small steps away!