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The secret to a clean home is this (and every organised Mom already knows this): the more you do it, the less you do it. Keeping up a quick, every day cleaning routine is all it takes to keep your house looking fresh, your mind uncluttered PLUS it will free up your time to do do more of the things that matter. Use this printable house cleaning checklist everyday to keep your home clean and clutter free.

The key to feeling more organized at home is to systemize the everyday stuff. Those often tireless maintenance jobs like cleaning, cooking, washing. When you neglect the everyday things, they start to accumulate.

The washing pile gets bigger, the oven gets dirtier, and you begin to fall behind a couple minutes every day. That’s when overwhelm sets in. Routines may be boring but they work.

A daily cleaning routine is a great place to start if you are looking to create more order in your home.

–>> Get Your {Free Printable} Daily Cleaning Routine

Eat that Dirty Frog

I know some people love to clean. And simply won’t understand why you have to put a cleaning routing in place to keep your home clean.

They are the ‘Cleaning Naturals’ and cleaning is a task that excites them. Yup. Then there’s the rest of us. I really wish I had that kind of cleaning devotion in my DNA, but I don’t.

Cleaning is a chore to me. It’s something that I have force myself to do. And I do it every single day. Like brushing my teeth.

The thing is I need a clean home to be content.

When my home gets cluttered or messy, I start to feel overwhelmed in all areas of my life. To be on top of my game, I have to be surrounded by order. And living out in the Country, I swear that everything naturally tends to drift to the ‘disorder’ side of the ledger.

If I drop the ball for even one day, the clutter will accumulate, the dust will multiply, something will break out of a fence and inevitably the chaos party will begin. And end in a Mommy meltdown.

A Simple Daily Cleaning Routine

I can avoid all of the above by simply following a basic, 30 minute daily cleaning routine (which you can get here).

Feel free to add to it to suit your home, life and family. Print it off, laminate it or pop it into one of those plastic sleeves and stick it where you can see it every day. In my house this means sticking it on the fridge.

–>> {Free Printable} Daily Cleaning Routine

Nurturing a Cleaning Habit

The key to a implementing a successful Daily cleaning routine is all in the name.

It needs to be done daily (aka 7 days a week)
It needs to be routine, so set aside 30 minutes round about the same time every day. That way, you won’t put it off for later or lag behind.

I’m not going to lie: if you haven’t been in the habit of daily cleaning, this 30 minutes may drag on for a little longer. You may be a little behind in some of the chores on the list. Stick with it, it will get easier. You will get quicker and your home will always be only 30 minutes from clean.

Daily Room-By-Room Cleaning Routine

Bedrooms:

Make your bed as soon as you wake up every morning.
Clear the floor. Clean clothes get folded, hung up and packed away. Dirty laundry goes in the hamper. Books on the bookshelf. Toys in their place.
Clear the nightstand. Cups in the kitchen. Books on the shelf.
Wipe away the dust. Grab a microfibre cloth and all purpose spray and wipe the desk, nightstand and window sill.
Clean the floor. Vacuum or dry mop if needed.

Note: Each of my children are responsible for keeping their own bedrooms clean. Even little kids can be taught to {try} make their bed and pick up their toys and clothes off the floor.

Tools needed:

Microfibre Cloth
All Purpose Spray
Vacuum

Bathroom:

Pick up wet towels and hang out to dry.
Use a good all purpose bathroom spray on the shower, tub and shower door/curtain and allow to sit for a couple minutes.
Pop toilet bombs or a sprinkle of toilet cleaner into each toilet and allow to sit while you work. (Tip: Tablespoon of borax does a great job cleaning hard to clean brown marks at the bottom of the bowl).
Pack away makeup, brushes, shampoo etc.
Pick up dirty clothes and pop them in the laundry.
Clean the toilet. Scrub inside the toilet with a toilet brush, spray toilet seat and rim with disinfectant spray and wipe with toilet paper (flush after use). Quick Tip: I like to add a couple drops of tea tree
Wipe down the basin, taps, shower and bath with warm soapy water and sponge.
Buff water spots from mirror and taps using a dry microfiber cloth.
Replace dirty towels or washcloths with clean ones and make sure the toilet wipes, toilet paper and hand soap are stocked.
Check the floor. Give it a quick wipe / mop with warm soapy water.

Tools you will need

Sponge
Microfiber Cloth
Bucket with warm Soapy Water
Disinfectant Spray
Toilet Bombs / toilet cleaner
Toilet Brush
Bucket and Mop

Living and/or Family Room

Clear all clutter from the area. Pick up things from the floor, put dishes and cups in the kitchen, pack away magazines, tech stuff, books, games, and DVDs that are lying around.
Call the kids to collect their own things from the area.
Dust off sofa cushions (a little pat and shake should do it).
Straighten all pillows and fold any blankets.
Dust all surfaces with a duster.
Wipe down coffee tables and any stubborn dust – I just use a damp cloth for this.
Check the floor. Shake the rug outside, vacuum or mop the floor as needed.

OPTIONAL: A quick spray of linen, curtains and cushions with a fabric freshener will make the room smell fresh and clean and it’s just a nice finishing touch. A little like wrapping it up and putting a bow on it.

Tools you will need

Kitchen:

Spray oven with Non Toxic Oven Cleaner allow to sit while you clean.
Empty the dishwasher if it’s full.
Pack the dishwasher with dirty dishes and turn it on.
Empty the sink of any additional dirty dishes, dry them and pack them away. Give the sink a quick scrub.
Pack away any clutter from the counter tops.
Spray and wipe down counters, rangehood, stove top and appliances with warm soapy water or use an All purpose cleaning spray.
Use paper towels to wipe down inside of the oven.
Put dirty dishtowels, cleaning rags and sponges in the wash, and put out clean ones.
Give the floor a quick sweep and mop.

OPTIONAL: This is optional, but I like to end off with polishing taps and stainless steel appliances with a dry microfibre cloth to remove any water spots and add an extra little shine.

Tools you will need

Dishwashing Soap
Dishwasher powder / tablets
All Purpose Cleaning Spray
Oven Cleaning Spray (non toxic)
Paper Towels / Reusable Paper Towels
Sponge
Microfibre cloth
Mop and Bucket

Laundry

If you are overwhelmed by your laundry situation, I’m happy to tell you that there is a super simple solution. No matter how far you’ve let this slide, from now on your laundry will ALWAYS be under control if you follow this easy routine: