Our Cleaning Routine

Since I have been homeschooling my boys for almost 8 years now we have developed quite the cleaning routine.  Early on I realized that if I wanted to homeschool, and do it well, I needed help with the housework; the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, etc.  I knew they were great life skills and so I enlisted the boys help.

Each day we each pick a room or two and clean it top to bottom so that by the end of the week the whole house is clean.



Typically Mondays I have the boys clean their bedrooms and one other area upstairs each this might include the hallways, the actual stairs themselves, the washroom, or even our utility closet (which is really a room).

On Tuesdays when Alec has karate we don't clean.  Though lately I'm using this as a day to get ahead and we've each been picking one of the bathrooms in the house and cleaning that (we have 2 full and 2 1/2 baths).  My boys all fight over who gets to clean the 1/2 baths since it's less work and so the only rule is you can't clean the same bathroom two weeks in a row.

Wednesdays we start with the downstairs and by Thursday we're usually finishing up any last rooms that we might have missed.

Fridays we might tackle the basement (which is only 1/2 finished), outside areas like our patio (in summer), or even the car.

We wash bathmats and towels on the days we clean the bathrooms and I try to rotate the washing of bedding so I'm tackling one bedroom each weekday. The boys each do their own laundry at this point and they typically wait until their hampers are overflowing before starting a load.

On top of this they do have a few daily chores too like helping cook dinner each night, washing the table and kitchen counters after dinner each night, sweeping the floor after dinner, taking out the garbage, and loading/ unloading the dishwasher.  We assign chores for the month and then swap them on a rotating basis.  Giving them the whole month helps me remember who's job it is and also helps them really learn how to do the job well before switching off.

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Comments

  1. Dara @ Not In JerseyApril 12, 2020 at 1:28 PM

    I really need a better cleaning routing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 12, 2020 at 2:39 PM

      It took us a long time to find one that works.

      Delete
  2. admirartemApril 12, 2020 at 1:33 PM

    What a great organization! Happy Easter!

    ReplyDelete
  3. likeschocolateApril 12, 2020 at 7:49 PM

    Given the current situation, we are doing a big clean out and clean up at our house. It has been great! I feel like I live in a new house now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 13, 2020 at 5:30 AM

      I always love that; it does make it feel like a whole new house!

      Delete
  4. One Clueless MumApril 13, 2020 at 5:39 AM

    Wow, what a great cleaning routine! Your home must be sparkling �� #MMBC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 13, 2020 at 12:53 PM

      You' d think.. but not really. At least I don't think so.

      Delete
  5. Kim CarberryApril 13, 2020 at 8:08 AM

    What a great routine. I do the housework during the week but we have a deep clean on a weekend where the kids help.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 13, 2020 at 12:55 PM

      That sounds great too. I often clean extra on my own (more of that deep cleaning) but hey, we've all go to do what works for us.

      Delete
  6. Carol @Comfort Spring StationApril 13, 2020 at 8:32 AM

    Sounds like a great routine. Come on over to my place and help me out. #MMBC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 13, 2020 at 12:57 PM

      I'm pretty sure my boys would be perfectly happy to pitch in if it meant a trip to Florida! Especially today as a very cold and very windy day is blowing outside our windows.

      Delete
  7. All About That Mommy LifeApril 13, 2020 at 10:57 AM

    That's smart to enlist your helpers!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 13, 2020 at 12:58 PM

      Thanks! Got to put them to use while I still have them living at home.

      Delete
  8. K (Sunshiney Days) April 13, 2020 at 4:03 PM

    Sounds like a great routine! I've never been able to stick to one but really need to try again. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 13, 2020 at 4:54 PM

      I found it took me years to find something that works and I fairly consistently could keep up.

      Delete
  9. Adventures with Ella MarieApril 13, 2020 at 4:15 PM

    I like your routine. Whatever works for you and your family :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 13, 2020 at 4:55 PM

      Exactly! What works for one family does not work for another.

      Delete
  10. AniApril 13, 2020 at 5:18 PM

    You are amazing, this is such a great routine. I want to get to this point, but with everyone home now it feels impossible. My husband is home with the kids and he gets them to clean the two big rooms on the first floor since they mess them up with their toys. I clean the bathrooms at least once a week since it makes me insane to see the counters dirty. I'll do a quick wipe down of the counter and then that leads me to the toilet and before I know it I'm throwing the towels and mats in the washer. The kitchen is an endless struggle though and so is the master bedroom. I haven't recovered from my office remodel. So while the office is in great shape, the bedroom is still holding all the nonsense that we took out of the office.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 13, 2020 at 7:31 PM

      I find the kitchen is an endless struggle too! That and our entryways since we do so much hiking and everyone wears hiking boots/ work boots all the time.

      Delete
  11. onceuponatimehappilyeverafter.comApril 14, 2020 at 3:42 PM

    Bravo! Great routine. Since I worked from home and my kids went to public school, we did all of our cleaning on the weekends. Which was no fun for them but really the only time we had to it. I implemented baskets for each child to put their things in during the week, shoes, hair bows, toys, jackets and each night they took their basket up and put the items inside away. We only had one living space and I had to do that to keep our living room from being buried under 'stuff'. I probably turned over the laundry to my daughters a little late but they eventually were doing it. You are raising some very responsible young gents!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 14, 2020 at 4:30 PM

      Thanks. I used to be quite obsessive about having a picked up and cleaned house so they learned pretty early on to keep things neat and tidy. They don't enjoy helping me with the chores but I am sure that someday they will be so thankful to have these skills.

      Delete
  12. Adrienne PatenaudeApril 14, 2020 at 8:45 PM

    I can't wait until my kids are old enough to help clean without me going back over what they just did. Thanks for linking up with Not Just a Mom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 15, 2020 at 6:13 AM

      Yeah, it takes a while for that to happen.. even now I have to do a walk through after they're done but I do notice that there is less for me to re-clean each time.

      Delete
  13. ClearissaApril 15, 2020 at 1:18 PM

    You have a great routine going on. It's nice to have your boys help with the choirs and your routine is so organized and consistent which makes it easy to follow. Thank you for sharing with #omhgww and be well I will socialize your article if share buttons are provided.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 15, 2020 at 3:12 PM

      Thank you! It is nice to have help and I always find a routine helps us all stay on track.

      Delete
  14. Joanne April 19, 2020 at 6:53 AM

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dee | GrammysGrid.comJune 17, 2020 at 1:45 PM

    Thanks so much for linking up with me at #AThemedLinkup 19 for Cleaning and Organizing, open June 15 to 25. All party entries shared if social media buttons installed.

    ReplyDelete

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