Rachael Rachael, a mom of two daughters, is a freelance editor and writer who enjoys gardening and dreams of keeping chickens in her suburban St. Louis backyard. In her spare time, she helps to edit her husband’s science fiction books. Read more of Rachael's work at www.rachaelsjohnston.com or contact her by emailing rachael@mumblingmommy.com.

I saw a mom the other day declare that she needs “an Alice.” She explained how she could use an Alice, the no-fail housekeeping live-in from the popular vintage television show The Brady Bunch. Someone who can clean and cook.

Moms today are kind of expected to do it all – to be both Alice and Carol (the Brady kids’ mom). We raise kids, shuttle them to school and activities, spend time with spouses, serve on the PTA, and in some cases earn an income on top of it all. It’s hard to keep a clean house and do all the other stuff. Yet we can’t put off cleaning indefinitely. At some point, someone has to clean, before the baby starts eating the dust bunnies.

But when do you find time to clean?

That’s where the Clean One Thing Every Day mantra comes in. It’s more of a guideline, not a hard rule, so if you miss a day here or there, that’s okay. On an average day, though, we can all usually find five to fifteen minutes to wipe down the stove top or scrub the shower or shine the living room windows.  If you don’t have 5 to 15 minutes to clean just one thing each day, you might be too busy for your own good; reevaluate your schedule and priorities, say no to a few things, and get your kids accustomed to entertaining themselves for a few minutes, or get your kids to help you clean.

Cleaning one thing each day won’t make your entire house immaculate all at once, but it will keep your house in better shape overall, and you won’t panic so much about unexpected company. You also won’t feel the need to dedicate a day to frenzied, deep, whole-house cleaning before company arrives. Cleaning one thing each day doesn’t take long, and sometimes you’ll feel so good about accomplishing something that you’ll want to keep the momentum going and clean a little more. Living in a well-kept house boosts your mood and motivation.

Grab a Dust Rag and Get Started

The internet is full of printable cleaning schedules that designate Monday as bathroom-cleaning day, Tuesday as vacuuming day, and so on. I don’t like any of them and they don’t boost a no-fail housekeeping strategy. Strict schedules have little flexibility, and if life happens and you miss a day, it throws off your whole week. (When am I going to mop the floors if I missed Mopping Monday and now it’s Tuesday?) A rigid schedule sets you up for failure. I prefer a floating routine, with no specific tasks assigned to each day.

I recommend using my list below for no-fail housekeeping, or you can make your own that suits your house and needs. Print your list and hang it on the fridge or somewhere you won’t forget it. Then simply work your way down the list, doing all of the chores on one line the first day, all the chores on the second line the next day, and so on. When you get to the end, begin again. If you get busy and miss a day, it’s okay. Just do only those tasks you missed the next day and don’t worry about doing extra cleaning to make up for your lost day. This cleaning routine is all about forgiveness rather than giving yourself extra work. You’re also free to change the order when needed, like if the dirty kitchen floor can’t wait another day.

Also, FYI: My list takes for granted that you do some things every day, like washing dishes, making beds, and general tidying and picking up. (And those are great ways to put your kids to work.)

Daily Task List:

Scrub tub(s)/shower(s)
Clean toilet(s) and bathroom sink(s)
Clean bathroom mirrors/floor(s)
Dust living room and dining room
Vacuum/sweep living room and dining room
Dust bedrooms
Vacuum/sweep bedrooms
Wash blankets/sheets (It takes several days to wash all our household bedding, so I sometimes do other tasks on my list while things are in the washing machine.)
Clean stove top, sanitize kitchen counters and sink, and clean microwave
Sweep/mop kitchen floor

Don’t Forget Deep Cleaning for No-Fail Housekeeping

You can include some deep cleaning tasks on your list, too. I like to do my regular cleaning on weekdays and set these deep cleaning tasks aside for weekends. These things need to be done less frequently, and sometimes I don’t even get to them all in one year. That’s okay. Just keep working down the list, checking things off, until you finish. Treat it like a marathon, not a sprint. Your no-fail housekeeping deep cleaning list can include:

Living Room and Dining Room:
Dust ceiling fans and light fixtures
Remove cobwebs from ceiling, corners
Dust blinds and wash windows
Launder curtains
Launder throw pillows
Vacuum couch and chairs
Dust baseboards
Shampoo carpet, if applicable

Kitchen:
Dust top of cabinets and fridge
Reorganize and wipe down inside of cabinets
Wash cabinet doors
Wash baseboards
Sweep and mop under fridge
Clean refrigerator coils
Clean oven and toaster

Bathrooms:
Dust light fixtures
Wipe walls
Dust baseboards
Scrub grout on floor, shower walls
Wash windows
Launder shower curtain
Reorganize closet and clean closet floor

Bedrooms:
Dust light fixtures
Dust blinds and wash windows
Launder curtains
Dust baseboards
Sweep/vacuum under beds
Rotate mattresses
Reorganize closets, clean closet floors
Shampoo carpet, if applicable

Basement and/or attic, if applicable:
Remove cobwebs from ceiling
Reorganize storage shelves/bins
Sweep/vacuum floors
Launder any curtains
Wash windows

Miscellaneous:
Reorganize garage
Sweep garage
Clean out office file cabinet

So maybe this system isn’t as efficient as having an Alice, but it’s something. Good luck, and happy housecleaning. Share your no-fail housekeeping tips below!

Category: Home

Tags: clean house