If you are anything like me, it can feel overwhelming to stick to a consistent weekly cleaning routine. With this cleaning schedule, I cracked the code to keeping your house or apartment super clean and organized. For my small apartment, this routine only takes about 15 minutes a day!
In this post I break down exactly what you need to do each day, and at the end of the post, I answer frequently asked cleaning questions! Get ready to de-stress your weekly cleaning!
Maintaining a clean house and apartment is super important to me. If you’re like me and you work from home or spend a lot of time at home, it can be distracting when things start to pile up and get messy. I developed a routine of putting my apartment “to bed” at night and “waking” it up in the morning – meaning I do a little bit of cleaning and tidying everyday to ensure that our home always feels relaxing and mess-free! This way, I never feel overwhelmed with the cleaning that I need to do!
Keeping up a realistic cleaning schedule can be a big challenge, especially if you need a cleaning schedule for working couples like me and my husband! Between working and everything else we have going on, by the time I have time to relax, the last thing I want to do is clean haha! This is exactly why I developed a cleaning routine that I can use to stay on track and avoid any one space of my house getting super dirty and cluttered.
Anyone can adopt a weekly cleaning schedule and I show you exactly how! PLUS I made a printable cleaning schedule that is super easy to download and hang somewhere you can see it!
This post is all about the easiest weekly cleaning routine!
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Monday – Vacuum and Sweep:
- Kitchen
- Bedrooms
- Bathrooms
- Office
- Living room
- Entry
Monday is floor day! On Mondays my routine includes vacuuming all carpeted rooms and sweeping all hardwood and tile rooms. Since we don’t get a ton of traffic in our apartment, I will swap out sweeping for mopping about once a month for a deeper clean. Obviously I still vacuum and sweep up spills or messes as the week goes on, but I like having days dedicated to certain tasks!
Tuesday – Bathrooms:
- Clean toilet, tub, and shower
- Wipe down sink and countertop
- Take out trash
- Refill toiletries and toilet paper
- Shake out rugs
- Clean mirror
Tuesdays is bathroom day! I like to get bathrooms out of the way early in the week, since honestly I don’t like cleaning bathrooms! I will set a timer for fifteen minutes and bust out the tasks on the list, and it makes it super easy. Tip: keeping the bathroom cleaning products below the sink in the bathroom makes for super quick and easy access when cleaning.
A huge tip for making cleaning your bathroom more enjoyable is to swap out harsh bathroom cleaners for more gentle and non-toxic cleaners. Cleaning products, but especially bathroom cleaners, are really harsh and almost immediately give me a headache, so switching your products can make it more enjoyable for you as well!
Wednesday – Wipe and Disinfect
- Kitchen counters and tables
- Nightstands
- Fans and lights
- Windowsills
- Windows + glass
- Door handles and Iight switches
Wednesday is wipe down day! I really love Wednesday’s cleaning list because these items are often overlooked and keeping them clean will make all the difference in how your home feels! I like to use a gentle disinfectant to wipe down all of these areas and make sure that dust ins’t collecting anywhere.
Thursday – Appliances:
- Inside and outside of microwave
- Inside and outside of refrigerator
- Oven door
- Dishwasher door
- Scrub kitchen sink
Thursday is a super easy day, but wiping down your appliances will make a huge difference! Nobody likes a dirty microwave or a refrigerator covered with fingerprints. Be sure to use a food-safe cleaner when you wipe down your appliances, and make sure you clean both the inside and outside. Cleaning the inside is super important not only for the efficiency of your appliances, but also for your health. Gunk in your microwave, moldy food in your refrigerator, or a clogged filter in your dishwasher can grow bacteria and become the last place you want to put your food or dishes!
Friday – Declutter and Straighten:
- Pantry
- Refrigerator and freezer
- Bathroom cabinets and drawers
- Nightstands
- Closets
- Entry + mudroom
Friday is declutter day, and sets the perfect tone for your weekend going into Saturday morning with a tidy house! I use this time to quickly organize and throw away any empty products in my pantry and refrigerator, wipe down my bathroom cabinetry and nightstands, and straighten up my closet and entry. These areas are also often forgotten, so it’s great to have them a part of your weekly cleaning checklist. For example, you’d be surprised how fast dust and random things accumulate on your nightstands or how much toothpaste gets caked in your bathroom drawers!
Saturday – Laundry:
- Bedding
- Living room blankets
- Spot clean couch and pillows
- Kitchen towels
- Bathroom towels
Saturday is laundry day for towels, blankets, and pillows! Be sure to wash all bedding and towels that are regularly used, and spot clean your couch and pillows as needed. THIS is my favorite laundry detergent for clothes, bedding, and towels!
Daily
- Clean spills
- Clear kitchen counters
- Wash and put away dishes
- Make beds
- Put away shoes + clothes
- Straighten couch pillows
Now that we walked through the simple cleaning schedule for the days of the week, these are easy and realistic tasks that you should be doing everyday. The good thing is you are likely doing most of these, and doing these tasks each day will lighten your cleaning the other days of the week.
This weekly cleaning routine will be a lifesaver, and after a couple of weeks you will be in a groove and already forming great habits for keeping your house clean and tidy! As a bonus, I created a free printable cleaning schedule that is super easy to download, print, and keep somewhere that you can easily reference it each day! Click the link below to access and download:
Weekly Cleaning Schedule PDF
*Click the link above and then click “Use Template”. From there you can download as PDF and print for free!
FAQ
Should I dust or vacuum first?
You should be dusting first, then vacuum. This is because when you dust, no matter how amazing your duster or rag is, dust is falling onto the floor. Plus you can be a little less careful if you know that you are vacuuming later.
Why doesn’t my vacuum cleaner do a good job?
More often than not, your vacuum cleaner is struggling because there is either buildup in the main hose or the brush is unable to spin correctly. I would first lay your vacuum down and check to see if there is hair or string built up on the brush. If so, use scissors to carefully cut away the strands and pull them out of the brush. If your vacuum seems to still be malfunctioning, then you may to clean out the main hose. This exact issue happened with my Dyson vacuum. I just searched how to clean my vacuum model on Youtube, and it was super easy to take the vacuum apart and clean out the hose. There turned out to be a massive clog, and my vacuum worked like a champ after I cleaned it out!
How to keep down clutter?
If you are struggling to keep down clutter, you should set apart time every day to do small cleanups. It is much easier and less stressful to do small clean ups daily than to try and do a massive clean once a week or so. Download this weekly cleaning schedule, and dedicate around fifteen minutes each morning or evening to do a mini speed declutter. You will feel much better!
How often should I replace my kitchen sponge?
You should replace your kitchen sponge every 2 weeks to once a month. This depends on how much you hand wash dishes, and what kind of sponge you are using. But a good rule of thumb that as soon as your sponge is discolored, starts falling apart, or has an odor, it’s time to switch to a new one. To extend the life of your sponge, make sure that you are thoroughly rinsing them after every use, and storing them somewhere that they can dry in between uses. THESE are my favorite kitchen sponges!
I hope you enjoyed these tips and breakdown for the easiest weekly cleaning routine ever! Enjoy!
