Here is how to create a simple cleaning schedule for working moms!
Hey there mama! Do you struggle with keeping your house clean? It can be tough, working a full-time job and then coming home and trying to do it all in the evenings! It’s like juggling two full-time jobs, not one!
But if you can manage it, keeping your home clean feels oh, so good! When everything is clean and organized, you feel more in control of your day – and your life! Having a realistic cleaning schedule can really take a load off, mama.
I’ll show you how to create one, and share some tips for staying on top of that cleaning schedule! Let’s get started.
How do working moms keep a clean house?
It’s tough to keep a house clean when there’s kids in it! It doesn’t matter the age.
We all know toddlers and little kids make a mess. But even the bigger kids can terrorize the house while you are away. What was clean when you left for work never is when you come home.
It can be disheartening, to say the least.
I no longer work out of the home, but when I did, here’s what worked for me:
1. Establish a routine for daily cleaning tasks.
As a working mom, you need a consistent cleaning schedule to stay on top of those household chores! It’s easier to stay on top of things like the dishes and the laundry if you create a daily cleaning routine.
Do your breakfast dishes before you leave for work in the morning. Throw in a load of laundry too.
I used to quick walk through the house as well, and pick up any items that weren’t where they belonged.
If you leave kids home during the day, teach them to do their lunch dishes, so that you don’t return home to a disaster.
And then after supper, immediately wash those dishes. This way, you never have dirty dishes sitting in the sink.
Setting aside time like this every day will help you keep a clutter-free and tidy home, without feeling overwhelmed.
2. Pick up a room as you leave it.
An easy way to always keep a clean and tidy house is to give every room a quick glance as you walk out. See a toy sitting on the floor? Grab it and return it to the bedroom toy box.
Is there a blanket tossed on the couch? Quickly fold it up and put it back on the blanket ladder.
Grab any dirty socks, dishes, or books lying around and return them to the rightful spot on your way out.
This keeps the clutter under control on a daily and weekly basis too.
3. Delegate responsibilities.
You can’t do it alone! You aren’t the only one living there, making the mess.
You need to call in the troops mama!
Give your kids some age-appropriate chores. It’ll take a few weeks to teach them how to do it properly, but it’ll be worth that time, promise.
Share your struggles with your partner as well. Ask if there are any chores or responsibilities he’d be willing to take off of your plate. If he doesn’t willingly step up to the plate, point out how much time his helping out will save you, and how that extra free time will benefit the entire family.
If you can afford it, don’t be afraid to hire help! A housecleaner can take a lot of stress off of you, allowing you more time to do the things that are most important to your family.
4. Use your weekends.
Do a deep clean or a good old-fashioned Saturday cleaning on the weekend!
Clean the bathrooms, wash the floor, and vacuum the carpet. Do any dusting that is needed as well. Again, involve your family with this. Then you have time to do something fun as a family.
5. Create a realistic house cleaning schedule.
When you are a busy working mom though, you need a solid cleaning schedule. And realistic expectations.
You probably won’t be able to have that squeaky clean, picture-perfect home. And that’s okay. Tidy and comfortable will do just fine!
Create a cleaning schedule that works for your family’s needs. It should be flexible enough to accommodate your work schedule, unexpected events, and other commitments. Your cleaning schedule should not stress you out.
How do I make a realistic cleaning schedule?
It’s actually not that hard to create a cleaning schedule. A little trial and error, and a consistent daily routine can go a long way!
First things first: assess your daily routine.
It might help to just grab a sheet of paper and write down your own daily tasks and routine – what you do every day, and when.
If you really struggle with finding time to clean, you could track your daily activities for a week or so, as well. Just write down everything you do, and when you start and stop. After a week, review it.
Where did you waste time? Were you scrolling through Facebook, when you could have been folding a load of clean clothes? Watching your favorite show but neglecting the bathroom?
If you regularly have couch time every night from 8:00 to 10:00, you might be able to give up an hour on one of those nights to get some cleaning done.
Another thing you can do is pay attention to little pockets of free time.
I empty the dishwasher while supper is cooking. I also wash dishes as I dirty them. For instance, if I just made meatballs in a big bowl, and then fried them in the frying pan, I’ll wash all of that while the meatballs are cooking. That way, there’s less to do after supper.
You can also wipe down the counter, wash the mirror, and clean the toilet while your child takes a bath. 😉
And if you don’t want to give up your couch time, that’s fine! Use it to fold clothes or go through piles of paperwork.
Next, divide and conquer.
You don’t have to do everything all at once, in one day!
I know, I know. There’s nothing like that feeling of a nice, clean house. An entire house.
But we aren’t living in a fairy tale here! There’s no need to bust your butt trying to get the entire house clean today. We both know it isn’t going to stay that way for longer than 30 minutes! (Unless you shipped the kids off to grandma’s…)
It’s easier to keep a cleaning schedule if you assign everything a day. Monday is bathrooms, Tuesday, is carpets, Wednesday, is laundry, etc. That takes the overwhelm out of it all and keeps you consistent.
And if you really want the super clean house, you can tackle that on the weekend.
Prioritize the most important tasks
What is most important in your household? For me, it’s the carpet and the bathrooms. If my carpet is vacuumed, and my bathrooms are clean, I feel good.
What puts your mind at ease? Tackle those areas first – and most often. I vacuum the entryway rugs daily, and the rest of the house every other day. I also wipe down my bathrooms daily. But, they are my priority.
Yours might be the kitchen floor if you have twin toddlers that are learning to feed themselves!
Save stuff that isn’t a priority, such as the closets, for the weekends.
Who am I kidding? Closets get cleaned every fall and spring. 😂🤣
Be realistic – and flexible.
Remember, we don’t live in that fairy tale. We don’t have a palace, and it certainly isn’t clean all the time!
Sometimes life will throw a curve ball at you. Just go with it. It’s okay.
If you are too tired at the end of the day to do the dishes, it isn’t going to kill you to leave them until tomorrow. Promise! They’ll still be there, waiting for you.
I mean, they aren’t going to do themselves! (And let’s face it – no one else is going to do them, either!)
So no worries. If you don’t stick to your cleaning schedule today, give yourself a little grace and try again tomorrow.
Don’t forget the family.
It’s one thing to teach your kids how to do chores. It’s a whole nother beast to teach them to consistently do their chores.
It takes a lot of effort to stay on top of their cleaning schedule. But it’s so worth it in the end, so stay consistent! Even if they give you grief. You’ll not only ease your load, but you’ll also teach your kids responsibility and life skills.
A simple daily cleaning schedule for working moms
If you need help creating a cleaning schedule, here’s a very simple cleaning schedule for working moms that you can use as a jumping-off point.
Mornings
✔︎ Make your bed
✔︎ Supervise your kids while they make theirs
✔︎ Do the breakfast dishes
✔︎ Throw in a load of laundry
✔︎ Pick things up off the floors
Evenings
✔︎ Switch over the laundry
✔︎ Do the dishes
✔︎ Wipe down the microwave
✔︎ Wash the counters
✔︎ Sweep the floors
✔︎ Fold the clothes
✔︎ Pick things up before going to bed
A quick weekly cleaning schedule for working moms
If you find you have more time during the day, you can tackle some weekly cleaning tasks as well. If it works, try to implement a weekly cleaning schedule, something like this:
Monday: Clean the bathrooms
Tuesday: Dust the living room
Wednesday: Wipe down the kitchen appliances and countertops
Thursday: Organize and declutter the room your family hangs out in the most often
Friday: Take out the garbage and do a final tidy-up before the weekend
You can set your weekly cleaning schedule however it works best for you and your family, but use my weekly cleaning tasks for inspiration to create your own.
An awesome monthly cleaning schedule for working moms
Use your weekends mama! I know it’s hard; the weekends are just as busy. But if you can just set a few minutes aside on Saturday morning, before your weekend starts, it’ll make life so much easier.
Here’s an example monthly cleaning schedule for working moms:
Week #1: Deep clean the kitchen – tackle the oven, pantry, and fridge.
Week #2: Deep clean the bathrooms – scrub tiles, grout, and showerheads. Wash the bath mats and shower curtains, sanitize the bathtub toys, etc.
Week #3: Focus on the bedrooms – wash the bedding, go through the closets and toys.
Week #4: Tackle the living areas – any place your family hangs out. Dust, vacuum furniture, etc.
If you want, tackle it all in one day – or one weekend. Then the rest of your weekends are free!
How many hours a week should you spend on housework?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer. We all like our houses to meet different standards of cleanliness. Some of us can tolerate a little disorganization, and some of us can’t.
And that’s okay!
Keep in mind some of us have larger houses than others and bigger families. The age of your kids can also play into it.
So, don’t compare your cleaning schedule to anyone else’s. Instead, ask yourself this: do you feel like you spend way too much time cleaning? If so, you need to adjust your cleaning schedule, and your expectations, or get some help.
If you feel like you don’t spend enough time cleaning, you may need to do those things as well.
Generally speaking, though, if you spend around 10 to 15 hours cleaning up every week, it should be good.
Tips for cleaning as a working mom
There’s more to keeping your house clean than just having the perfect schedule! Here’s a few more tips and things to help you get the job done.
1. Embrace micro-cleaning.
You don’t have to do it all in one big swoop.
Micro-cleaning involves performing small tasks whenever you have a few spare moments. This could be wiping down the kitchen counters while you wait for the kettle to boil, or folding laundry while taking that phone call (wait – people still talk on the phone?!? 🤣🤣).
These little efforts add up and make a big, huge difference at the end of the day!
2. Use efficient cleaning tools.
There’s no use wasting time, mama! And if you have the wrong tools for the job, that’s exactly what you’ll do.
Things like a robot vacuum, cordless handheld vacuum, and Swiffer broom (using a micro-fiber cloth instead of the Swiffer single-use refills), can all go a long way! It’ll help you get more done in less time.
3. Set realistic expectations.
We already talked about this, I know, but I feel like it needs to be mentioned again, it’s that important.
Accept that your home may not be perfect all of the time, and that’s okay. Focus on maintaining a tidy and functional space, rather than striving for perfection.
4. Reward yourself.
After you get a task done or reached your cleaning goal, reward yourself! Relax with a good book and a cup of coffee, or your favorite show and a glass of wine.
You worked hard – enjoy your clean space!!
My favorite is a long hot bubble bath with a glass of wine after deep cleaning the bathroom.
5. Be kind to yourself.
Being a working mom is not easy!! You are doing your best. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
I promise you, your kids will grow up into amazing people, even if the bathroom is dirty. 😉 It’ll be fine, mama.
Learn to celebrate yourself and the effort you put into keeping a clean and happy home for your family!
What is the Clean Mama Schedule?
The Clean Mama Schedule is a popular cleaning routine designed by Becky Rapinchuk, also known as Clean Mama. It follows a simple daily focus with specific tasks assigned to each day of the week. The schedule assures that all areas of the home receive attention throughout the week, making it easier to maintain a clean and organized living space.
After the dust settles…
Oh, mama don’t let that dust settle! 😆
Seriously though. As a working mom, you can have a clean and organized home, by implementing a realistic and flexible daily cleaning routine and schedule. Embrace routines, delegate tasks, and involve your family.
Remember that it’s okay to go with the flow. Life is messy. From time to time, your home will be, too. And that’s okay!
Give yourself some grace and just do the best that you can.
But before you go!
If you want to give your kids a healthy, happy home, check out our all-natural cleaning products!
They have no harsh chemicals or toxins, so you can rest assured that your children are safe after a day of deep cleaning.
Stop in our shop, for all of your cleaning needs. Or, check out our top 3 cleaners that you can use – for your entire house!
Easy breezy lemon squeezy mama!
Happy Cleaning!
Related to cleaning schedules
Our Top 3 Best Clean Natural Products For A Safe and Super Clean Home!
Best Ways To Use Multipurpose Mildew Eliminator
21 Different Cleaning Techniques for a Super Clean Cozy Home
What Should a Master Cleaning Schedule Contain? Your Guide to a Squeaky Clean Home
