My Weekly Homekeeping Routine

"Keeping a house in order means having everything in its place in every room. It means sweet, fresh air in every room; it means removal of dust and litter. A good housekeeper tidies her rooms as she goes along, always picking up anything that is out of place and putting it where it belongs. But she also has an order for doing things. Perhaps she sweeps the entire house every day or every other day, or perhaps she puts one room in order on one day and another on another and so on. The important thing is to have a regular plan."

(From Scouting for Girls: The Original 1920 Handbook)

I've been working on my homekeeping routines for a while now, so you would think, given how much time I've spent on them, they would be firmly committed to memory. And quite possibly, they are. But remembering what needs to be done is just half the battle - we all know a list only gets you so far. A busy mum needs a strategy for actually making it happen.

Do I have a list? Yes. I have lists in spades.

Do I have a strategy in place? Well, almost ... but not quite.

First off, all the tasks in my routine really are necessary. As I tell Bill when I show him the rather lengthy list, I'm not making any of this stuff up, lol. Each task plays its part in keeping our home (and family and homeschool) humming along nicely. But why is it so hard to stick with a routine? Do you find that to be so? Or am I just woefully lacking in domestic discipline? ;)

I'm pretty sure the issue lies within the parameters of delegation and time. For one thing, I need to ask for more help (it simply can't all be done by one person). And for two, I need to remind myself - at least a few times a day - of what needs to be done. I need some kind of daily visual reminder, because goodness knows, my brain can't keep track of it all on its own.

We all know that when you're a parent (and particularly if you're a homeschooling parent) your day begins at the get-go. And it's a full one. Your mommy brain is filled to the brim within minutes of waking (mainly because it never cleared space from the day before) and you just set yourself on auto-pilot, putting out fires as they come at you. Sometimes it's easy to lose track of what day it is even! (I don't mean to speak for you, but it's happened to me on occasion.) ;)

So about that daily visual reminder - well that's in the works. (In fact, my printer is chugging away as I type up this post.) But for now, and without further ado (I'm always long on ado), here is my weekly homekeeping routine:

Monday:

• clean the bedrooms:
  • strip beds (launder bedding)
  • open windows
  • neaten, dust/wipe surfaces
  • vacuum
  • remake beds with fresh linens
• do laundry (bedding first, then clothing)

Tuesday:

• clean the upstairs bath:
  • empty trash bin
  • launder towels and mats
  • wash counters, walls and other surfaces
  • clean the toilet (in and around)
  • wash out sink (including drain)
  • rinse out toothbrush and soap holders
  • rinse out tub/wipe edges and around drain
  • wipe down shower doors
  • sweep and mop floor (before bed)
  • wash medicine chest front
  • check linen closet for supplies (add to marketing list)
  • hang fresh towels; lay out fresh mats
• continue laundry (towels first, then clothing)
• wash cat dishes thoroughly
• groom cats

Wednesday:

• clean the kitchen:
  • neaten and wash down countertops
  • wipe up windowsill
  • wash out sink (flush drains with boiling water)
  • wipe stovetop and vent hood
  • wipe up appliances
  • sweep and mop floor (before bed)
  • clean out cabinets, refrigerator and freezer of any old food
  • wipe down refrigerator shelves; neaten refrig. front
• finish up any remaining laundry (soak and wash dishcloths)
• start marketing list (note things needed)
• organize trash and recycling

Thursday:

• put out trash and recycling
• wash out trash bin
• clean the living room and family room:
  • neaten (de-clutter)
  • straighten bookcases
  • wipe surfaces
  • wash front door glass
  • wipe phones, computers, clickers
  • straighten couch cushions (vacuum if needed)
  • wash entryway floor
  • vacuum carpets
• sale flyers arrive: look over specials
• work on marketing list
• work on menu plan for next week
• go through in-box
• look at next week's file folder and calendar
• begin a weekend errand list

Friday:

• clean the learning (dining) room:
  • neaten/de-clutter
  • straighten bookcase and learning display
  • wash tabletop and wipe chairs
  • wash window panes
  • vacuum
• finalize errands list, marketing list
• organize coupon packet
• go through school bags
• round up library returns
• prepare newspaper payment
• general tidy-up for weekend

Saturday:

• put out newspaper payment
• run errands (library, post office, etc.) and do grocery shopping
• miscellaneous home, garden & auto maintenance
• neaten/restock birdfeeders
• neaten downstairs playroom
• catch up on correspondence
• organize receipts; update budget
• make library requests
• print library sheet
• file away last week's papers, etc.
• update clipboard for next week
• work on next week's lesson plan
• bake for Sunday breakfast
• lay out church clothes; prepare collection envelope

Sunday:

• Mass
• Breakfast with Mum and Dad
• clip coupons
• read papers and newsmagazines
• finalize lesson plan
• prepare learning display, worktable and school bags
• work in journal
• Sunday Dinner
• bring laundry downstairs for Monday morning

Now, the tricky part will be fitting these weekly tasks in and around the already fairly full daily routine. But the real challenge will be finding the extra "oomph" in my day to get all these things done. (And still have time to blog about it all, lol.)

And since oomph is best achieved by getting a good night's sleep, I'm off now to do just that. :)

Good night, everyone! (And Go Pats!)

Comments

[Irina]

Thank you, once again, for taking the time to lay this out for us! It's very helpful! And I fully agree that the trick is trying to do all of this AND all of the other tasks that need doing during a regular day. Of course, schooling has to come first. But then how do we prioritize and accomplish?! And you haven't even mentioned making lunches and cooking dinner and doing dishes. :-) I'll be following along to see how you're doing.

[~liz]

i am also thankful for this list. i'm getting ready to start the year with a schedule - i've "housekept" five years without one - it's about time.
i'm very much enjoying your blog. i'm a mother of three boys (4, 3, and 1) and i get much inspiration from your entries!
~liz
ps. i'm also a fan of ina garten!

[Barbara in AR]

Lovely post, as always! I would like to get in contact with you to discuss your Nature Club. We would like to start one with our friends and I need more details. Could you either please email me or post your email address, as I don't see it anywhere? Thanks!

[patience]

Wow, you really do all of this? I'm impressed! I don't think I could even organise the writing of the list!

[Genevieve]

Dear Dawn, I love the Girl Scouts quote for inspiration! I have been trying to do this list for a few years now and it just seems impossible to reduce it to paper. But I think I'll try again...

[Dawn]

Thank you everyone. :)

Barbara, my email address is drhanigan AT comcast DOT net. I'd be happy to talk with you about our Nature Club. :)

Patience, please don't be impressed ~ I don't do everything on the list! This is just a list of all that *needs* to be done in a given week ... I'm now trying to figure out how to actually get it all done. Maybe it's impossible, I don't know! But it was good to get it all down on paper ... :)

[morning]

It's so refreshing (and, dare I say it? exciting) to find a circle of women online who take pride in keeping their homes beautifully, and treat this calling as a career. As a young mother, I have had to learn so much of my housekeeping by trial and error, as it was not considered to be an important skill when I was growing up. And I bridle at those silly signs that are plastered everywhere saying "A clean house is a sign of a wasted mind!" and other such drivel. A clean house is so essential to ordered, peaceful, happy thoughts and a family that is treasured!

[Theresa]

Wow, Dawn! Great job getting it all organized like that. I am still struggling to find a system that works for me. Of course, any system would work better if I would actually implement it more than sporadically, ya know?!

[Lisa]

Hi Dawn,
You really hit a hot button for me. One of the greatest challenges of being a mother/housekeeper/teacher is the never ending cycle. That once the dishes are done you are not done because there will be more dishes,laundry. There is very little feeling of accomplishment. So my way of overcoming that is to make a list of chores that goes beyond the daily grind ,clean a closet,tackle a pile of clutter. Things that when done are not immediately undone so everytime I open the closet door or cabinet I can see the results of my efforts. It has been my way of not feeling so defeated by housework. I also love crossing things when completed off my list it also makes me feel like I accomplished something.

[Elizabeth]

Hi! I just discovered your blog and subscribed, I love it! Your list is very helpful, and I look forward to reading here in 2008. :)

[Natasha]

Hi! I have been reading your blog for about 6 weeks and so many of your posts have been an answer to my prayers. I am so excited to see how your handmade calendar is going to work out. I just wanted to share with you that I posted my cleaning schedule on December 20th on my blog (which I just started on the 20th!) Give it a look if you want (I always love looking at people's cleaning schedules). I got a lot of the ideas for the frequency of my tasks from Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook. I like to clean first thing in the morning so that it is out of the way and we get to enjoy the clean house all day.

[Cheryl]

Dawn,
This is a great list. It looks like you've covered everything.

[Melissa]

Hi Dawn,

I am very new to reading your blog and just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the organizational ideas, tis the season! I am also working on a new cleaning schedule for the new year. And I too am a nature lover so I would love to visit you often.

Blessings, Melissa

[mel]

I agree with Lisa, that is my challenge with housework..the feeling of never being *done*. It is ongoing, all the time. Mental attitude adjustment for me I guess. :) It hasn't always felt that way, but we've gone from one child to the fourth on the way in three years time, and I feel a couple of children behind still...heehee.

[Karnak]

Hi Dawn

Your quote from the Girl Guides amused me. None of them had kids to add to the ideal as girl guides tend to be kids and mess makers themselves. I think the quote would doom you to failure form the word go.

I follow my mother's philosophy as she had 7 kids. The main jobs to do is have a evening meal cooked and the washing done. The best thing I ever did was to get a once a week cleaning lady as she is a great cleaner and gives my 2 story house a good once over with the floors weekly. I do the dusting and the fiddly bits and I am a great chucker (declutterer when I am in the mood). Have to be in the mood and like you I try to have a meal menu weekly as my little boy is on the GFCF diet for his autism which creates work.

I liked your list but just thinking about all the work makes me tired. Your blog posts are very inspiring but don't make a big rod for your back when you are homeschooling and like most women have a lot of other activities to do. Do your best as I suspect Gods mother did and she must have had a lot of hard physical toil to do including fetching water, grinding meal and making bread.

[Jennifer F.]

I just now came across this post. What an inspiring list -- thanks for sharing!

[Leslie]

wow your dedication inspires me. I have looked at your routine and am hoping that maybe i can learn something. I have been meaning to make days for each things for years.