Coming Up With an Easy Cleaning Routine

I do not like cleaning.  Organizing?  Yes please.  Sorting and purging?  Check.  But actual get on your hands and knees to scrub dirt and grime cleaning?  Count me out.

Unfortunately, cleaning is just part of life as a home owning (or renting) adult.  So unless I want to spend my days living in a filthy apartment, I am just going to have to make my peace with the fact that I'm going to have to do a little cleaning.

Despite the fact that I have now lived on my own for the last 5 years, I still have not found a cleaning routine that has stuck.  Definitely not for lack of trying though.  I have tried coming up with and following countless cleaning systems.  I've developed my own routine, I've followed popular cleaning blogs, I've downloaded apps, I've made printables, I've put together binders, I've gone simple, I've gone complex, nothing has worked.

But as the saying goes, at first I didn't succeeded, so I am try, trying again!

I decided to again attempt coming up with my own cleaning routine.  I decided to keep it as simple and bare bones as possible this time.  In the past I've done things like trying to include every Martha Stewart suggestion into my routine.  I've make intricate schedules with calendars and checklists to motivate myself.  But as much as I'd like to be the person who's floors are so clean you could eat off them and who's kitchen counters are sterile enough for surgery, that's just not reality for me.

I have other far more important things I'd like to be doing with the time I have in any given day.  And so, I am going to limit what is included in my cleaning routine to the absolute bare essentials, so I can spend as little time as possible actually cleaning.  Maybe once I own a house I'll be a little more motivated to spend additional time cleaning it, but at this point in my life, not a priority.

The first thing I made sure to do was consult Melissa about making a new cleaning routine.  In the past, I had just gone off into my merry organization tailspin, and came up with these awesome routines without consulting the other person expected to partake in the cleaning.  So I would make a schedule, and go "here, this is what you need to do and when".

Needless to say, this system didn't ever work.  Sure Melissa would humor me, and go along with the latest cleaning craze I was on.  And things would usually go strong for maybe a week while we both had the strong motivation that comes with a new resolution and the promise of a squeeky clean home.  But then things would just fall apart and the new cleaning routine would be history.

Why?  Because I didn't actually develop the routine to truly work around our schedules and needs.

So Melissa and I sat down, and listed out all of the chores we both believed needed to be completed in order to not live in a complete dump.  In a perfect world, my apartment would be self cleaning, until then, this list isn't so bad.  Here is what we decided on for our new cleaning routine:

Daily

• Empty the dishwasher
• Wipe down kitchen counters and sink
• Hand wash non-dishwasher dishes
• Make the bed

Weekly

• One load of laundry to completion (wash, fold, put away)
• Wipe down stove top
• Wipe down bathroom surfaces

Every Other Week

• Sweep (and swiffer mop) linoleum floors
• Clean toilet

Monthly

• Vacuum carpeting
• Dust surfaces

After listing out all the chores we ideally wanted to accomplish, and how frequently, it was time to decide who was responsible for the completion of these tasks.  So in case your curious, here's how each chore ended up being assigned:

Merrit Chores

• Empty the dishwasher
• Wipe down kitchen counters and sink
• Make the bed
• Clean toilet

Melissa Chores

• Wipe down stove top
• Sweep (and swiffer mop) linoleum floors
• Vacuum carpeting

Joint Chores

• Hand wash non-dishwasher dishes
• One load of laundry to completion (wash, fold, put away)
• Wipe down bathroom surfaces
• Dust surfaces

And that wraps up my brand new easy cleaning routine.  Hopefully this will be the one that sticks!  I haven't made any printables or organizers to go along with this system yet, but I'm still considering doing so.  I think I'll see how we do without any printables, then add them in if we feel we need them to stay on track.

What do you think of my cleaning routine?  Think it's simple enough for this non-cleaning girl?  What does your cleaning schedule look like?  Did I leave anything out that you believe is vital to a good cleaning routine?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments!