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Having a family is hectic. Often, our homes show the chaos more than we want. Walking into a home with kids (uninvited), you will see all the signs of a young and active family. Cleaning schedules might seem unrealistic. If you struggle to keep your home clean, you are not alone. Parents everywhere fight a daily battle to get their entire family to help clean up. While kids are all-too-good at making messes, they generally aren’t so good at picking up. Don’t worry about the cleaning battle anymore! Twin Cities Kids Club has some tips for establishing a cleaning schedule that everyone can get on board with. Join the club for access to local discounts and activities. Why Use a Cleaning Schedule? If you live with other people, whether it be one kid, five kids, or just a spouse, you are not the only one making a mess. If you don’t make the entire mess, why should you be the only one cleaning it up? If you don't have help cleaning, you might find yourself stressed more than not. You probably know the feeling. When was the last time you yelled at your kids to pick up their toys? If it wasn't in the previous 24 hours, we want your secrets! When you have a cleaning schedule, you don't have to stress when things are a mess. With a cleaning schedule, you know that everything will get cleaned in time. Plus, following a list ensures that large messes don't happen because part of the house is dealt with every day. Using a cleaning schedule keeps everyone on track. Plus, it eliminates surprises for your kids. If everyone in the house knows that Monday is sheet day, there shouldn’t be a fight when you tell your kids to strip their beds and load the washer. Furthermore, daily, weekly, and monthly tasks for your kids teach them responsibility. You can give your kids some control and let them have some input on which chores they do. You could even take it a step further and pay them for their work, which will teach them money management and that hard work pays off. Studies have shown that assigning kids chores is beneficial to them, as well. Encouraging your kids to help clean now will also give them a leg up on cleaning habits in the future. It’s your job as a parent to prepare them for the future, and cleaning is always going to be a part of life. Daily Cleaning Tasks Living in your house, some tasks need to happen every day to keep your home tidy. Ensuring each of the tasks you choose for your family are completed each day will keep everyone happy and help the house run smoothly. All of your kids, even small kids, should focus on ensuring they are taking care of themself and their immediate surroundings. Self-care, like brushing teeth and hair Make your bed Put pajamas in dirty clothes Ensure their bedroom is picked up everything is put away Return all toys to their designated places As a family, you should also have a list of tasks that should be done every day. How you break down these tasks is up to you and the ages of your kids. Kitchen: Wipe down the counter and spot clean the floor. Sweep the floor Load and run the dishwasher Throw out expired food Rinse the sink and run the disposal Living and Bedroom Area: Pick up miscellaneous items and organize shelves Straighten pillows and blankets Do a load of laundry Make bed Bathrooms Wipe down sink and faucet Hang up towels Pick up the floor Weekly Cleaning Tasks Some tasks need regular attention but can go without getting addressed daily. Again, make sure the whole family is involved in the tasks to make them go faster. Also, dividing these tasks throughout the week will make each day go quickly. Sanitize and clean all of the bathrooms. Scrub the toilets and wipe down the tubs. Organize or clean your closets, like hanging up miscellaneous clothes and putting shoes away. Clean the microwave by scrubbing the inside and wiping down the outside. Clean off the top of the stove Clean up after pets, either litterboxes or picking up poop in the yard Mow the grass Clean out the fridge and toss old food. Vacuum and mop the house Change the sheets on all beds Deep Cleaning Tasks Once a month or quarter, take a day to tackle these bigger tasks. Tackle your floors: shampoo the carpet, shine the hardwood floors, sanitize tile, and clean grout. Reorganize the garage; with kids, it will quickly get unorganized. Clean the baseboards and walls Dust the blinds and shutters Dust all of the ceiling fans and light fixtures Clean pantry, toss out old food and reorganize. Example Schedule So, now that we know what should be tackled daily, weekly, and monthly, it’s time to figure out a realistic schedule your family can implement. Monday After the weekend, Monday is a great time to clean and mop the high traffic areas: Foyer Living room Kitchen Dining room Bathrooms Bedroom Tuesday Tuesday is a great day for scrubbing the bathrooms! Tackle toilets, bathtubs, and showers. Disinfect sinks and counters. Wash all towels. Clean bath rugs, wash if necessary. Wednesday Wipe down anything with a surface on Wednesdays. Microwave and toaster Counters Kitchen table TV and TV stand Other furniture Bookshelves Ceiling fans Windowsills Nightstands Thursday On Thursday, get ready to throw things away. Junk mail Newspapers Magazines and Catalogs Expired Food Ill-fitting or damaged clothes Friday On Fridays, laundry is the name of the game. Strip beds and wash all blankets and linen. Make sure all of the kids' uniforms or needed clothing items are clean and ready. Wash towels if you want bi-weekly cleaning or didn’t finish Tuesday. Ensure all laundry is folded and put away. Prepare and drop off dry cleaning. Saturday and Sunday On the weekend, enjoy the fruits of your labor as well as time with family. Of course, daily chores should be tackled to ensure your home isn’t too big of a mess on Monday. Join Twin Cities Kids Club Today Of course, every family needs to find a schedule that works for them. Maybe Wednesdays are really busy, and it works better to clean on Saturdays. Find what works and stick with it. Printing off your schedule will also help keep everyone on track. If everyone can see what is on the list for the day, no one has an excuse for not participating. If you want help with using a chore chart, check out our tips here. Join Twin Cities Kids Club today for access to the best local discounts and events.