Last Updated on March 20, 2024 by Saskia Friedrich
Do you feel overwhelmed by all the cleaning chores you have to do? Are you surrounded by mess and you feel like you are constantly cleaning but not getting anywhere? Then it’s time for a stay at home mom cleaning schedule!
In this post, you’ll find out how to set up a cleaning schedule, which type of cleaning schedule to pick, and how to (finally!) stick to it.
As a stay at home mom (or work from home mom), you’re home a lot of the time. As a consequence of being home more, the house naturally gets dirty quicker. Even more so, if your kids don’t go to school yet or if you are homeschooling them.
If you spend a lot of time in one place, you want it to be clean and tidy so you can feel comfortable and get on with life.
If you’re anything like me, you can’t concentrate on other tasks if the house looks like an absolute mess.
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According to HuffPost, a clean house is good for your mental and physical health. A cleaning schedule can help you stay on top of the cleaning chores and as a result, you will be less overwhelmed and you will have a clean house (clean – not spotless! We’ll get to that later).
You never know who might pop in for a quick visit – friends, neighbors, your kid’s friends, or your in-laws. How often do you apologize to them about how untidy your house is?
With a cleaning schedule for stay at home moms, those times are over. You will never be embarrassed of your home again but will be able to enjoy it when people come over unannounced.
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Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule: Summary
- Why It’s Important to Create a SAHM Cleaning Schedule
- How To Set Up a Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule
- 1. Divide Cleaning Chores
- Daily Chores
- Weekly Chores
- Fortnightly Chores
- Monthly Chores
- Seasonal Chores
- 2. Pick a Day for Each Task
- 3. Zone Cleaning
- 1. Divide Cleaning Chores
- How To Stick to Your Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule
- Don’t Overdo It
- Include Your Family
- Stay Away From Phone and TV
- Have Some Me-Time
- Prepare Yourself for the Next Day
- FAQ’s
This Is Why You Should Create a SAHM Cleaning Schedule
As moms, we have a lot on our plate and our tasks never seem to end. Not only do you have to clean, but you also have so much more going on like:
- Entertaining your little ones
- Perhaps homeschooling
- Cooking
- Looking after pets
- Paying bills
- Grocery shopping
- Appointments
- Kid’s activities & playdates
The day has 24 hours for all of us, but everyone uses the time differently. You need to be smart about how to use your time wisely.
Starting a stay at home mom cleaning schedule gives you the freedom to decide when you want to do certain things. It’s up to you how you want to organize it.
I’m not here to tell you what needs to be done and when. But I will give you some ideas and you can think about what works best for you and your circumstances.
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Having a cleaning schedule in place is to help you stay on top of things and have a clean, not a spotless, home. The schedule will make sure that you don’t leave anything unattended for too long. It’ll be much harder to take care of chores that haven’t been done in a while.
A clean house means something different to everyone, but personally, if the basics and a few more things get done regularly, I’m happy.
How To Set Up a Cleaning Schedule for Stay at Home Moms
There are 3 different ways you can set up a stay at home mom cleaning schedule, and choosing one or the other depends on your personality and your family life.
1. Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule: Divide Cleaning Chores
The first way you can set up a cleaning schedule is to write down all the things that have to be done (and are important to you) around the house. Divide them into:
- Daily chores
- Weekly chores
- Fortnightly chores
- Monthly chores
- Seasonal chores
Every person is different, so the daily or weekly chores you would like to do will differ from other people’s tasks. The below schedule is just an overview for you and you can personalize it, and choose the day yourself on which you want to do a certain task.
Daily Chores
- Make beds
- Wash dishes & run dishwasher
- Clean kitchen counters
- Do Laundry
- Pick up toys & other stuff that’s laying around
Weekly Chores
- Vacuum and mop
- Clean toilets and sinks
- Take out the rubbish
- Wash towels
Fortnightly Chores
- Check your fridge and throw away/use up food
- Clean and sanitize the inside of your rubbish bins
- Clean shower
- Dust down
Monthly Chores
- Clean out pantry
- Clean fridge, microwave, and oven
- Outdoor/yard tasks
- Vacuum your car and clean out (you’ll be surprised what you find in there)
- Change and wash bedding
Seasonal Chores
- Clean windows
- Clean out your garage/attic/shed
- Clean out draws and donate what you don’t need anymore
- Deep clean carpet and rugs
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It’s best to stick to your cleaning schedule but if something comes up, don’t worry! Thanks to your schedule, you will pick it up the next day, or the next week. Don’t let the schedule get into your way of living life, that will only frustrate you.
With this type of cleaning schedule, you do a little bit everyday and you don’t fall behind on anything.
Depending on your personality, you might prefer to either use a schedule like the above with tasks you have to do for the week. But if you’re the kind of person who needs a bit of pressure to get stuff done, it might be worth planning on doing the tasks on certain days. This brings us to the second way of setting up a stay at home mom cleaning schedule:
2. Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule: Pick a Day for Each Task
With this type of cleaning schedule, you pick one big cleaning task for each day. Make sure to not let the basics fall through (like making beds and running the dishwasher).
Example of a Weekly Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule
- Monday: Do laundry
- Tuesday: Clean kitchen
- Wednesday: Vacuum & mop
- Thursday: Clean bathrooms
- Friday: Go through every room of the house and tidy up
- Saturday: Outdoor/yard work
- Sunday: Clean out fridge and check meal plan
For the following week, you would slightly adjust the cleaning schedule and swap out the outdoor work with cleaning out your car or dusting (for example).
Personally, I like this type of cleaning schedule because I know I only have to do one big task each day plus a few basics which makes me not feel overwhelmed. It’s easier to focus on a task when you don’t feel pressured having to do another 10 things afterward.
On the other hand, you need to stick to the schedule more strictly and complete the task on the day you have planned to do it. Otherwise, the task won’t get done or you have to squeeze it into another day which causes stress and frustration and throws out the routine of your cleaning schedule.
3. Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule: Zone Cleaning
The third and last way of setting up a stay at home mom cleaning schedule is using the zone cleaning method.
Zone cleaning means that you clean one room at a time. One day you would focus on the kitchen and clean everything in there. The next day you would go through the bedroom, and so on. By the end of the week, all of the rooms are done.
Example of Zone Cleaning
- Monday: Kitchen
- Tuesday: Bathroom
- Wednesday: Living room
- Thursday: Bedroom
- Friday: Kid’s room(s)
- Saturday: Bathroom #2 or kid’s room #2
- Sunday: Yard
It’s a great way of cleaning, as you can focus on one room at a time and get every corner of it cleaned. You don’t get distracted by other tasks that need to be done. However, if you leave all other chores aside until the day a certain room comes up on your schedule, you might get overwhelmed by the mess that has piled up over the days.
Try Amazon Fresh to save yourself time, money, and stress!
How To Stick to Your Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule
Not only do you need to decide on what type of cleaning schedule you want to use, but you also need to stick to it. If you don’t, your house will look messy again before you know it. Life gets busy and there are many other things to handle than just cleaning. Consider the following tips, if you want to stick to your cleaning schedule:
Don’t Overdo It
If you’re setting up your cleaning routine, be sure to not overload it. Set achievable goals and only pick 3-4 tasks per day. Remember, the house doesn’t need to be spotless, it just has to be hygienic and make your family and yourself feel comfortable.
Don’t expect to get all the chores done in one day, it’s simply not possible. And it’s not worth exhausting yourself. As moms, we have to be prepared for emergencies and stay flexible for last minute activities.
Include Your Kids
Involving your kids in the household chores can take some weight off your shoulders and it’s a good way for them to see what needs to be done around the house (that is if they’re home with you during the day). Letting kids do chores is very important and has some great advantages. They learn skills on how to:
- Care for themselves and others
- Work in a team
- Effectively communicate with family members
Besides, it will free up some time for you and it keeps your kids occupied for a while. My daughter loves to fill up and empty the washing machine and I happily let her do it. Meanwhile, I can get something else done, or make myself a cup of coffee.
Stay Away From Phone and TV
If you want to successfully stick to your stay at home mom cleaning routine, you need to stay clear of distractions like your phone, the TV, or other devices. Sure, you need breaks and are allowed to reply to messages or e-mails, but the mindless scrolling through social media can waste a good 15 minutes without you even noticing it.
Setting yourself a timer for certain tasks can help you stay focused and you’ll be surprised how much you can get done in a short amount of time. Listen to your favorite music, podcast, or audiobook to keep you motivated!
Have Some Me-Time
I find when I do something for myself first as part of my morning routine, I am more motivated to throw myself into work or cleaning afterward. When you spend the whole day cleaning and looking after your kids, you’ll be exhausted at night. So if you want to do something for yourself, the morning hours are the best time for it.
Set your alarm 20 minutes earlier than usual, do some Yoga or something else you like, and notice the difference it makes to your day.
Prepare Yourself for the Next Day
As part of your evening routine, you should look at your cleaning schedule for the next day and get the things ready that you need. Being prepared makes it more likely for you to complete the task you have scheduled for that day. Be one step ahead!
Frequently Asked Questions to Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule
How Many Hours a Day Should a Stay at Home Mom Clean?
On average, stay at home moms spend roughly 4 hours cleaning the house per day. How much time you spend on your cleaning tasks is totally up to you. What you can do is track your time to see how long it takes you to do all the chores on your cleaning schedule for the day. That way you have a guideline for every day. Once that time is up, you should focus on other things to not let anything fall through the cracks.
How Do Stay at Home Moms Clean?
Stay at home moms are able to stay on top of the household chores by using a cleaning schedule or list. This can either be set up by yourself or you can get help from a professional.
How Can a Stay at Home Mom Be More Efficient?
The key to being more efficient staying at home as a mom is having a schedule in place. You need to prioritize your tasks and avoid distractions (like your phone and TV) in order to be productive and efficient.
Before You Go…
Something I realized over time is, that my home will never be perfect. And it doesn’t have to be. All the cleaning is not worth missing out on quality time with my daughter, or a nice chat with a friend on the phone.
Us moms are superheroes and we do a lot, but we aren’t robots. You have to shift your mindset and find a balance in life between spending time with your kids, cleaning, and me-time. Prioritize what’s important and do a little bit every day, that’s better than nothing.
If you’re struggling to get organized, consider getting a bullet journal or planner. Not sure, which one is better? Check out my post here.
Still trying to get motivated to clean? Check out my post here to find ways to get motivated to clean when you’re overwhelmed by the mess.
About The Author
Saskia is a mom, blogger, and freelance writer. She loves sharing tips on self-care, personal growth, and productivity & organization. Find out more about her or get in touch with her here.
Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule
