Cleaning Schedule For Working Moms and Dads

Raising a family and working a full-time job may leave you very little time to keep your home as clean as you’d like. Looking at dusty furniture and dirty floors each day can be frustrating. And if hiring an affordable house cleaner is not in your current plans, is getting used to a messy home the only option? Not according to the cleaning pros at Molly Maid. Our team of cleaning experts has some tips and useful advice that can help keep your home tidy and clean, even if you don’t have a lot of time.

So how do you keep the house clean with a busy schedule? We have compiled a list of the 10 best cleaning tips for moms and dads that will help you manage cleaning and your busy schedule. This includes ideas for creating a cleaning schedule and task list to keep the house tidy without dedicating your entire night or weekend to getting it done. So let’s get to it!

10 Cleaning Tips for Busy Moms and Dads

Instead of being irritated by the clutter in the living room, the food stuck on the counters, and the laundry piling up, it’s time to take action! Here are some great ways to keep up with the mess before it takes over your life.

1. Create a Routine

Because everyone's schedule and family routine may be a little different, cleaning schedules for working moms and dads should be based on your family routine, work hours, and fun time. Here is an example of an effective work schedule that requires 90 minutes of cleaning and organizing a day:

Before School/Work - 30 minutes total

• Make your bed and help children (under 10 years old) make theirs.
• Clean all breakfast dishes and wipe down the counters.
• Vacuum a few high-traffic areas.

After Work - 30 minutes total

• Start a load of laundry.
• Organize homework papers and mail
• Clean up dinner dishes (load dishwasher) and wipe all counters

Before Bed - 30 minutes total

• Declutter living areas and lightly dust furniture.
• Fold and sort laundry.

2. Stock Up On Supplies in Advance

It is frustrating to get hyped up to clean your house only to discover that you are out of bathroom cleaner. Do a monthly supply inventory check of which cleaners you have and which you need to buy so when you are ready to clean, nothing will stand in your way.

3. Wash Toys With Ease

If you have young children, there are two easy ways to wash those germ-ridden toys they love. You can put all the toys in the dishwasher and wash them through a cycle. Or, wash them on a delicate cycle in the washing machine. Washing your children’s toys once a week will reduce the amount of germs they accumulate and hopefully keep them from getting sick.

4. Toss Everything in a Basket

Decluttering a household is one of the biggest challenges for a busy family. If you’re constantly in a rush and don't have time during the day to put things in their proper place, start a mess bin. A mess bin can be used for things like shoes, socks, toys, makeup, and other things that you don’t have time to put away during the day. When things settle down, and you have more time, choose a family member to put these items into their proper place (kind of like restocking shelves). Take turns and choose a different family member for this task each time, and don’t forget to reward a job well done.

5. Put Cleaning Supplies Where You Use Them

Keep cleaning supplies where they’re needed, so you never have to cart them from room to room. For example, if you have four bathrooms in your house, you should have four bathroom cleaners, four toilet bowl cleaners, and four toilet bowl brushes. Just be sure to stow any cleaning products in child-proof cabinets. This will save you multiple trips around the house looking for the cleaner supplies you need for each room.

6. Keep a Donation Box Accessible

Most of us accumulate a lot of stuff. Kids are constantly growing out of clothes and shoes. Parents need to get rid of wardrobe items they don’t wear anymore. Instead of letting these items pile up in closets or corners of bedrooms, designate a donation box when you’re ready to purge. Once the box is full, bring it to a donation center in your community.

7. Pick Up a Few Times a Day

Here is another good cleaning tip for busy moms and dads: divide your home into three working zones and spend 10 to 15 minutes a day picking up and decluttering each zone. This creates a slow and steady decluttering process rather than a major cleanup at the end of each day that will leave you exhausted.

8. Touch Something Once

The rule is a simple one: put away what you take out. Teach your children the “one touch” rule, which is the philosophy of only touching something once before putting it away. For example, if you take crackers out of the pantry to eat, put them away as soon as you’re finished. This simple exercise avoids messes piling up in your home throughout the day.

9. Do Laundry Every Day

How do you incorporate a load of laundry every day into a busy mom cleaning schedule? The truth is, if you have a busy household, then doing at least one load of laundry each day is more manageable than six loads on the weekend. Not only is doing all of your laundry in one day overwhelming, it’s probably not how you want to spend your weekends either. Instead, keep up with the laundry by completing one load a day during the week and save your time off for fun. After each load is clean and dry, don’t wait, fold it and put it away the same day. This will keep it from piling up at the end of the week.

10. Keep Hydrogen Peroxide Close

Hydrogen peroxide is a multi-purpose liquid. While it works very well to disinfect cuts, it’s also great for cleaning around the house. Keep a few bottles in different rooms so you don’t have to search for it when needed. Hydrogen peroxide mixed with baking soda is a great way to clean a smelly sink drain. This combo can also be used to remove soap scum and hard water stains from tubs and tile.

Choose Molly Maid for Help Keeping Everything Clean

Putting our 10 cleaning tips for busy moms and dads to use should make managing your cleaning a little easier. However, if you find you still don’t have enough time to get it all done, we can help. When it comes to home cleaning services, the trusted and reliable professionals at your local Molly Maid can make your home shine from top to bottom. We can develop a customized cleaning plan that meets both your needs and schedule. Whether you need a one-time, recurring, occasional cleaning service, or would like to give a cleaning gift certificate, we’re here to get it all done. We’ll get all your cleaning done right—that’s our promise! Take the stress out of keeping your home clean and check clearing off your to-do list. Find the Molly Maid location nearest you and request an estimate today.