Cleaning Routine
For Lazy Clean Freaks That Care for the Environment
Ever want to simplify your cleaning routine?
Well, I’m a lazy clean freak and I think the combination of these two traits has helped me hit upon a simplified routine that works. For me at least.
As a clean freak. I don’t like things out of place. I am easily grossed out. I’m sensitive to strange smells and textures and I can spot something out of place a mile away – that includes things spilt on accident (that somehow no one in the house seems to see!).
But I’m also lazy. I complain like crazy (in my head mostly but also out loud too when I’m in a foul mood) about having to clean. I don’t enjoy spending my time cleaning the mess created from general movement, the mess created because people can’t wipe their own mess up! It’s maddening!!
And as my husband worked full time in the city and I worked part-time in the suburbs, the fair share (essentially all) of the cleaning used to fall on me.
So I found myself seeing how far I could go before having to clean. And this is how far I have pushed things without noticing anything detrimental (in my eyes).
Daily
- Make the bed
- Wipe down the kitchen bench and stovetop
- Clean dishes
- Wipe down the bathroom floors
Weekly
- Iron
- Put everything back where they belong
- Vaccum
- Wash kids clothes
Fortnightly
- Dust surfaces and blinds
- Vacuum the couch
- Wash reusable clothes & adult clothes
Monthly
- Kitchen clean
- Bathroom clean
- Mop floors
- Clean sheets from all three beds
Biannually
- Wipe down fans & air conditioner filter
- Clean rangehood & oven
- Clean windows
- Scrub tile grout clean in bathrooms
- Deep clean the dryer
- Polish wooden dining table
The daily tasks are mostly done at night (around 10 mins). The weekly tasks are done Friday night or Saturday morning. The monthly tasks are done Saturday morning (while the kids are away in classes) and biannual tasks are also done Saturday mornings or some random time during the weekend, depending on mood. Regular cleaning time is Saturday mornings as a result of all this, usually around 2 hours.
Some of these won’t sit comfortably with most people but I’m putting this out there – perhaps it may encourage some to do less?
Of course, everyone’s circumstances are different and what works for me may not work for others. I am in a family of 4 but I have two grown kids aged 9 and 12 who don’t create as much mess as they used to. Also, we are all in pretty good health, except my son does have a mild form of asthma which we have to be careful about. I now work full time and for that reason, most of my cleaning happens on the weekend.
As for the things that I don’t do, here it is:
- Washing pillows and doona
- Vacuuming mattresses
- Moving furniture to clean under/around them
- Making beds (I do make my own bed but I won’t touch the kids – it’s their responsibility, which they never do!)
- Washing baseboards and wiping picture rails
- Cleaning light fixtures and anything up on the ceiling (unless its cobwebs)
- Beating and airing rugs
- Clean the washing machine
- Deep clean the vacuum cleaner (haven’t done it yet but I imagine I will one day…)
Yep, I have a son that has mild asthma. If it was chronic I probably would put more effort in but so far things are pretty good with him, despite my lacklustre efforts in the bed cleaning department. I have found a lot of his asthma symptoms reduce once I stopped using harmful chemicals when cleaning.
Anyhow putting this out there as a way that I have simplified my routine.
xxx Tahsin
