Saturday Morning Chores

Saturday Cleaning

1.      Hard Surfaces

1. Apply general-purpose cleaner to the cleaning cloth or paper towel, not to the surface.
2. Wipe surface clean.

Hard surfaces include the following:
•  Door push plates and handles
•  Tables
•  Piano keys (only the keys)
•  Chairs and benches
•  Handrails
•  Countertops
•  Telephones
•  Sinks and faucets
•  Painted walls (spot clean as necessary)

2.      Fabric Furniture

1. Check canister in vacuum to make sure it is not full.
2. Remove large pieces of trash before vacuuming.
3. Vacuum fabric surfaces and crevices.

Fabric furniture includes the following:
•  Sofas
•  Chairs

3.      Glass and Mirrors (in every room, including bathrooms)

1. Apply glass cleaner to a cloth or paper towel.
2. Clean glass and mirror surfaces.
3. Wipe metal, plastic, and ledges around windows and mirrors.
Additional information:
•  Clean from top to bottom.
•  Focus on removing smudges and fingerprints
·        Includes cleaning the microwave
·        Includes wiping the front glass on the oven

4.      Wood Furniture and Trim

1. Using a dry dusting cloth or fluffy duster, dust furniture and trim, including:
•  Door frames.
•  Chairs.
•  Baseboards.
•  Picture frames.

5.      Wastebaskets
1. Dump small amounts of trash into a larger collection bag. If trash is wet or smelly, do the following:
A. If wastebasket is dirty, apply general-purpose cleaner to a cloth or paper towel, and clean the wastebasket.
C. Leave one extra bag in the bottom of each wastebasket.
D. Replace bag. Tie a knot in the bag if it is larger than the can.
2. Put trash in the outside dumpster.

6. Toilets (use gloves)
1. Flush.
2. Apply general-purpose cleaner to the inside of the toilet (do not flush).
3. Use a toilet brush to scrub the inside of the toilet.
4. Apply general-purpose cleaner to a cloth or paper towel.
5. For toilets, wipe the top, then the bottom, of the toilet seat.
6. Wipe the outside areas of the toilet.
7. Flush.
•  Wash hands after cleaning toilets

6.      Tub

Use a bathroom cleaner and wear gloves
Wipe down the tile walls and scrub the bathtub clean
Polish faucets with glass cleaner and paper towel

7.      Mop bathroom floors

8.      Restroom Products
Items to refill and replace:
•  Hand soap (refill or replace)
•  Toilet paper (replace empty rolls)
•  Tissues (replace when empty)

10. Carpet Floors
1. Check vacuum bags to make sure they are not full.
2. Pick up large debris before vacuuming.
3. Vacuum all dry carpeted areas.
4. Vacuum carpet mats.
5. When finished, wind cords neatly.

11. Mop floors in kitchen & laundry room

12. Outdoors

During seasons without snow, do the following:

1.      Pick up trash and debris on lawn & garbage can areas
2.      Mow the lawn
3.      Sweep walkways
4.      Pull weeds
5.  Edging, weed eating

During seasons with snow, do the following:

1. Pick up trash and debris on lawns and garbage can areas
2. Shovel walkways.
3. Spread ice melt on shoveled walkways. Do not use ice melt in place of shoveling.

13. Clean out cars, vacuum, wash outside of vehicle

From iheartorganizing:

D A I L Y

When it was time to come up with daily tasks, we selected things that make the biggest impact to our day and the appearance of our primary living spaces. 


Make Bed // This is a goal, but not an everyday thing. There is just something about a made bed that completely transforms the entire look and feel of the bedroom. It is also more enjoyable to crawl into a made bed at night so I try to start and end the day on a positive note.
Total time: 1-2 minutes.

Dishes/Dishwasher // Dishes pile up fast around here so running the dishwasher and a quick handwash is a high priority daily task in order to keep our kitchen sink and counters clutter free.
Total time: 10 minutes.

Wipe Down Kitchen Surfaces // If I force myself to wipe down the sideboard, dining table, counters, and island every night, it also forces me to do a quick counter declutter.
Total time: 1-2 minutes

Wipe Down Bathroom Sink/Counters // A quick scrub of the sinks to remove whiskers and toothpaste and a speedy wipe down of the counters keeps the bathrooms feeling fresh and clean until our deeper cleaning day. Tip: Store scrub brushes, rags and cleaner below the sink for quick access.
Total time: 1-2 minutes

Sweep/Vac Kitchen, Entry & Stairs // I try to run our vac or do a quick sweep of the primary hard floors in our home each day. With a shedding dog, tennis shoes and cleats, and nightly dinners, our floors feel the most pain. I only focus on the dining/kitchen and entryway each day, and the stairs twice per week.
Total time: 3-5 minutes.

Sort Mail // Every day when the mail comes in, it is open, sorted and the junk is recycled. Anything that requires action lives in a bin that is tackled once a week.
Total time: 1 minute.

Laundry // We wash 1-2 loads of laundry per day, but the biggest change we have made this past year was to assign each person their own day. Each day of the week is assigned to a family member, while Sunday is when I wash specialty items and linens.
Total time: 15-20 minutes.

15 Minute Pick-Up // This is for everything else, and we rarely ever need the entire fifteen minutes. During this time we will make sure that everything is ready for the next day (lunch boxes, backpacks, papers, etc...), pick up any daily clutter, fluff pillows and fold blankets, etc... This time shrinks if we stay on top of basic cleaning and picking up each day.
Total time: 5-15 minutes.

OK, I know what you are thinking. If you add up all of that time, the average is about 45 minutes per day. Buuuuut, when you divide that by the five people that live in our house, it goes down to about 9 minutes per person! That is definitely skewed, but having all hands on deck does reduce the total time any single person has to spend cleaning each day. I rarely have 45 minutes to dedicate to cleaning, but I can definitely find 15-30. Especially if I am awake for 17+ hours of a 24 hour day.


W E E K L Y

These tasks are not quite as urgent or impactful to the overall feeling of our house each day, but are still fairly important. I wouldn't want to go too long without doing most of these items because the longer they go untouched, the longer it takes to clean them when the time comes. Many of these tasks are sprinkled in throughout the week so we aren't stuck doing extra chores on the weekends.


Mop Floors // I will touch up spots on my dining/kitchen floors with either my all purpose spray or spray mop as needed, and then once per week I will thoroughly cover all of the hard floors in our home including the three bathrooms.

Clean Glass/Furniture/Stainless Surfaces // This includes cleaning mirrors and glass, as well as our two primary windows (front picture window and back sliding door). Furniture is given a dusting and kitchen appliances and cabinet faces are quickly wiped down.

Vacuum Floors // All rugs and carpet are vacuumed.

Clean Bathrooms // Toilets and showers are cleaned.

Collect and Take Out Trash/Recycling // Each week on garbage night we collect all of the trash from the bins throughout the house and take it down to the curb.

Tidy Workspace // It's nice to start the week with a fresh work surface, this goes for myself and all of our boys.

Clean Out Fridge/Pantry // Before and after my weekly trip to the grocery store, I clean out any expired foods and leftovers from our pantry and fridge. I wipe up any spills and do a quick inventory of our stock to be sure I am meal planning accordingly and not over-purchasing food we already have on hand.

Clean Out Cars // Our cars always seem to get so messy so quickly. We try to bring everything in each day, but let's be real, there is always containers from eating on the road, dirty socks and athletic gear, loose change, travel mugs, napkins, cords, etc... I shudder just thinking about it. It really helps to dedicate a couple of minutes each week to cleaning out both cars and wiping them down.

Wash Linens // As I mentioned above, once per week we wash any specialty items, bath mats, and bedding.


M O N T H L Y

These items slowly get grimy, so we make an effort to check on them once every month or two.


Vacuum Furniture // This includes vacuuming the sofa and chair cushions, as well as removing the cushions and vacuuming the remaining nooks and crannies of the furniture.

Clean Trim/Doors/Hardware/Cabinets // I love white trim but it does show everything. Each month I try to quickly run my vacuum brush attachment along the floor trim and then wipe down the interior trim and doors where they are dirty (I am not scrubbing every last piece of trim from floor to ceiling each month). I will also clean the white treads on the stairs, wipe down door handles and cabinet hardware, and also clean the cabinet faces throughout the remainder of the home (the kitchen cabinets are wiped down weekly).

Clean Trash Cans // I can't seem to figure out how trash cans can get so sticky and dirty when they are generally used with a bag, but each month I spray them and wipe them down inside and out.

Wash Windows // I only clean our primary windows each week and the remainder of our windows are washed once every month or two. I will wipe down the glass and clean the grooves with a rag and cotton swabs.

Clean Appliances // The dishwasher and washer are run through a special cycle to clean the interiors and then wiped down. The oven is vacuumed, the glass door is cleaned and the interior wiped down. Fridge shelves and bins are checked for spills and the microwave interior is also cleaned.

Vacuum Vents // We take the vacuum brush attachment to the vent covers, exhaust fans, and dryer vents. We will also remove floor vent covers and vacuum down as far as our hose will reach.

Vacuum Mattresses // We run over the mattress tops with the furniture attachment and then sprinkle a very thin layer of scented baking soda. This task is also a trigger to rotate mattresses and wash specialty bedding.

Room-By-Room Declutter // This one task really makes a big difference in how we maintain all of the organizational systems we have put in place over the years. Once a month I will grab a basket and go room to room to remove anything that we no longer need or use. The number of items collected is generally less and less each month, but I do try and challenge myself and the rest of the clan to be ruthless. This process includes pairing down bathroom toiletries, quick clothing purges, extra papers and office supplies and junk drawer revamps. We keep a bin in the trunk of each car for returns and donation drop-offs and staying on top of this each month prevents us from having to do big annual purges and closet cleanouts.


Q U A R T E R L Y 

Quarterly we will tackle some general home maintenance items.


Change Filters // We check in and clean or replace the filters for our fridge, furnace, fans and air purifier.

Descale Appliances // I run my descaling solution through my coffee machine and maybe clean our iron.

Descale Shower Heads // We fill gallon-sized bags with vinegar, attach them to our shower heads with rubber bands and let them soak overnight. The following morning we remove the bags and run the water through the shower head. If they are heavily clogged, they can be boiled in hot water and vinegar for 10-15 minutes and scrubbed clean with a bristle brush.

Clean Vacuum // The vacuum is disassembled and cleaned, including the filters and brush roll attachment.

Wash/Replace Shower Curtain Liners // Liners can be washed in the washer if you add some soft towels to the mix. I just wash with our regular homemade detergent by adding it directly to the drum of the washer and vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser. Hang to dry.

Clean Cabinet Tops // The very tops of our cabinets and tall furniture are vacuumed/dusted/wiped down.


S E M I - A N N U A L L Y

The little things that still make a big difference, these items are generally forgotten about but really do give the house a quick pick-me-up.


Wipe Out Cabinet Interiors // Dust can collect and build up behind closed doors, so twice a year we remove everything from our cabinets and drawers to vacuum them out and wipe them clean.

Deep Clean Grout // We have gone through the process of sealing our grout so our daily maintenance keeps it pretty clean, but a couple of times per year we give it a little extra attention to clean up bad spots and even re-seal it if necessary.

Touch-Up Paint // Occasionally walls, trim, and furniture show our wear and tear so once or twice a year I like to do some quick paint touch-ups.

Clean Window Treatments // I am not one that will wash my curtain panels as I have shrunk them and ruined them in the past. On occasion, I will go over them with the brush attachment on our vacuum and will dust the grooves of our wooden blinds.

Clean Garage // Each spring and fall we try to do a clean out of our garage which includes purging old items, dusting anything on shelves and washing the walls and floors.


A N N U A L L Y

These are the items that typically fall on our Spring Cleaning to-do list which we will tackle over the course of a few weekends in April and May.


Wash Deck // With some deck wash and a handled scrub brush we remove a year worth of outdoor grime.

Wash Exterior Windows // The exterior windows are sprayed with the hose, cleaned with our long handled window attachment and then squeegeed dry.

Wash Outdoor Furniture and Textiles // Each spring I will wash our outdoor cushion covers in the washing machine and spray and scrub non-machine washable pieces. We also take this time to oil our wooden furniture and wash the dining tables and chairs.

Clean Light Fixtures // The globes and shades to our pendant lights and sconces are removed and washed.

Deep Clean Appliances // Once a year we will pull out appliances and clean the floor under and behind them. We will also wipe them down and vacuum any vents and hoses. Specialty pieces/components are removed and washed.

Power Wash Exterior // Have you ever sprayed down your siding with your garden hose or a pressure washer? I am always wide eyed at the amount of dirt and number of bugs that come streaming down when I do this, so I try to at least spray down the siding on our front porch, around the garage door and along the back side of our house once every year.

Keep Your House from Smelling-Healthy Clean Checklist

  • Clean and disinfect above kitchen cabinets
  • Throw out expired food in fridge/pantry
  • Pull out large appliances and clean walls/floors/vents
  • Scrub and disinfect garbage cans-inside and out
  • Vacuum and wipe out all heat ducts
  • Scrub tops of fans-including stove vent
  • Clean every blind-handles too
  • Mop your floors/hard surfaces on your hands and knees
  • Wash your windows inside-including tracks
  • Empty and wipe down all shelves-including garage
  • Wash all layers of bedding

“A normal day! Holding it in my hand this one last moment, I have come to see it as more than an ordinary rock, it is a gem, a jewel. In time of war, in peril of death, people have dug their hands and faces into the earth and remembered this. In time of sickness and pain, people have buried their faces in pillows and wept for this. In time of loneliness and separation, people have stretched themselves taut and waited for this. In time of hunger, homelessness, and wants, people have raised bony hands to the skies and stayed alive for this.

“Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, savor you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it will not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky, and want more than all the world your return. And then I will know what now I am guessing: that you are, indeed, a common rock and not a jewel, but that a common rock made of the very mass substance of the earth in all its strength and plenty puts a gem to shame.”

– Mary Jean Iron






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