Creating A Realistic Cleaning Schedule For Working Moms
Trying to keep up with housework when you work all day can feel impossible. By the time you get home, you’re already exhausted, dinner needs making, laundry is piling up, and the last thing you want is a complicated cleaning schedule that expects perfection.
Cleaning can feel overwhelming, especially if you are a working mom. You aren’t available to do the tasks throughout the day, it’s all crammed in before or after work. So, the idea of creating a realistic cleaning schedule for working moms seems an impossible task.
Creating simple routines around your mornings and evenings can make a huge difference when you’re trying to stay on top of the housework. There are so many different types of cleaning schedules it can be difficult to find one that suits you.
Traditional cleaning schedules are focused towards the concept of an adult being home during the day to take on the cleaning tasks. Or, giving up the weekend to do all the cleaning.
This isn’t good for anyone these days, most parents both work outside the home, even if some work from home domestic chores can’t get done during working hours. The idea is to shift away from what once was the ideal way to create the ‘perfect family home’ to one that is more manageable and chores are shared between all family members.
Affiliate links are included for your convenience. (This means if you purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission which won’t cost you a penny more!) Click here to read my full disclosure and privacy policy.
Letting Go Of The All Or Nothing Mindset
If we are always playing catch-up, or at least we are catching up with the housework and the chores around the home we will never feel in control.
You have to start where you are today and have expectations that can be met. Your home might not be social media worthy at all, but those images are staged and no one lives like that full time.
One of the biggest mindset shifts is learning how to create routines you can actually stick to instead of trying to do everything perfectly.
Your Home Is Allowed To Look Lived In
Your home will have better days than others, and that’s just the process of the normal flow of everyday life.
What’s important is having your non-negotiables, those tasks that you do every day that helps to keep the home ticking over. It’s about focusing on what matters day to day and plan those tasks into those pockets of time that you have.
What A Realistic Cleaning Schedule Actually Looks Like
The idea of a cleaning schedule that is filled full of cleaning tasks even before the day has begun would fill me with dread and a feeling that I had already failed.
It would make me less motivated to do the tasks and I might even start to find ways to get out of doing the tasks I know that need doing.
The better plan is to create something that has short simple tasks, even broken down more than you might have thought of before. The ideal time is 15-20 minutes not hours, especially after a long day at work.
But also simplify your cleaning tools that you have
- Crosswave floor cleaner, it’s a vacuum and a mop all in one.
- Microfiber cloths that work and good quality
- Multi-purpose cleaning spray, one that you can use in the kitchen and the bathroom
- A corded vacuum that is powerful enough for the tasks you need it to do
Adding Freedom To Your Cleaning
Your cleaning schedule needs to be fluid, not rigid, life happens and having a cleaning schedule that is fluid and moves and changes with you makes it one that is going to stick long-term.
You build your cleaning routine around your schedule and not one that you would love to have.
Having a simple home management system can also help you keep track of routines without feeling overwhelmed.
If there are tasks that take longer, scheduling in an hour power clean is an option to consider.
Daily Maintenance Tasks That Keep Things Tidy
When you think about your daily maintenance tasks that you do you have to think about all aspects of your home life. What are important, what you can let go and what you can delegate to others.
Daily tasks are:
- Doing the laundry
- Washing the dishes
- Picking up toys
- Making the bed
- Meal planning
These are just a few of the tasks that can help keep things tidy and your home looking presentable in a crisis. If you haven’t you should use a home management folder, these can be digital or printed off and they can really help organize your home.
The Closing Down Of The Home Each Night
These are the tasks that you build into your evening habits that help you reset the home before the next day.
A simple evening routine can make mornings feel far less stressful and helps the house stay under control without massive cleaning sessions.
When going to bed I always:
- Clean the sink.
- The draining board holds the dogs water bowl, clean, ready for the morning when it goes down fresh.
- The pillows are plumped in the living room and blankets are folded.
- Robot vacuum emptied.
- Cat litter trays are checked, and their food and water checked and replaced if needed.
- The bed is vacuumed, husband has allergies and this helps as the cats sleep on the bed during the day.
These tasks don’t take long and are divided up between me and my husband, but what it means is that we start the day strong, the cats are happy, the dog is happy and the house looks straight when we get up.
What could be your daily maintenance tasks that you do each day and at what time.
A Weekly Cleaning Structure You Can Actually Follow
When you are creating your cleaning structure you need to allow time to do the tasks and to add in wiggle room in case something happens.
Unless you plan to do it all in one session, which you can do and then have the rest of the week off from cleaning or you do one or two things a day that allow you to spread the tasks across the week. Remember they don’t have to be perfect.
If you struggle to stay consistent with routines, creating a flexible cleaning schedule can help you avoid falling behind.
Monday
Quick Reset
- Wipe kitchen counters
- 10 minute living room tidy
Tuesday
Bathrooms
- Wipe sinks and mirrors
- Quick toilet clean
- Replace towels if needed
Wednesday
Floors
- Vacuum high traffic areas
- Quick mop in kitchen/bathroom
- Pick up clutter before bed
Thursday
Bedrooms
- Change sheets if needed
- Put away laundry
- Quick dust of surfaces
Friday
Kitchen Focus
- Clear fridge leftovers
- Wipe appliances
- Empty bins
- Reset kitchen for weekend
Saturday
Flexible Catch Up Day
Choose ONE:
- Declutter a small space
- Deep clean one room
- Skip it completely and rest
Sunday
Weekly Reset
- Meal plan
- Laundry prep
- Tidy hotspots
- 15 minute whole house reset
Daily Non Negotiables
Keep these super short:
- Dishes
- One load of laundry if needed
- 10 minute evening tidy
The goal is “clean enough to function,” not perfection. Missing a day doesn’t mean you failed. Just pick back up the next day.
How To Prioritise When You’re Short On Time
It’s so important to understand that you don’t need a perfect home and sometimes life gets in the way and having a back-up plan is key.
The ‘must do’ tasks are those that you need to do to keep your home running smoothly. The ‘less important’ tasks, but still need doing are planned for days when you have less on.
Understanding the difference between these two is going to make the difference in your home and life.
Examples of must do tasks:
- Laundry
- Meal planning
- Pet care
- Dishes
Examples of tasks that can wait:
- Vacuuming unused rooms
- Deep cleaning the kitchen cabients
- Cleaning the oven, I love this cleaning paste for oven cleaning.
You don’t need to reset anything, just pick up from where you are today, when the schedule is less crazy.
What To Focus On When Everything Feels Messy
We all have those days where you stop and think OMG, how did my house get this bad? We’ve all been there and still those days happen, it’s when life gets busy and housework takes a back seat.
During busy seasons, focusing on quick resets instead of deep cleaning can help prevent overwhelm.
I always start in this order:
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
- Living room
- Entryway
- Bedroom
- Office
This is how I see the importance of each room in relation to cleaning and where people see. Kitchen is the heart of the home and needs to be clean the bathroom is the 2nd most important area and then it just comes down to preference.
Building A Routine That Works Around Your Life And Not Against It
The most important part if getting the whole family involved, they all need to learn these skills in order to function when they live on their own.
It’s a great idea to link these tasks onto existing habits, before and after evening meal. Before bed and first thing in the morning. These are all great times when tasks can happen. Even tiny morning habits can help the whole day feel calmer and more manageable.
This is a long-term plan but things change often and that means your cleaning schedule has to be flexible to go along with these changes.
Staying Consistent Without Feeling Restricted
If you work your plan right it will flow, things will get done and then everything will stop dead. It’s OK, these things happen and you just adjust and move on.
Don’t panic and especially don’t feel guilty when things slip, it’s all part of life and it’s not the end of the world if you miss a day.
A Home That Works For You
Remember what you are looking for is consistency and adding those small tasks to your habits you already have. You don’t need to have the perfect home, they don’t exist.
Start small and build up the systems that you need to run your home. Your home doesn’t control you, you are in control and have got this.
