I admit to being a bit of a neat freak, but I feel agitated when my house is in a state of disarray. Once my first baby was born, keeping our house clean started to feel a bit overwhelming. This only increased once I had a second child and started homeschooling in earnest. I did an okay job of keeping our home clean, but a few things kept falling through the cracks, like scrubbing the bathtubs. And I always felt like I was running behind.
About a year ago, I read a blog post about once a month cleaning. I thought it was worth trying, and I am so glad I did. Once a month cleaning has revolutionized the way I clean our house.
How Once a Month Cleaning Works
The idea is that, once a month, the whole house gets cleaned. I devote a couple days to cleaning at the beginning of each month, and the rest of the month I can relax and not worry about it! Cleaning days can be a bit intense, but I relish in getting everything done in one week rather than having nagging cleaning tasks always in the back of my mind.
In between house cleaning sessions, little things are still done to maintain the neatness of the house, such as sweeping the dining room floor and doing a nightly 5-to-10-minute clutter pick-up of toys, books, etc. If guests are coming over towards the end of the month, I'll also give the guest bathroom toilet a quick scrub and wipe.
Advantages of Once a Month Cleaning
Important cleaning tasks no longer fall through the cracks. For instance, our bathtubs now get scrubbed every month, whereas previously they sometimes weren't scrubbed for many months.
I can stop feeling stressed about cleaning by knowing that everything will get cleaned once a month. This has been a huge de-stressor for me. Instead of constantly feeling like I am behind and should do more, I can relax and know that everything will get cleaned soon.
It helps in setting the appropriate priorities. For only one or two days a month, I focus on cleaning. For the rest of the month, I have plenty of time to focus on homeschooling, playing with the kids,spending time with my husband, and cooking nourishing meals for my family.
My Once a Month Cleaning List
Our home is relatively small at 1250 square feet, with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. When I first started once a month cleaning, since I had a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old, it took me 2-3 days to complete my cleaning. Now that the kids are a bit older, I can easily finish before lunch on the second day.
My once a month cleaning list includes:
Living Room
Dust
Vacuum
Horizontal surface organization
Clean windows/glass doors (visible smudges only)
Kitchen
Dust
Wipe stovetop and front
Wipe counters
Clean sink
Clean toaster oven
Clean window (visible smudges only)
Wash dish drainer
Wash compost pail
Clean trash can lid
Wash rug
Clean fridge water dispenser
Wash butter dish
Sweep and mop floor
Bathrooms
Dust
Clean mirrors
Scrub bathtub
Scrub toilet
Wash sink and counter
Sweep floor
Master Bedroom
Dust
Vacuum
Clean windows (visible smudges only)
Change sheets
Study
Dust
Vacuum
Clean windows (visible smudges only)
Horizontal surface organization
Kids' Room
Dust
Vacuum
Clean windows (visible smudges only)
Horizontal surface organization
This is part one of a series on Once a Month House Cleaning. Click here for tips on making Once a Month Cleaning work.