6 Tips on How to Simplify Your Cleaning Routine

Plus Bonus Printable Cleaning Schedule

I have a confession – I am lazy when it comes to cleaning or rather I just don’t enjoy it. I am great at organizing and tidying up but I just don’t enjoy the scrubbing, even though I find it really satisfying to see the dirt be gone. Because of this, I tend to find ways to simplify the tasks I enjoy the least so that I can spend more time on the things that bring me joy! In this post, I show you how I simplified my cleaning routine with bonus printable schedules.

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How To Simplify Your Cleaning Routine

Tip 1 – Work within your boundaries

Setup or adjust your cleaning routine according to what you are willing and able to accomplish. When I lived in a small space my routine was less important, I would wait and clean when I had to – and honestly when it was just me and my dog living in small quarters, the place never really got dirty that often. Fast forward to the present with a husband, young child, a dog, and more space, I feel I am always playing catch up on the cleaning.

The only routine that works is the one that you can stick to. Be realistic with your routine and work within your boundaries. My husband works late on Mondays – so the Monday routine only includes cleaning up the kitchen and rounding up the garbage, recycling, and the green bin for waste pickup on Tuesday.

Tip 2 – Do a little each day

Do a little each day so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by doing many big jobs all at once. For instance, every day the kitchen gets a light cleaning, meaning that dishes, counters, and anything piled up on the table during the day are put away. I work from home and my office area is a corner of our living room. I make sure this area is picked up before I go to bed each night because I feel stressed when I see clutter, and I don’t need to add more stress to my workday.

Tip 3 – Quick (light) cleaning prolongs the need for big deep cleans

Spread out the tasks over the week. Have your set daily tasks (see Tip 2) plus 1 other task (like a load of laundry or cleaning 1 bathroom, vacuuming floors, etc). Doing quick cleans throughout the week prolongs the need for big deep cleans. I can go a month between deep cleans of the bathrooms because of the more often quick cleans.

Tip 4 – Reduce your inventory

Reduce your inventory. The less you own, the less time you need to spend picking up or organizing things. My house is far from minimal. Although I am an organized person, with too much stuff it can feel cluttered. I’ll admit I always have good intentions when buying something to make good use of it but honestly, I always end up using the same old things over and over again. Lately, I’ve been on a kick to purge the things that no longer “spark joy” and that we don’t use enough. This stuff will be heading to a thrift store near you or added to an online community buy & sell site. For ideas on decluttering read 15 Simple Things to Declutter From Your House Today.

Tip 5 – Make your cleaning calendar visible

Print your cleaning routine and post it somewhere visible where every household member can easily be reminded of the area to be cleaned that day. I keep mine on the fridge, in a plastic sheet that allows me to mark off the task when complete which keeps me motivated.

Tip 6 – Simplify your cleaning toolkit

Simplify your cleaning products and store them close to where you use them. Here are the supplies I use the most and where.

For more tips on cleaning read my 4 Things You Probably Forgot Clean + How to Clean Them post.

Kitchen

• In the kitchen, I use a DIY mixture of 50/50 water and white vinegar to clean the kitchen counters (ours are quartz). For more DIY cleaning product recipes, read How to DIY Cleaning Products for Your Home.
• Dish soap is kept in a glass pump bottle beside the hand soap by the sink. We buy in bulk to reduce plastic waste.
• Dishwasher detergent is kept in a decorative storage container on the counter. We’ve been loving the unscented company for both the dish soap and the dishwashing tabs. Both are eco-friendly.

Note: Everything is within reach and safe to use around my daughter and dog.

Bathroom

We have 2 full bathrooms on the sleeping floor and 1 powder room on the main living floor. I keep 2 sets of cleaning products so that they are always where they are needed. One set is in the laundry closet beside the powder room and the second set is in the linen closet beside the 2 full bathrooms.

• Method Glass + Surface Cleaner. This product does double duty. It works well for cleaning bathroom mirrors but since it is also a surface cleaner, I use it to clean the sinks, faucets, handles, and the outside of the toilet.
• Method Toilet Cleaner. Use to clean the toilet bowl.
• Method Tub and Tile Bathroom Cleaner (only for the 2 full bathrooms)

Floors

• Vacuum – Dyson V7
• Frank Brand Floor Duster (to be honest with the Dyson – this is rarely used – it might end up being thrifted)
• Rubbermaid Spray Mop allows you to use your favourite cleaner. Check out this post for my DIY recipe.

Sample Weekly Cleaning Routine (Bonus Printable)

Download my free weekly cleaning calendar and blank template so you can create your own.

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