I have decided that moving into a home and maintaining it is COMPLETELY different from living in a one bedroom apartment.  So many things to keep clean!  I decided that I was starting to feel too overwhelmed by what I needed to do, so I scoured Pinterest for the perfect cleaning schedule.  Because clearly I cannot come up with a cleaning schedule of my own.

I used the following criteria in my search:

• Nothing that involves cleaning multiple times per day
• Nothing that involves frequently scrubbing baseboards
• Nothing that involves weekends

Basically, I was looking for the perfect Lazy Girl cleaning schedule.  Come to think of it… maybe those were the search terms I should have used?  I found the perfect schedule and decided that it seemed reasonable and that I would be able to keep up with it.

From Uncommon Designs

I started this in the middle of last week, which was perfect because I hate cleaning bathrooms.  I had just washed my sheets and vacuumed the previous weekend, so basically all I had to do was dust the bedrooms.  Super easy, right?  I felt so accomplished.

The next day, I swept and dusted the living room.  I decided that the baseboards had been painted within the last 6 months, so surely they would still be looking fresh?  I also determined that I didn’t have to mop the floors.  Sweeping would be enough.  Actually, I ended up just going over it with a vacuum.  Voila.

It was nice to not have to worry about cleaning this past weekend because that is what the weekdays are for!  I came home on Monday and was determined to make my kitchen sparkle.  Wiping off the countertops was fine.  Cleaning the stove was bearable.  Cleaning my stainless steel appliances?  I’ll pass.  Sweeping and mopping… I regretted this decision.  An hour and a half into cleaning what I assumed to be an already relatively clean kitchen, I was done.  I was pooped, but at least my kitchen was beautiful!

Yesterday was bathroom cleaning day.  I knew that my bathrooms weren’t very dirty at all, but I now have three bathrooms to clean instead of one.  I figured it would be a pretty easy job.  Nope.  By the time my boyfriend got there, I was two bathrooms down and one foul mood in.  I didn’t even change when I got home.  I was cleaning my bathrooms in the dress I wore to work and some Aeropostale slippers I bought in college.  After two hours, I had done everything but the showers.  Screw the showers.  I spray them down after every use.  They don’t need to be scrubbed.

I decided that the level of cleaning this schedule required is not conducive for a girl living in a house by herself who also works full time and has a commute.  Oh and a Chihuahua who is now demanding walks and will sit there and whine/shake until I comply, which is a new thing since we moved.  I also feel like this level of cleaning creates more of a mess because of the stuff I have to move out of the way to get the room cleaned.  Something has to give.

Since I am the only resident of this home, I really cannot create enough dirt to warrant deep cleaning it each week.  In attempting someone else’s version of a cleaning schedule, coming up with one of my own became a little easier.  I present to you..

The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Cleaning

• Bedrooms
  • No matter how messy or cluttered your bedroom is, make your bed each morning the second you get out of it.  This will also prevent you from giving into temptation and falling back into it.
    • Make your dog into your bed if they hate mornings.  They will eventually get the hint.
  • Keep some sort of receptacle for your dirty clothes and drop them in there before they can hit the floor.
• Bathrooms
  • After you bathe, hang your towel up like a normal human being.
  • Clear off your bathroom counter and put away all of your makeup, hair tools, etc. before you leave for the day.
  • Invest in that Clean Shower stuff and spray it down after each use .
    • Truly a life saver if you are like me and hate scrubbing showers.
• Kitchen
  • Make a rule that if you cook, just wipe down the counters really quickly.
  • Spot clean your floor with a broom.
    • Obviously if there is a leaf or a giant crushed up Dorito, just sweep it up.
  • WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SHARE WITH YOU WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.  My coworker told me that she uses a dishwashing detergent that works so well, you no longer have to pre-scrub your dishes.  Imagine simply placing your nasty dishes in a dishwasher and having them come out sparkling clean.  You, too, can have this fantasy world come to life.  The magic dishwashing tablet is called Ecover, which you can purchase on their website.
    • I have found that they are typically cheaper if you purchase them locally.  I purchase mine at Sprouts or Natural Grocers.  They have a handy “Where to Buy” tool on their website as well.
• Laundry
  • Mondays and Thursdays.  One small load twice per week.  If you keep up with it, laundry will never be overwhelming.
  • Wash your sheets and towels on the weekends.
• Vacuuming
  • Pick a weekend morning to get it over with.
    • Purchase a vacuum cleaner where you can see what you’ve picked up.  If you’re a sick freak like me, you will enjoy seeing what your vacuuming efforts are accomplishing.
• Deep Cleaning
  • Unfortunately, you will still have to do things such as scrub your toilets, showers, and kitchen appliances.
  • Instead of doing all this every week, how does every month sound?
    • Pick one section of the cleaning schedule to do each week every month!

There is nothing more overwhelming than feeling like you have to clean your entire house all at once.  Hopefully my Lazy Girl’s Guide helps and we will see if I can actually stick to my own advice…

Thanks for stopping by!  See y’all next time…

Marissa