An Easy to Follow Cleaning Schedule for Any Stay at Home Mom

From the outside looking in, a stay at home mom is some times envied. It is thought she has all the time in the world and must have a clean and spotless house. However if you are a stay at home mom you know this is the furthest from the truth, kids are home, and cleaning is sometimes the last thing that gets accomplished. There is also the motivation factor, it's very easy to sit down and then realize you have not gotten a single chore done. I know this is all true because I am very guilty of all the above. I am not only a stay at home mom to a very busy three year old, but I also do some work from home, which adds to the load of responsibility. That's why I have developed with the help of my computer and Microsoft Excel a weekly checklist.

I find if everything is laid out in simple and short tasks I can accomplish them more efficiently. This also ensures that nothing is over looked and I can be more productive in the same amount of time. The gratification is instant as you can check off the task as they are completed. The first step to making your list is deciding what should be on it, what do you want to get done each week. I like to outline each room and what needs to be done. Such as the living room needs to be dusted, vacuumed, couches wiped down and clutter picked up. Or the Kitchen might include washing dishes, cleaning out the fridge, mopping and wiping down counter tops. This is where you get to customize what your individual house might need. I also like to include miscellaneous things such as completing my writing projects or doing something special each day for my daughter. I like to keep a chart that I designed and saved to my computer using Microsoft Excel, this way I can print a new check list each and every week and make changes as need. If you do not have Excel you could easily make a nice checklist on paper and then use a photocopier to make list for each week. If you do have Excel you would start with a new document, here you can add your room and each task. I like to list the days of the week at the top of the page. On days that I do not want a task completed I simply place an X in that box. The idea is to have something to follow it makes the task simpler and more obtainable. I hope we all can find the strength and time to have the perfectly clean house and happy family.