Weekly Cleaning Schedule for a Spotless House

Hello, momma! Today I’m sharing my weekly cleaning schedule for a spotless house! First, let me clarify what I mean when I say spotless. We have a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old… nothing is ever literally spotless. But, following this cleaning schedule, I’m never embarrassed by the mess if someone stops by unannounced. The messes in this house are toys actively in play, not grime built up on kitchen counters or stinky toilets.

Disclaimer: the first week you do this will be the hardest because you’ll be playing catch-up. After that, you’ll be amazed by how quickly you can knock out each day’s tasks.

Weekly Cleaning Schedule for a Spotless House

I will refer to each of these “cleaning stations.” I went to a maritime academy where they assigned us cleaning stations; we had the same cleaning station every morning for an entire year.

To see when I fit this into my daily routine, check out my post How to Stay Motivated as a Stay at Home Mom.

Monday

My Monday cleaning station is technically the entire house (don’t panic, it’s not that bad). I borrowed this idea from FlyLady. She calls it the Weekly Home Blessing, and I love that perspective! So, to bless my home on Monday mornings, I dust, clean the windows and mirrors, empty all the trash cans, sweep and mop the kitchen and bathrooms, and vacuum the rest of the house. I also throw the floor mats in the wash as long as I’m cleaning the floors. I know it sounds like a lot, but set a timer for 10 minutes for each activity and it will blow your mind how much you can get done!

Now, I do take more than 10 minutes to do the floors. This way, I don’t have to do them again when I hit those rooms during the rest of the week.

Tip: If you have carpet, do the sweeping first and just sweep the dirt onto the edge of the carpet to vacuum up on the next step!

Every other week, I also strip the bed and wash the sheets.

Tuesday

It’s Toilet Tuesday! Not as exciting as Taco Tuesday, but who doesn’t love a clean bathroom?

Tuesdays I tackle the bathrooms. I do all of them because I already have all the bathroom cleaning supplies out, so I might as well. Every week I clean out the sinks and tubs/showers with a bathroom cleaner and a sponge. I clean the vanities and organize the drawers and cabinets. I squirt bowl cleaner around the toilet.

As the bowl cleaner sits and does its thing, I spot clean any smudges on the walls, especially by light switches. Next, I clean the outsides of the toilets with bathroom cleaner and a paper towel so I can throw away the grossness. Then I scrub the toilet bowl. I rinse off the toilet brush in the flushing water, and I’m done! (Remember, I did the floors and mirrors on Monday! Yay!)

Wednesday

Wednesday’s cleaning station is the bedrooms.

In the master bedroom, I Pledge the dressers, nightstands, and bedframe. I tidy up the closet if it needs it and make sure the drawers are orderly. If we’ve gathered anything on the nightstands or dressers during the week, I put them back where they belong (kids’ books, etc.). Before I move to the next room, I spot clean any smudges on the walls or baseboards with a magic eraser.

For the kids’ room, we try to pick up toys together, though this often turns into playing. I tidy up their drawers and closet, and that’s about it.

I like to make sure the guest room is close to ready, just in case. It gets dusted on Mondays, so on Wednesdays I just open it up and turn on the fan for a while to get fresh air through it.

Thursday

On Thursdays I do the dining room, office, and living room. They all sort of flow together, so even though it’s three rooms, it isn’t overwhelming. I Pledge the wood furniture, tidy my desk, and do a deeper dusting of the shelves in the living room. I tidy up the DVDs and books we keep in the entertainment center and check under the couch for stray toys.

I walk around all three spaces with a magic eraser to get any marks or smudges off the walls and baseboards. Finally, I do a quick vacuum or the entire space. Even though I vacuum on Mondays, I find the kiddos track enough dirt in the house (and spill enough cheese) during the week to warrant a second vacuuming!

Friday

Friday’s cleaning station is the kitchen. I wipe down the cabinets and counters, clean around the trash can, and sweep. (To be honest, I sweep the kitchen every day; it gets super messy.) I wipe out the inside of the microwave, then I clean our glass cooktop.

I like to pick one “bigger” item to do each week in the kitchen after I finish the overall clean: wash out the dishwasher filter, scrub the oven, clean the refrigerator shelves, clean out the bottom of the drawers, etc. That said, I don’t panic if I don’t get to it.

Saturday

Saturday’s cleaning station isn’t a cleaning station so much as a fun weekend activity: the yard! Saturdays we try to get everyone outside to weed the gardens, cut the grass, prune the shrubs, tidy up the garage, sweep the walkway, etc.

Sunday

Rest and enjoy the clean house!

There you have it! That’s my weekly cleaning schedule for a spotless house! If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think. Please leave a comment with your favorite cleaning tip!