House Cleaning Checklist

House cleaning can be time consuming and frustrating if you approach it without a plan in place.  If you create a house cleaning checklist and then follow it each week, you’ll find that being organized helps make the chores less of a burden.

Preparing a house cleaning checklist can serve several purposes.  One is that you will have a reference guide as you work through your chores.  Another good reason to have a house cleaning checklist is that it aids in dividing up the chores if every family member has other commitments.

If you are making a house cleaning checklist for yourself you’ll want to list the chores in the order in which you’ll complete them.  You can begin the list with the chore you least like.  This is a good idea because once you get the least appealing task out of the way the rest seem easy in comparison.

It’s also a good idea when you are preparing your house cleaning checklist to list dusting near the top of the list.  The reason for this is because dusting sometimes creates residue on the floor.  You won’t want to vacuum or sweep the floor only to discover you need to redo it once you’ve dusted.

Your house cleaning checklist doesn’t have to just apply to one or two days a week.  Many people find it easier to keep up with their house cleaning responsibilities if they divide the chores into several days. Tackling one or two chores a day as opposed to several in one day can make the work seem less overwhelming.

There are also chores that don’t need to be done each week that you’ll want to include on your house cleaning checklist.  Cleaning the oven, dusting behind your appliances, and washing the windows are all important tasks.  These can be placed on your house cleaning checklist once a month.  If you choose the same week each month it will become part of your normal routine.

You can get every family member to help with the house cleaning.  Write up a house cleaning checklist that includes chores that each person can be responsible for.  For a young child this could be picking up their own toys or feeding the dog.  For an older child you might consider assigning nightly dish clean-up or vacuuming to them on the house cleaning checklist. 

If you decide to do this you can also teach your child the value of hard work by offering them a weekly allowance for completion of their chores.  They’ll feel good knowing they are earning money and you’ll be glad for the house cleaning help.