By Julie Short
Mansfield Record
Getting a routine for cleaning will help you stay ahead of the game and allow you to work your cleaning into your everyday life. It will also help you to clear your mind of the cleaning issue. Based on an average-size home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, here is what needs to be done to keep a clean house:
Daily:
Dishes – 5 minutes to load or unload
Kitchen counters/sink – 5 minutes
Make beds – 1 minute per bed
Laundry – 5 minutes to start a load/1 minute to move it to the dryer/5 minutes to fold/hang
Weekly
Dusting – 15 minutes
Clean mirrors and glass – 10 minutes
Empty trash cans – 5 minutes
Take trash out – 5 minutes
Sweep – 15 minutes
Mop – 15 minutes
Vacuum – 20 minutes
Microwave/Toaster/Coffee Maker – 5 minutes
Bathrooms – 15 minutes each
Change sheets – 5 minutes for each bed
Discard old items from refrigerator – 2 minutes
Monthly
Ceiling fans and high corners – 5 minutes
Blinds, window sills and things hanging on the walls – 20 minutes
Light fixtures – 15 minutes
Move furniture when vacuuming/under cushions as well – 15 additional minutes
Wipe down baseboards, switch plate covers and doors – 20 minutes
Wipe down refrigerator – 10 minutes
Every Few Months
Wipe down door and jambs – 15 minutes
Windows – 20 minutes
Vent covers – 15 minutes
Cabinet doors -15 minutes
Oven -10 minutes
Continually clean out closets and drawers of things that don’t fit or may have missing buttons or stains that cannot be removed. Give away the appropriate items to charity. I keep a bag going all the time of “give away” items. If you do this every time you run across something that doesn’t work for you, you won’t have as much to do when it’s spring cleaning time. You can do the same thing with your children’s toys and clothes. It is a great feeling knowing that someone else can benefit from the things you are not using and you are freeing yourself and your home of clutter.
Now that you have the ROUTINE of what needs to be done, how are you going to do it? Breaking it down into minutes will help you to either set aside a time to complete all the chores at once or it will help you to see what you have time to complete or start, whichever the case may be, in the morning before you leave with the rest waiting for you when you return.
Of course, not every house has the same amount of traffic through it and the sizes vary, but this will give you a ballpark idea of the time it takes to do household chores. These times are also based on maintenance-style cleaning. If needed, you will want to do a thorough cleaning in the beginning and then begin the “Minutes a Day” way of cleaning to maintain.
Julie Short has been married to her husband, Stoney, since 1997. She is currently working on a series of books known as Julie’s Simple Solutions. She is a Mansfield resident, business owner and member of the Mansfield City Council.
Find her book “Cleaning Your House in Minutes a Day” at https://www.amazon.com/Cleaning-Your-House-Minutes-Day/dp/1949563103
Mansfield, Texas, is a booming city, nestled between Fort Worth and Dallas, but with a personality all its own. The city’s 76,247 citizens enjoy an award-winning school district, vibrant economy, historic downtown, prize-winning park system and community focus spread across 37 square miles. The Mansfield Record is dedicated to reporting city and school news, community happenings, police and fire news, business, food and restaurants, parks and recreation, library, historical archives and special events. The city’s only online newspaper launched in September 2020 and will offer introductory advertising rates for the first three months at three different rates.