When a space is small, it gets messy very often. So how does one keep order without feeling like you’re cleaning all day? A guide for newlyweds and small families.
No, I’m not motivated to clean everyday. Some days I feel more motivated than others, which is why I don’t designate tasks for everyday of the week–just some. This way, I can have some days where there’s only the basic daily cleanup to do–and other days where the work is more intense. Feel free to adapt this schedule as it works for you!
Everyday:
–Make the beds and tidy up the bedrooms
–I like to go to sleep with a clean house. It makes it so much more pleasant to wake up in the mornings. Every evening, I do a basic clean up of the kitchen, wash the dishes and counters, clean up the living space i.e., rearranging the couch pillows. And of course sweeping the whole house (I find that if I do a good sweep at night I generally don’t have to sweep the rest of the day) Where I live, mop wipes are a common and convenient cleaning tool, so if necessary I do a quick mop to wipe up the sticky spots.
Monday:
I focus on the kitchen: I make sure that the inside of my cabinets are clean as well as the outside of my cabinets and appliances. Every other week I would also do my inside of the ovens and refrigerator. I also do a deep cleaning of my bathrooms, toilets, showers and sinks and wipe the mirrors. I do a quick cleaning of my porch. I also mop my entire apartment.
Tuesday:
Laundry day. I make sure all my clothing is washed by Tuesday and then I iron all that is needed. I quickly rearrange my closets. The advantage of doing it all in one day is that since my family is small, I don’t think about laundry for the rest of the week and I know it’s done.
Friday:
If Friday doesn’t work for you, move these tasks to a different day. I do a semi deep cleaning of my kitchen on Fridays as well as a quick wipe down of the living areas. I focus on my bedroom by moving the beds, changing the linen (I like going into Shabbos with fresh linen), and making sure my house is presentable for Shabbos. I do a quick bathroom/toilet cleanup. And I wash and mop the floors for Shabbos.
Motzei Shabbos:
I put away everything from Shabbos right away otherwise it takes a long time to get to it. I also do a thorough mop and sweep and a typical daily cleanup.
can you give a schedule for a bigger house?
We have this post!
Am I the only one that doesn’t do such thorough cleaning on a weekly basis???
Nopes! Doesn’t work for big families living in small spaces. In my opinion.
This schedule doesnt make sense for any kind of family unless you’re a stay at home mom with kids in daycare, or have cleaning help. I’m lucky if I manage to get the dishes washed and the floor cleared.
Agreed
This sounds really nice but seems impossible as a pregnant, working mother of 1 in a small apartment…
Thank you for validating me. As I red the article I freeked out. I kind of feel that I am drowning.
I beleive this post is directed for newlyweds…
Read; No kids & More time & different priorities
Actually I am a kind of newlywed, and don’t have kids. But I am out of the house at 8:30, come home at 4:30, and leave again from 5:15-6:30. After all my jobs, all I am focusing on is what I have to do for the next day (i.e. make supper, have clean tights!) So, any practical ideas for me? Besides asking my hubby to do it in his free time in the afternoons
My husband and I live alone in our small apartment. We both work full-time and attend shiurim and gevrushas at night. This is not practical. I deep-clean my apartment on a Sunday and do a quick-clean before Shabbat. Or if I am busy on Sunday I break up the tasks and do 1 thing every night of the week.
I work a full time job- with a toddler in a small apartment. I have a somewhat silimar schedule to this post and it works great. Nothing tqkes more then 15 min other then the ironing and the deep clean. When you subcontiously wash the dishes as you use them it makes it quick and easy.