Does keeping your house clean often feel like a never-ending battle? As if the kids don’t bring in enough dirt, then there’s usually pets (if you have ’em). That’s why you definitely need a cheat sheet when it comes to cleaning!

black and white english shepherd dog sleeping on brown and creme colored shag carpet

He’s cute but he sure makes it hard to keep the house clean!

Having toys scattered about in the evenings or mail strewn on the foyer table is one thing, those are picked up quick enough, but I cannot – DO NOT – handle dirt/dust/grime. For one, I have serious dust allergies (something, I fear, I passed down to my children).

Second, if I don’t find the time to tidy up during the week, the cat hair and dog dust threaten to fuse into one giant super beast and frankly I already have enough mouths to feed.

How to Create a Cleaning Cheat Sheet

cleaning cheat sheet

Make Cleaning Easier

In order to best tackle the “every day” stuff – without getting caught up in trying to do too much at once while accomplishing nothing – I suggest you use either a whiteboard or a laminated sheet like the one below:

Weekly cleaning list chart

Each day has 3-6 tasks to be completed and by using a whiteboard or laminated sheet, you can check off what you’ve done without having to create a new sheet each week.

Saturday and Sunday have a bit more because there’s typically more of an opportunity to get things done on those days, but if your schedule is different, adjust accordingly!

Break Down Your Tasks

By breaking things down into easier-to-handle tasks, you’ll be able to accomplish a lot more without feeling like you’re wasting your evenings or losing sleep trying to keep a tidy house. You’ll also remove the mental stress that comes with not knowing what to do next by having it laid out exactly what you’ll be doing and when.

You might have noticed that “oatmeal jars” is one of my Sunday tasks. If you have yet to discover the joy that is this breakfast beauty, please check out my Quick Breakfasts post. They take all of 20 minutes to prep, they’re healthy, and you’ll be set for breakfasts for the week!

It’s important that you create a meal plan for more than just breakfast, which is why I also include “inventory food” as a part of my weekly checklist; knowing what you have is the first step to saving more money on groceries!

What to Include on Cleaning Cheat Sheet

Things you may want to add to your own weekly cleaning cheat sheet:

  • Laundry – be sure to implement these laundry time saving tips!
  • Dust furniture
  • Dishes
  • Floors
  • Garbage
  • Counter Clean Up
  • Wipe down baseboards
  • Windows
  • Pet care (litterboxes, brush the dog, etc.)
  • Pantry tidy up

The Two Minute Rule

Another great tip is that if it can be done in two minutes or less, do it now. You’ll be surprised at how much easier cleaning will feel if you break things down and tackle the tiny stuff over a week’s time.

What sort of “cheats” do you have to tackle your household chores?

Do you have any tips on how to encourage kids to get involved and help keep things clean?

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