It can be quite overwhelming to keep up with all the cleaning in the house as a busy mom or dad. That’s why cleaning routines are so helpful. When you split things up into a daily or weekly or even monthly cleaning, it becomes more manageable and doable.
So in this post I’m sharing a realistic cleaning routine I use as a working mom that you can adapt to stay on top of the mess without feeling overwhelmed.
WHY BUSY PARENTS NEED A CLEANING ROUTINE
When your house is messy, it weighs on you. Even if you try to ignore it, it’s there in the back of your mind.
A routine takes away that mental load. You don’t stand there at 8 p.m. thinking, ‘Should I vacuum? Should I scrub the bathroom? Should I just give up and go to bed?’ Instead, you know, okay, today I just do my daily quick things. The rest can wait.
And it keeps the mess from piling up. Because if you wait until the weekend to do everything, it will be so overwhelming that you become cranky and resentful. Been there. Hated it.
And here’s the important one, we insist our kids have routines, right? Bath, books, bed; we do it because it helps them feel secure. This is the exact reason why we need routines too. It gives us a rhythm that keeps things manageable.
MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN CREATING A CLEANING ROUTINE
Mistake #1: trying to do everything in one day.
I used to say, ‘Saturday is my cleaning day.’ And guess what? By Saturday, there would be too much to do. As a working parent with other priorities,It’s exhausting, and you’ll dread it every week.
Mistake #2: not involving the family.
It is not just your mess. If kids live in the house, they can help. Even toddlers can put toys in a basket. Older kids can help with dishes or vacuuming. It’s actually great for character and skill building.
Mistake #3: Aiming for perfection.
I once saw a post that changed my mindset and it read “A home is made for living”. Your home is lived in, so it doesn’t need to be spotless. Don’t expect it to always look staged like a show room.
Being realistic about how it should look will take off a lot of pressure. With kids, perfect should be tidy, and organised.
Mistake #4: Being rigid
Life with kids is unpredictable: someone gets sick, you work late, homework takes forever. If your routine doesn’t bend, it’ll break. The point of having a cleaning routine is to make life easier, not to stress you out more.
So instead of being strict, be flexible. If you miss something one day, just move it to the next. If your weekend is jam-packed, spread the tasks into the week. Your cleaning routine should help you and not make things more difficult than they already are.
So with that said, let’s jump into a realistic daily, weekly and monthly cleaning routine that works with busy parent schedules.
Daily routine – Things to clean daily.
These are the small, quick wins that keep the house from turning into a disaster.
#1: Dishes
Do them, or at least load the dishwasher. Because waking up to a sink full of dirty plates is guaranteed to instantly ruin your mood. If you check my post on productive evening routines, you’ll see that one of the best times to tackle the dishwasher is as you wind down for the day.
#2: Kitchen counters
Quick wipe down after every meal. Five minutes, tops. This will make the kitchen feel instantly cleaner, and you’re happier when you make the next meal.
#3: Living room reset
Pick up toys, fold blankets, and put shoes back where they belong. Ten minutes. I do this once in the afternoon and just before dinner. The difference is huge. Mentally you get a feeling of relief when the physical clutter is gone. The kids also get a signal that is winding down time.
#4: Quick bathroom check
Wipe the sink, clean obvious stains and a quick swish of the toilet especially if there are skid marks. I also throw in wiping the floor around the toilet with disinfectant wipes because toddler boys will always be toddler boys when it comes to peeing. And that’s it.
#5: Bins
Take the thrash out. From the kitchen and toilet. This will help avoid stale smells throughout the house.
#6: Make beds
This goes without saying. Infact bed making is arguably the best way to start your day. The feeling of coming back to a well made tidied bed is so divine!
The point of daily cleaning is to stop the mess from piling up and making you feel overwhelmed. When you clean daily, you have a livable and calm house.
Weekly routine – Things to clean weekly
These are the things you don’t need to do every day, but if you skip them, the house starts to feel grimy.
#1. Vacuum or sweep the floors. Crumbs builds up fast, especially with kids.
#2. Bathrooms deep clean. Once a week, give them a proper clean. Sink, toilet, mirror, and scrub of the shower or bath.
#3. Dust surfaces: TV stand, shelves, nightstands. A quick wipe makes the whole space feel fresher.
#4. Change sheets and wash towels: Nothing feels better than climbing into a clean bed, and honestly, it’s a reset for your week.
It’s best to spread these out maybe vacuum on Monday, bathroom on Tuesday, dusting on Wednesday, change sheets on Friday. That way you’re not spending two hours cleaning after a workday.
Weekend Routine – Things to clean on weekends
Weekends are better for the bigger stuff. The things you don’t have time for during the week.
#1. Mop or steam the floors.
#2. Do the laundry: wash, dry, fold and put it away because it’s more stressful to live out of laundry baskets..
#3. Clean out the fridge. Weekends are best to toss out the leftovers that are no longer edible.
#4. Pick one deeper project. Every weekend you can realistically choose one deep cleaning project like organizing a closet, wiping baseboards, or finally dealing with that mystery drawer.
The trick is not to overload your weekend. Don’t plan on scrubbing the whole house top to bottom. Pick two or three priorities. So you can have more family time which matters a lot more than sparkling floors.
HOW TO STICK TO THE CLEANING ROUTINE
We all know routines sound great in theory, but then life happens. So here some great tips to help you create and stick to a routine that works for your family:
#1. First, write it down. No two families are the same. So you need to write a list of all the areas in your house that need cleaning. Then spread them out into daily or weekly tasks. Then post it on the fridge, put it in your planner, wherever you’ll see it. If you try to keep it in your head, you’ll forget.
You can download this free helpful printable I created:
Quick Hack if the thought of writing out all your cleaning overwhelms you: Go slow. At the end of each day this week, starting Monday, write out what you cleaned. By Sunday, you’ll have a full list of all the cleaning you do.
#2. Keep it short. Daily stuff should take ten to fifteen minutes max. Not more than 5 tasks too. If it’s taking longer or the list is getting too long, it probably belongs in your weekly or weekend list.
#3. Get the family involved. Cleaning isn’t just on you. Kids can help. Partners can help. Assign small jobs. Make it a five-minute family reset before bed.
And finally, give yourself grace. Some days you’ll nail the routine. Other days, you’ll look around and think, ‘Nope, not happening.’ That’s okay. Pick it up tomorrow. The whole point is to make life easier, not to create another impossible to-do list.”
Conclusion on realistic cleaning routine for working parents
The goal is to keep it simple. Daily cleaning helps to keep the house from collapsing, weekly cleaning helps to stay on top of the grime, and save a few bigger things on the weekends. These are realistic steps that make your home feel manageable so you’re not constantly overwhelmed.
If this helped, send to a friend and sign up for more real-life routines, and tell me in the comments what’s your #1 cleaning hack as a busy parent? I’d love to hear it, others can learn from it too.
