Monday of My Weekly Docket

This week I'm going to talk about my Weekly Docket (I'd love to make one just for you - check them out here and how I clean my house on a normal week.  During the month of March, we did a little Spring Cleaning around here and now that we have some big cleaning projects out of the way, I'd like to  concentrate on the daily grime.  

I have always enjoyed cleaning (weird, I know).  I think that I just like the act of puttering around the house organizing and cleaning.  Back when I was working full time and didn't have kids, I cleaned and did laundry on Saturdays.  Things just didn't get that messy.  Then when I was teaching and had a baby, I sort of cleaned and did laundry on Saturdays.  Things were messy, but the energy just wasn't there.  When I quit teaching and was employed by a baby, I cleaned during nap time.  But I felt like I was never getting a break for me because I was spending my "break time" cleaning and doing laundry.  Then I got sick of the cleaning and just concentrated on things when they started to bug me.  Fast forward a few years - and I have a bit of a system that works with two littles, can sometimes be done while they are awake and takes minutes every day.  I love it and it works for me.

 EVERY DAY,  I - 

• SWEEP FLOORS (hardwood in the kitchen, powder room, small hallway, and entryway - this is mostly crumbs and dog hair) the kids use their dustpan, I use a broom and dustpan, but for the dog hair I LOVE my Bona Microfiber Dusting Pad on my BonaKemi Hardwood Spray Mop.  The microfiber dusting pad can be washed hundreds of times and it just works really well.  (I've had 2 Swiffer floor sweepers and the Method sweeper and this just plain works like a dream in comparison.)

• WIPE COUNTERS - this means the kitchen counters get wiped down after each meal every day with Basic H2 and a cotton rag.  Most days all the counters get wiped down 3 times a day, some days more, and some days less.  I also wipe bathroom counters as needed - about 2 or 3 times a week.

• LAUNDRY - at least one load washed/dried/folded/put away.  Here's a link to a post I did about my laundry routine if you're interested.

• CLUTTER - open mail and toss junk mail, file or pay bills, etc., make sure kids' toys are cleaned up before rest time and bed, choose an area to de-clutter as needed and write that down on the appropriate day.

Then every day of the week, I choose a larger cleaning task to do - Monday is bathroom day so that's what I'll detail today.

I have four full bathrooms and I can clean them in 15-20 minutes.  Wanna see how?  I'm using my first floor bathroom as my example.  Here's how I start:

• get all supplies in order (Basic H2 window cleaner, Basic G or Basic H2 all-purpose in a spray bottle, toilet brush, Super Microfiber Window Cloth and 4 cotton cleaning rags (one for each bathroom) and a Super Microfiber Cleaning Cloth for bathtubs and showers.)
• go into first bathroom and spray mirror with window cleaner - wipe clean with microfiber window cloth (this might not seem like a necessary cleaning tool, but seriously it is amazing - streak free windows and mirrors every.single.time.)

• clean toilet with Basic G and toilet brush and spray down sink, toilet and tub/shower with Basic G

• I leave one rag in the bathroom - I don't wipe down the bathroom right away - I let the Basic G sit for ten minutes to completely clean and disinfect and then it will continue to kill germs for up to 72 hours!
• move on to the next bathroom and repeat (mirror, toilet, spray down everything)
• once I've done this in all the bathrooms, I go back to bathroom #1 and quickly wipe down everything - I wipe the toilet last (I use a new cotton rag in each bathroom to avoid any cross-contamination)
• I like to use a microfiber cleaning cloth for my bathtubs and showers - it gets rid of any soap scum and any water marks with a quick wip.  We have tile in our master bath shower so I spray that with Basic G and scrub with a scrub brush that I keep in the master bathroom under my sink

I wash the floors on my "wash floors" day - Thursday.  And I spot-check the counters during the week and wipe as needed.  So, that's how I clean my bathrooms in 15-20 minutes a week.  This is a great routine for me - try it someday - I think it's a great system.  Do you spread out your cleaning through the week, do everything on one day or just wait until it bugs you?