Cleaning Tips: What to Do When You Fall Behind on Cleaning

Is your home out of control? Have you fallen behind on cleaning and not sure how in the world to get back on track? I felt that way too! But then, I decided to catch up on my cleaning and get my house back in order with just a few simple cleaning tips!

The past few weeks have been crazy in our home! With my husband working overtime, my blog work, and my two little boys keeping my busy, my home and cleaning schedule have really suffered. It’s been in need of a good cleaning for a while now.

I had several baskets of clean laundry to fold, dirty dishes all over my kitchen counters, and let’s not even talk about the last time I scrubbed my bathrooms. Let’s just say I’ve really taken advantage of my Clorox wipes for 30 second bathroom cleaning sprees! 🙂

It was far past time for me to get things done and my clean freak self was beginning to feel the angst of a messy house! I knew something had to be done. I talked to my husband and we created a plan of action.

We decided to follow a few steps to get everything back in order quickly. {Yes, I’m very blessed to have a husband who helps out!}

FIRST

We set out to get the clutter under control. While we have really cleared out the clutter from our home, there are still items around our house that get pulled out and not put away. I went around collecting everything that didn’t belong in each room. It was bad enough that I created piles, boxes, and bins in each room that needed to be put away. {I may write about cleaning often, but I never said I was perfect! :)}

By getting the clutter off the floor and surfaces, you will have a sense of instant gratification. It will also make the next step easier!

SECOND

We worked furiously in our designated zones. I focused on the bedrooms and laundry situation while my husband got the kitchen and living room under control. Our 5 year old Caleb worked to pick up the toys in the family room.

Get a load of laundry going, fold any clean laundry, strip the sheets, and re-make the beds. Load the dishwasher, wash any other dishes by hand, put away pantry items, and pick up toys, pillows, and blankets off the floor. Move quickly. Try setting a timer to see how fast you can get things done or listen to upbeat music to help speed you up a bit.

THIRD

We then put all of the clutter away. This took us probably the longest amount of time because we simply had so much stuff pulled out of its proper place. We also continued to cycle through the laundry at this point.

Go through the baskets in each room or area and put things away where they belong. Throw away any trash and empty all of the trashcans in each room. Don’t forget to cycle back through your laundry. Set a timer if need be.

FOURTH

We followed our normal weekly cleaning routine. For us this includes vacuuming and mopping, dusting surfaces, and scrubbing the bathrooms.

You can get a free printable copy of our weekly cleaning schedule below along with a customizable cleaning schedule to fit your family’s needs.

FIFTH

We ordered pizza for dinner and watched a movie as a family! 🙂

Put your feet up. Relax. It’s been a hard day. Reward yourself for a job well done. Just remember to not fall off your routines so that the mess doesn’t creep back in! 🙂

I think we all fall off of our routines from time to time. Life gets busy and things get in the way. That’s okay. We just have to play catch-up and get back on our routines before we can move forward. It’s not always fun, but you will feel so much better once it’s all done!

Looking for more cleaning posts, schedules, and checklists? Check out these posts:

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What is your system for getting back on schedule when you’ve fallen behind on your cleaning?

Cleaning Schedule Printable

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