Does cleaning your home overwhelm you?! I can totally relate! I used to stress out about all of the cleaning I had to do in my home. It seemed like the lists of cleaning tasks I needed to complete were never ending. I felt like all I did all day long was clean, but yet my home was constantly messy. But not anymore! Now I’ve created a system for cleaning my home that makes accomplishing the daily, weekly, and monthly tasks actually doable. If your looking to simplify your cleaning routine so that you can stop cleaning so much and start spending more time with your kids, family, or doing other things you truly love, then the power cleaning sessions system is for you!
I was tired of feeling like all I did every single day was clean. I felt like I wasn’t spending as much time with my kids, but yet I’m a stay at home mom. The cleaning tasks were overwhelming me. So I decided to make some changes in my home and in my routines so that I could spend less time cleaning and more time doing things that really matter to me like playing with my kids, exercising, cooking healthy meals, and spending time with family.
My biggest struggle with cleaning was the time it takes to get everything done. I know you’ve seen those checklists on Pinterest too! The ones where you see tasks you haven’t completed in months and think this is time to get your act together. You print out somebody else’s cleaning plan, feel overwhelmed by all of the tasks you see in front of you, stress out big time, and give up before you even start. Please tell me I’m not alone in this!?
So instead of using someone else’s checklist that was created for their home, their family, and their life, I’ve created a system that will work for anyone! It’s called Power Cleaning Sessions and you just have to follow 5 simple steps to make it work for you.
Power Cleaning Sessions
1. Follow your morning and evening routine every day!
Every morning I complete my “Morning 5 in 15.” My goal is to complete 5 tasks in 15 minutes or less. For me, these tasks include:
- Make the Beds (2 minutes)
- Start Laundry (2 minutes)
- Empty Dishwasher (5 minutes)
- Wipe Bathrooms (2 minutes)
- Complete a Quick Pick-Up (4 minutes)
If I complete these 5 tasks every single morning, my home will stay moderately tidy. Yes, toys get pulled out. Yes, my kitchen will get messy at meal times. But getting a step ahead of the mess means I have a place to put the dirty dishes since the dishwasher is unloaded.
In the evening, I also complete 5 tasks. These tasks can take me anywhere from 15-20 minutes. Every evening I:
- Finish Laundry
- Wash Dinner Dishes
- Run Dishwasher
- Take Out Trash
- Complete a Quick Pick-Up
By doing these tasks, I go to bed with a clean house which means I will start my next day off right!
2. Complete a 2 Hour Power Cleaning Session Once Each Week
Each day I complete my morning and evening routine. By doing these tasks, I am able to stay on top of my house on a daily basis. I feel like laundry and dishes are two things that just have to be done every single day.
However, the weekly and monthly cleaning tasks can be the most overwhelming. I’ve tried two different systems for completing these tasks. I’ve cleaned a little bit each day and I’ve done all of my cleaning tasks one day each week. Personally, I would rather push through and get everything done in one day and not have to think about it for an entire week. But I think this is personal preference. So do what works for you.
I do highly encourage you to do Power Cleaning Sessions when you do your cleaning. I like to do a 2 hour cleaning session every Monday. But you might prefer to do a 30 minute cleaning session 3-5 days throughout the week. Just set your timer, blast some upbeat music, turn off your phone and any other distractions, and get to work!
3. Declutter Your Home
I’ve spent the past 2+ years completely purging and re-purging my home. I still don’t believe that you would come into my home and think it looks sparse. Our home is very cozy and lived in. We still have stuff. It’s just stuff we use and love. Decluttering my home has truly simplified my cleaning routine. I have less stuff to clean and even less stuff to clean around. I used to hate dusting because I felt like it took forever. Now I can completely dust my entire house in 15 minutes or less. I keep very little on my surfaces making dusting a breeze!
If you’re overwhelmed when it comes to cleaning your home, you might want to consider completing a deep purge. If your struggling with where to start, you can grab my Clear the Clutter checklist by subscribing via email to our mailing list and then going into the free printables section of our website.
4. Utilize a Monthly, Quarterly, and Semi-Annual Cleaning Checklist
I have a checklist filled with tasks that I try to complete every month, every 3 months, or every 6 months. But let’s get real for a minute. Do I get everything done on the checklist every time. Nope. I sure don’t. However, keeping a running checklist allows me to see when I completed a task the last time and I can tell when it probably needs to be done again.
Remember, I use this as a guideline. But I’m not a slave to my checklist. If something isn’t dirty, I don’t clean it. End of story. And on the flip side of that I clean some things more often. If my ceiling fans are looking really grimy, but it’s not on the checklist to clean until next month I’m not going to just leave them looking gross. When I have a few minutes, I dust them quickly and move on.
Don’t be a slave to your schedule.
5. Once Your Power Cleaning Session is over, STOP.
Once my Power Cleaning Session is finished and my timer goes off, I stop what I’m doing. This sometimes means that I don’t dust my house every single week. Sometimes things don’t get checked off the list. And that’s okay.
I’ve learned to do that absolute musts including vacuuming, toilets (#boymom), and clean sheets first. Then I fill in with what I can during my “power cleaning session.” If I have 15-20 minutes leftover, I’ll try to mark a few tasks off my monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual checklists.
Power cleaning sessions are the true secret to this method. Limiting your cleaning to a set amount of time each week is the best way to keep from feeling like your constantly cleaning your home. The beauty of it is, you can set the time. It can fit your home, family, schedule, etc. I have two boys, a large dog, a very helpful husband, and we live in the country in a 1600 square foot house.
Two hours per week (this does not include my morning and night routines each day) seems to be a great amount of time for me to complete all of the cleaning I need to get done. Occasionally we will add in a quick hour to get to some larger tasks like power washing the siding or doing yard clean up. But for the most part, this works for us.
You can grab your power cleaning sessions checklists below. Remember these are guidelines so you adjust the tasks to fit your needs. I hope you’ve found this helpful!
What’s your biggest struggle when it comes to cleaning your home?
Looking for even more cleaning tips, tricks, advice, printables, and inspiration? Check out these posts:
- 3 Tips That Will Simplify Your Cleaning
- 2 Hours to a Clean Home
- 5 Tips to Avoid a Messy Kitchen
- How to Always Have a Clean Home
- The Busy Mom’s Guide to Crafting the Perfect Morning Routine
- How to Maintain Order in Your Home
Power Cleaning Sessions
Stop feeling like your constantly cleaning your home. Get it done quickly with power cleaning sessions and these simple cleaning checklists!