Keeping your home organised and free of clutter can be time-consuming and hard work. However, if you spend 15 to 30 minutes every day maintaining your home, rather than just having a thorough tidy every now and then, it will not feel like such a chore.
To help you get started, we have put together this flexible weekly routine. You can follow our suggested routine or adapt it to create a weekly routine that best suits you and your home.
Daily Habits
Get yourself into the habit of doing at least three simple things everyday. These tasks should be easy to do and not take up too much time, but will help to keep your home clutter-free.
To give you an idea, here are some examples of what these could be:
- Put all coats and shoes away. Hang coats up on hooks, in a closet or on a coat stand. Store shoes in a cupboard or box, or on a rack, or lay regularly-worn shoes neatly on the floor of the porch or utility, or by the door.
- Clear all counters and tables of things that should not be there. Put dirty dishes in the sink or dishwasher, throw rubbish in the bin, and put any other items back in their designated places.
- Sort your clothing. Put any clean clothes, or clothes you will wear again before washing, away in drawers or wardrobes, and put any dirty clothes in the laundry basket.
Monday
We recommend dedicating time on Mondays to setting yourself up for the rest of the week, by getting organised and doing some prepping in the kitchen.
Start by decluttering and tidying the kitchen, so that you have a clear space for prepping and cooking. Simply clear the countertops, store away any items that are not in their rightful place, and quickly wipe down your kitchen.
Once your kitchen is free of clutter, plan your meals for the week and write out what ingredients you will need to make them. Use your list of ingredients to do your grocery shopping. This will help to ensure you get everything you need so you do not need to make another trip to the shop, and will save you time and money.
After you have got all of your ingredients, you may want to start prepping some of your meals for the next few days, or even just prepping some of the ingredients, such as cutting up vegetables and sorting them into portions.
Tuesday
Focus on organising your bedroom and doing the laundry on Tuesdays. Start by sorting where your clothes should be stored. If your closet, drawers, or wardrobes are full or unorganised, then clothing tends to pile up on the floor, or on chairs, or on top of drawers.
Although your wardrobe or drawers may appear to be full, they may simply just be badly organised. If you have this problem, it may be worth taking everything out and putting everything back in neatly to create more room.
If you come across any items that are damaged beyond reasonable repair or that you no longer wear, then keep them aside to bin, sell or donate. Once you get into a routine of always putting clothes away neatly and where they should be, you will not need to do this often.
Gather up any clothing, shoes or accessories that are strewn around the bedroom and put them all away in their rightful places, and put any dirty clothes in the laundry basket.
After you have put all of the clothes away, scan the bedroom for any other clutter. Toss any rubbish in the bin and put things in their proper places. Once your bedroom is free of clutter, clear your laundry basket by doing a load of washing.
Wednesday
Receipts, letters, flyers, leaflets, newspapers, and other documents seem to pile up around the home. Staying on top of tossing and filing these away will not only help to keep your home tidy
and organised, but will also make it easier for you to find them when you need them, thus saving time and reducing stress.
Work through your home, starting in the entryway, gathering up any papers and documents. Review them and get rid of anything that is not needed. Shred anything with sensitive or personal information on, and put the rest in your paper recycling bin.
Anything you want or need to keep should be put in an appropriate place, either stored away or on display as a reminder. Review the papers and documents that you keep each Tuesday, and get rid of anything you no longer need.
Thursday
On Thursdays you may want to revisit the kitchen. As it is a high-traffic area, it likely needs your attention on two days of the week. Now is a good time to prep ingredients, snacks and meals for the weekend, if you haven’t already.
Then have another quick clean and declutter of the kitchen, and perhaps focus a little more time to one or two areas of the kitchen that need a bit of extra attention, such as your refrigerator, the cupboard under the sink, or your junk drawer.
If you have some time spare, do a quick sweep of the house to collect any rubbish that needs throwing out or dishes to be put in the sink or dishwasher.
Friday
Now is the time to tackle the living room, ready for some rest and relaxation or in anticipation of any expected or unexpected guests that may visit over the weekend.
Clutter is likely to have accumulated in the living room over the past week, so start by gathering this up and putting everything away in its dedicated place. You may also want to quickly run a brush or vacuum around the floor and dust any surfaces that are particularly dusty.
After you have got your living room looking a little more presentable, revisit your bedroom. Freshen it up by swapping out the sheets on your bed for fresh ones, vacuuming or sweeping the floor, and doing some light dusting.
If you have another load’s worth of dirty laundry by now, then do another load of washing so that this does not end up overspilling into your bedroom by Tuesday.
Saturday and Sunday
Spend some time over the weekend in your bathroom. Swap out your hand and bath towels for fresh ones, declutter the counters, and organise your drawers and cupboards, empty any bins, and clean the toilets, shower, and bath. Make a list of any toiletries, cosmetics, or other health and beauty items that need replenishing.
Also take a look at your entryway. Return items to their rightful places. Make sure that your bags, coats, shoes, and any other items you may need for the week ahead, are by the door. This will help to make mornings less stressful and ensure you are ready to leave the house more quickly.
If you have any other free time over the weekend, you could spend it doing a general sweep throughout your home, or focus on a particular area that needs a deeper clean.
If you do not have the time or supplies to keep on top of your cleaning, or would simply prefer to leave it to the professionals so that you can spend your time relaxing or doing other activities, you may want to consider hiring a cleaner to take care of the cleaning for you.
Time For You specialises in providing properly screened and vetted domestic cleaners to private households to provide you, our client, with more time for you. Find a cleaner near you by simply entering your postcode, and let us take care of the cleaning, so you do not have to.
Time For You is the premier international house cleaning service company with hundreds of local business owners which clean tens of thousands of homes around the world every week.
Time For You are the premier international house cleaning service company with hundreds of local business owners across the UK, Australia and Canada. Time For You are currently cleaning tens of thousands of homes across the world on a weekly basis.
