How to Keep a Clean Home When You’re Short on Time

There always seems to be more that needs to be done in the day then there is time to do it. This is never truer than when it comes to housework. So how do you keep a clean home when you’re short on time? Well, I’ve got you covered –along with a cute free printable to help you out!

I think we can all agree that keeping a clean and tidy home has a ton of benefits! A clean home is a relaxing home. Your home also has a sense of peace and order when it’s clean. We can have people over at any time without feeling stress or overwhelm with a mad dash to clean before people arrive!

The feeling of knowing your home is clean just plain feels good and sets you in a positive frame of mind.

But how do you enjoy the benefits of a clean home when you’re short on time? Simply put you need to develop a few basic cleaning routines. Without routines, the only other alternative is a perpetual messy home or spending hours on cleaning marathons.

I know this because for years when I worked full-time outside of the home, I would be forced to spend my entire Saturday just cleaning. It was a constant struggle, and I felt like I was constantly cleaning. After spending hours and hours of my Saturday cleaning, the piles, like weeds, would re-grow to their same height by week’s end. I tried the Fly Lady method, but it didn’t work for me, I found it too much to focus on in a single day.

Then I read an article on Living Well Spending Less about making your bed every day. This one little habit began to change everything! Without failure, I took a few extra seconds every morning to make my bed!

This was a great habit and I was so glad I implemented it because when I came home from work every evening at least one room felt clean. While building the habit of making my bed each day, I came across this cleaning schedule from the Time Warp Wife. I printed it out and placed it in a page protector in my calendar.

This schedule is so simple, it allows me to maintain my home, while only cleaning one room each day. I have tweaked it a little to better meet my family, but once I started following this cleaning schedule I no longer had that overwhelmed feeling.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you purchase something mentioned in this post. See more details here.

House Cleaning Schedule

Before I show you my actual house cleaning schedule, I think it’s important to the biggest thing I did while starting this schedule was to declutter my home. If your home has a lot of clutter, add in an extra 5 to 15 minutes for each room to declutter a small area in that room. If you struggle with clutter read some of these articles or this is a great place to get started decluttering your home.

Now if you’re ready to have a clean home when you’re short on time, here’s how!

Daily

Make your bed first thing!
Throw in a load of laundry!
Wash the dishes!
Spend 15 min straightening up and putting things away!

Monday

Every Monday focuses on the bathroom and that’s it! Give your bathroom a good clean, clean the tub, the showers, floors, and mirrors.

Spend 15 minutes straightening up the other rooms. Done!

During the rest of the week, keep a container of disinfectant wipes in the bathroom and give it a quick wipe down while you’re getting ready in the morning. The bathroom will stay pretty neat and tidy for the whole week.

If you have a lot of clutter in your bathroom, add in an extra 5 to 10 minutes for decluttering.

Tuesday

Focus on the bedrooms. This is the day you’ll change the sheets, vacuum or sweep the floors, clean off the dressers and dust. If you have clothes out, put them away.

Spend 15 min straightening other rooms. Done!

During the rest of the week, just make sure to make your bed and hang up clothing.

Again, if you have a lot of clutter in your bedroom add in an extra 5 to 15 minutes for decluttering. I keep a decluttering basket, like this, in my bedroom, when I come across items I need to declutter, it takes no extra time to toss them into that basket.

Wednesday

Wednesday is my day off from “cleaning”. Instead of focusing on a single room, I use this day for errands and paperwork.

You still want to spend 15 minutes straightening up the other rooms in your home, but that’s it for cleaning. Use your time on Wednesday to focus on paperwork and errands.

Take care of any paper filing and bill paying that needs to be done. This is the day I do my grocery shopping and/or meal prep. Also, I try and run all my errands and schedule any appointments on this day. Finally, if you have any paper clutter, this is the day you’ll want to tackle that.

Thursday

Thursday’s focus is all about the kitchen and dining room.  Clean out the fridge, wipe down the counters, all surface areas, and all small appliances. Sweep and mop the floor. Done!

During the rest of the week,  make sure to keep up with the dishes and cleaning up after yourself as you cook. Once again, if your kitchen is cluttered, add in 5 to 15 minutes to declutter and organize your kitchen.

Friday

On Friday’s focus on the living room. A clean the living room sets your weekend up for relaxing. Give the living room a thorough dusting, vacuum or sweep, and clean mirrors. Light a nice scented candle and you’re done!

Saturday

Saturdays are all about Family Time! If cleaning needs to be done, this is the day for family chores. This usually means focusing on outdoor cleaning tasks and chores. Things like cleaning outdoor areas, sweeping the porch, yard work, plant care, and taking care of pet duties.

Everyone pitches in to do a quick 15 minute tidy up and we are free to enjoy the rest of the day!

Sunday

The cleaning routine starts all over on Monday so I reserve Sundays for relaxing and self-care! I do take Sunday afternoon or evening to plan out my week, but that’s it.

This simple routine will allow you to keep a clean home when you’re short on time.

Of course, there will still be days you’ll find yourself behind or falling off schedule, but simply pick up where you left off and in no time, you’ll be caught up. Having a cleaning routine will increase that sense of peace and joy in your home. Don’t forget to sign up for the VIP newsletter and download a printable copy of the cleaning routine by clicking the image below!