My dear reader, Spring has fully arrived in Central Illinois! Flowers are blooming, trees are budding, birds are singing, and everything is green again. This fervor of new life and buzzing energy always gets me into a Spring cleaning mood. This year I wanted to do more than just an overwhelming overhaul of deep cleaning in my home. Instead, I want to create a cleaning routine that I can sustain throughout the year so my Spring and Fall cleaning won’t be the ordeal it seems to always be.
Historically speaking, there were handfuls of household management manuals from the 19th century that would help the housewife or the housekeeper run the home smoothly, and sometimes they would include a rather vague cleaning, or task, routine. Looking at the 20th century, it’s a bit easier to find the ‘ideal’ routine for a housewife, especially from the 1950’s era. These lists can be daunting with the number of tasks a single woman was supposed to complete by herself each and every day.
Instead of following a vintage routine, I wanted to take the time to make a cleaning schedule that best suited my home and family. I invite you to do the same! To help, I made a small workbook (under 20 pages) to walk you through the 5 steps I took to make my own cleaning routine.
Click the link below for your FREE workbook!
Steps to Making A Cleaning Routine
1. Write Out A Master List
Begin by writing down all of the chores that you already do on a regular basis. Separate these chores into 4 categories: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Seasonally.
2. Organize the List
Review your master list and categorize or organize the chores by (1) the rooms they are completed in, (2) similar or a series of tasks, or (3) any other criteria based upon your needs.
For Example:
List of Chores
- Wash dishes
- Wipe down counters
- Sort laundry
- Pre-soak
- Sweep floor
- Wash & dry laundry
- Clean out the refrigerator
- Fold & put away laundry
- Clean stove & oven
- Mop floor
Based on Room: Kitchen
- Clean out the refrigerator
- Wash dishes
- Wipe down counters
- Clean stove & oven
- Sweep floor
- Mop floor
Based on Series of Tasks: Laundry
- Sort laundry
- Pre-soak
- Wash & dry laundry
- Fold & put away laundry
3. Fill In The Gaps
Once you have categorized your tasks, it is now time to fill in any gaps you may have missed before. Perhaps you noticed in your list that you forgot to write down emptying the garbage bag for your kitchen or dusting the ceiling fans.
4. Write Out Your New Routine
We have now come to the fun part… it’s time to write out your new Cleaning Routine! In the workbook you have worksheets that will breakdown your tasks into:
- Daily: which tasks you are completing each and everyday, like making the bed.
- Weekly: a grouping of chores that you are assigning to be done on a certain day of the week. For example, you clean the bathroom on Fridays or you meal prep on Mondays.
- Monthly: a set of tasks that only need to be done about once a month, such as changing the air filter in your furnace.
- Seasonally: the tasks that only need to be done during a certain season of the year, such as weeding the garden during spring and summer.
5. Re-evaluate
Every now and then you may need to make adjustments to your cleaning routine to keep up with the ever-changing demands of your household. So just take a moment every couple of months or so and contemplate on your routine.
I hope you were able to find value in this little workbook and you were able to establish a routine that you can sustain for your home and family.
Happy Homemaking!
-Bethany
The Historical Homemaker 