woman wiping countertop - a daily stay at home mom cleaning schedule task

Creating A Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule (That You Can Actually Follow)

This post may contain affiliate links and we may earn commissions when you make a purchase through these links (at no extra cost to you). See our disclosure policy for more details.

When you’re a stay at home mom, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the things that you need to keep up with. Not only do you need to feed everyone, change diapers, and get the older ones up for school. And help with homework, attend doctor’s appointments, chauffeur them to after school activities….

But there’s also housework to do on top of everything else. And it’s easy to feel guilty about not being able to do it all.

You’re here because you want to come up with a “stay at home mom cleaning schedule” that you can actually follow. 

If only there was a way to break up the household chores into bite-sized pieces. To seamlessly incorporate them into your daily routine while getting everything else done. 

Short of hiring a full time housekeeper, there’s no easy way around it. Keeping an entire house clean while a toddler trails behind you, undoing all your work, is no easy feat. But I understand the desire to have some semblance of control when it comes to cleaning the house.

A while back, I sat down and came up with a plan of attack – a stay at home mom cleaning schedule – that works for me. 

I’ll share it with you in a moment, and hopefully it will give you some ideas for creating your own cleaning schedule.

woman cleaning mirror; text that reads: how to create a cleaning routine for stay at home moms

Creating Your Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule

First of all, I broke down all of the household chores by how often I want to do them. Some tasks should be done daily, while others might only need to be completed weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or even seasonally.

Daily SAHM Cleaning Schedule

Of course, your list will vary slightly, but here are a few things you might want to accomplish daily:

  • Make beds
  • Wash a load of laundry
  • Sweep floors (or run robo-vac)
  • Wash dishes/wipe sink
  • Wipe down counters
  • Tidy up
  • Take out trash

The best way I’ve found to keep up with daily chores is to come up with a routine. For example, I like to start a load of laundry first thing each morning. And part of our evening routine is to pick up toys and put them away just before bedtime.

Weekly SAHM Cleaning Schedule

There are some chores that need to be done on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Here are a few ideas: 

  • Washing laundry (unless you do it daily)
  • Cleaning the bathroom
  • Vacuuming carpets
  • Dusting

When I sat down to create my schedule, I broke down each chore even further by listing out every specific task. For example: scrubbing bathroom sinks and the shower, mopping bathroom floors, wiping out the microwave, and so on.

I personally like to break everything down into manageable chunks and check each task off my list. However, you might prefer to clean the entire room in one go. 

Or, you might try it both ways and see which works best for you. The good news is that there’s no right or wrong way!

Monthly Cleaning Schedule for SAHMs

Finally, there are the monthly (or every other month) cleaning tasks such as:

  • Deep cleaning kitchen appliances
  • Changing air filters
  • Organizing the pantry
  • Organizing the coat closet
  • Cleaning the trash can

You might also have chores that only need to be done seasonally, like cleaning windows. Be sure to list everything you can think of; jot it down on a piece of paper, and then move on to the next step.

How to Maintain Your Cleaning Routine

Once you’ve written up your list of household tasks, it’s time to come up with a cleaning schedule. You might want to write or type it on a calendar; I simply assigned a task to each day of the week and entered each as a recurring task in my Google Calendar. 

This method works well for me because reminders pop up on my phone every morning. And if I’m not able to complete a task for any reason, I can simply reschedule it and mark it ‘completed’ once it’s done.

>>>STEP UP Your Cleaning GAME<<<

Need something more, I dunno… in-your-face… to serve as a reminder of what needs to be done each day? 

*Enter Skylight Calendar*

Skylight Calendar is a digital calendar. It helps the whole family easily manage day-to-day life.

Place it in your home’s command center, or wherever it will be most useful. Then you can sync it up with your calendar app. This way, EVERYONE in the house can see exactly what’s going on each day — and it doesn’t all fall upon one person.

(You can see the color and size options, along with user reviews, when you click on the image or button below.)

skylight calendar

How to Start Organizing a Messy House

Is your house a mess, and you’re not sure where to start? I recommend starting with a small task, or going for a “quick win”, because it usually gets the ball rolling. 

My five steps toward organizing a messy house: 

  1. Set realistic goals.
  2. Create a plan.
  3. Declutter.
  4. Clean.
  5. Organize.

It sounds simple enough, right? But if you’re still feeling overwhelmed, head over to this article for a more in-depth home organization plan.

In the above article, I explain each of these steps in more detail, along with a room-by-room cleaning checklist.

How Many Hours Should You Spend Cleaning Each Day?

Frankly, you should NOT be spending hours cleaning every single day. Yes, it takes time. And yes, some days you might spend a little more time cleaning, especially if things have been piling up for a while.

I think there are a few questions we need to ask here: 

  • How much time do you have available for cleaning?
  • How much energy do you have available for cleaning?
  • How much is your family able to help out?

I’m sure you can come up with several other variables that might affect how much time you need to spend on cleaning. 

For example, you might live in a wet climate that creates a sloppy mess in the entryway, which would require extra frequent cleaning. Or you might have a particularly neat toddler who does NOT *ahem* leave a trail of crumbs throughout the house. 

And, of course, you might have more (or fewer) rooms in your house than I have. So if you have a large home, you might need to spend quite a lot more time cleaning. 

However, on average, I believe that I spend less than an hour on housework per day, including dishes and laundry. Some days, I might only need to spend twenty minutes on household chores; other days, I might need an hour or so.


morning makeover challenge workbook cover

Ready to TRANSFORM YOUR MORNINGS?

Do your mornings feel rushed? Are you craving a little more structure in your days, or even a sense of purpose? 

Sign up for the FREE 7-Day Morning Makeover Challenge and start making meaningful changes to your morning routine right away.

Over the next seven days, you’ll:

  • Define your perfect morning routine
  • Find time in your busy morning
  • Come up with a solid game plan and more!

A Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule That Works for YOU

The whirlwind of being a stay-at-home mom can leave you feeling like there’s simply no time for keeping a clean home. It’s a challenge many of us face, and it’s okay to feel overwhelmed.

I created a stay at home mom cleaning schedule out of my desire for a manageable cleaning routine. It’s all about breaking the tasks down into bite-sized pieces. Then, incorporate those pieces into your daily routine.

While there’s no magic solution, a system that fits your lifestyle can make a huge difference. And remember, you don’t have to do it all alone. Involve your family in age-appropriate tasks to lighten your load (and teach valuable life skills).

And above all, be kind to yourself. Some days, the house may not be completely clean, and that’s perfectly okay.

Read More:

How to Store Kids’ Artwork When It’s Time to Declutter

How to Be a Productive Stay-at-Home Mom (Without the Overwhelm)

10 Tips to Find Your Purpose as a Stay-at-Home Mom

How to Make a Meal Plan…And Stick to It!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *