A Practical House Cleaning Schedule for Working Moms

In your busy family, you know that if something isn’t on the calendar or in a planner, the odds of it happening are slim.  That’s why a house cleaning schedule for working moms can make a world of difference.  A cleaning schedule for the home gives you the results you want with less time and energy invested.

How do working moms keep a house clean?  It’s a struggle for many busy moms to maintain the clean home they want along with other daily responsibilities.  One key is being realistic about what you can do in the time you have available, then developing a “good enough” approach.  Focus on what’s most important and let go of trying to do everything all the time.    

How can I keep my house clean if I work full time?

Working full time and running a household is a lot to juggle.  But you’re doing both because you want the best for your family.  So let’s talk about 3 things you need to do to make it happen successfully.

Set your expectations and priorities.

This may just be the most important advice you’ll get.  Because if our expectations are not realistic, we’ll feel defeated and disappointed no matter how hard we work. 

Let’s face it, we’ve only got so much time and energy to devote to having a clean house.  And this is a very individual thing, so your situation is not exactly like anyone else’s.

Consider what is most important to you, what areas you can compromise on, and what expectations you just need to let go of. 

Create a plan you can live with.

That means it needs to work “in the wild” of your daily life.  

Avoid the temptation to make it too full or too complicated.  Building in some flexibility will make it much more likely that you’ll stick with it when life happens, and it will.

Another way to do this is to lean in to what you knows works for you in other areas.  If you tend to work on tasks regularly over time, try setting aside a small block of time to clean each day.  If you would rather immerse yourself in a task, consider having fewer, but longer, cleaning times during the week.

Be consistent.

I really can’t stress this enough.  It’s so powerful, yet so hard for many of us.

Now I’m not talking about doing 100% every single day.  More like showing up every day and doing something.  Some days will be 100%, some will be 25% … you get the idea.  But the overall effect will be undeniably positive, on your home and your frame of mind.  

Being consistent does not mean being perfect!  You don’t have to be perfect to reap the rewards.

Creating a weekly cleaning schedule for working moms.

A full time working mom’s cleaning schedule needs to be as simple and realistic as possible.

Note:  Are you working from home? You may want to also check out the helpful information in our article about creating a Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Schedule.  

Scheduling Daily Tasks

These are the tasks that need to be done virtually every day.  They keep your family and your house running smoothly.

Your personal list may be different, but try to keep it to only a handful of items.

For example:

  • Make beds
  • Tidy bathroom
  • Dishes done and put away
  • 1 load of laundry done and put away
  • 15-minute hotspot declutter

Now turn your daily tasks into a couple short everyday routines.  Pick the timing of your routines so that you can be consistent.

Here are some ideas for routines:

  • Morning
  • Before-Work
  • After-Work
  • After-Dinner
  • Evening

Scheduling Weekly Tasks

These tasks need to be done sometime during the week, but not every day.

For example:

  • Vacuuming
  • Washing floors
  • Dusting
  • Cleaning bathrooms
  • Laundry catch up

Weekly tasks are assigned to the days where you have a time block for cleaning.

This is where you decide how you want to break up the work … by room, or task, or some of each.

Scheduling Monthly Tasks + Occasional Tasks

These tasks need to be done roughly every month (or less often for occasional tasks), and can be worked in to your cleaning time blocks.  

For example:

  • Dusting ceilings and walls
  • Washing shower curtains
  • Washing mattress covers
  • Shampooing rugs
  • Cleaning the oven

These tasks can also be worked into your weekly schedule or you can set aside a time block especially for them.

Sample weekly cleaning schedule

Here’s a simple weekly schedule to bring these ideas together.

  • Morning Routine (a few important daily tasks)
  • Cleaning Time Block (weekly, monthly and occasional tasks)
  • Evening Routine (a few important daily tasks)

Monday – Sunday

Morning Routine
Make beds
Put load of laundry in washer (transfer to the dryer when you get home)
Empty clean dishes from dishwasher

Cleaning Time Block
Monday – Bathroom weekly tasks 
Tuesday – Kitchen weekly tasks
Wednesday – Bedroom weekly tasks 
Thursday – Living Area weekly tasks
Friday – Miscellaneous weekly tasks
Saturday – Vacuuming + Monthly & Occasional tasks
Sunday – Rest and recoup

Evening Routine
Tidy bathroom
Fill dishwasher and run
Fold clothes and put away
15-minute hotspot declutter

Printable cleaning schedule for working moms.

There’s no need for you to reinvent the wheel.

Grab a copy of our cleaning schedule worksheet.

Tips for a successful cleaning schedule.

Take these tips into account when creating your cleaning routine.

  • What are your absolute minimum daily tasks? I mean the things that need to happen for your family to function.  Think clean dishes, clean clothes, and keeping family clutter hotspots under control.  Come up with your short list and prioritize them into your daily routines.  Sometimes this is all you’ll get done, but that’s okay.
  • When is your energy at it highest? If you’re a morning person, like me, thinking you’ll do much later in the evening is probably not the best plan.  The same thinking goes for the night owls among us.  Remember, work *with* your strengths, not against them.
  • Work within the time you schedule.  This can take some discipline, but it’s an important skill to learn.  Maybe some things can wait and be done bi-weekly instead of every week, and it’s just fine.  Or how might you be more efficient while cleaning?   Maybe you need to evaluate your expectations and prioritize.  After you’ve been following a schedule for a few weeks, you’ll get a feel for how it can be adjusted and improved within the time you’re willing to spend on it.