Need a realistic cleaning routine for working moms you can actually stick with? This printable cleaning chart for moms who work is a great way to help you keep your home clean and clutter-free!
One of my least favorite catchphrases of all time is that “working moms can have it all.” We can have the fulfilling jobs, but we can also have the sparkling, clutter-free homes. We can work until 5:00 p.m., but we can also create delicious, mouthwatering dinners that our whole family – yes, even our children – will eat!
I don’t think I can say “UGH” loud enough! What is this delusion?!
Not only are working moms saddled with some pretty unrealistic societal expectations, but many also work from home. So that means we can hop up between our conference calls and deep clean our stoves, right? As one of those work from home moms, I can tell you that doesn’t really happen…
While being a working mom and keeping a home clean and organized is a challenge, it’s not impossible. The key is to find a way to work daily cleaning tasks into your existing schedule without overwhelming yourself.
To help with that, I’ve created a free printable cleaning schedule for working moms that allows you to pick and choose which tasks matter most to you. Read on to discover tips on how to create your own schedule and additional cleaning checklist resources!
Why You Need a Cleaning Schedule as a Busy Mom
Establishing a working mom cleaning routine has many benefits, the preservation of your sanity being Number One! Here are a few other ways a sensible cleaning schedule is beneficial:
- It helps you stay on top of housework. As a busy mom, you know better than anyone how quickly those piles of laundry, legos, and literally everything else can pile up. When you have a realistic working mom cleaning schedule, you’re able to manage those messes before they become a bigger problem.
- Minimizes stress. Remember that feeling of overwhelming anxiety you get the day after Christmas when it seems like everyone’s new toys are scattered over every available surface of your home? Stress is a natural reaction to clutter, and studies have shown that messy and cluttered homes cause depression, anxiety, and stress in women in particular. A working mom cleaning schedule can help minimize that stress and prevent clutter from taking over.
- Promotes productivity with your limited time. I know how precious every second is as a working mom. There never seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. That’s why I love this cleaning schedule for working moms: It helps you maximize pockets of time and be more productive without having to stay up until midnight cleaning toilets!
How to Create Your Own Working Mom Cleaning Schedule
Here are the steps to create a working mom cleaning routine that works for you:
Determine times in your daily schedule that are non-negotiable
Finding time to work on chores around your already-packed schedule can seem challenging, especially when life is so unpredictable. One of the ways that I’ve found success with my own working mom cleaning schedule is to pencil in non-negotiable cleaning time into my schedule.
These pockets of time will obviously look different for everyone! However, if you can nail down just a few times a day that are doable most of the time, it can transform a messy home. And you can work these in around other predictable parts of your daily schedule!
You already have to leave at a specific time each morning to get your kids to school. So, maybe you can set aside 15-20 minutes dedicated to cleaning before your kids wake up. If you’re always running around after school to different sports practices and other activities, a second pocket of time could be 30 minutes after they go to bed.
Make a list of the daily cleaning jobs that are most important to you
We all have our sticking points when it comes to cleaning – those jobs that have to get done, no matter what, to help us feel like we’re not living with a bunch of cavemen. For me, it’s a messy kitchen. I can’t go to bed with cluttered countertops and dirty dishes in the sink, or else I’m thinking about it all night!
For you, it might be something else, like sweeping the kitchen floor or making sure the toilets are clean. Whatever the case may be, take 10 minutes to create a list of daily cleaning jobs you care about most. Then, you can easily transfer that list into your own working mom cleaning routine.
*You can also reference this free printable list of household chores if you’re drawing a blank:
Determine how long each cleaning job takes and work it into your schedule
Once you’ve written down your daily tasks, you’ll need to figure out how long it takes to complete each one. The easiest way to do this is to simply start a stopwatch timer on your phone, do the task, and jot down how many minutes next to that chore on your list. Voilá!
If you forget to set your timer or just want to estimate how long it takes you to complete these daily cleaning jobs, not a problem. Just write down an approximate time next to each task, and adjust as you go!
Transfer your working mom cleaning schedule to a planner or template
Now that you’ve nailed down the specifics of your working mom cleaning routine, it’s time to transfer it somewhere you’ll actually see it (and use it!). You can use the cleaning routine template I’ve included in this post as a start!
I like to print out my working mom cleaning schedule and stick it on the back page of my planner, but you can also download it on your iPad or tablet and use it as a digital version. If to-do list apps are more your thing, you can create a simple list of tasks you must complete daily, weekly, and monthly.
You can even schedule cleaning tasks in your Google Calendar! When it comes to customizing and using your cleaning schedule for working moms, the world really is your oyster!
Tip: Have you heard of the awesome to-do list app called Today? It allows you to create timed daily, weekly, and monthly tasks! For example, you can enter that you want to do dishes for 10 minutes each day, and a bubble will appear on your Today app screen. When you’re ready to complete that activity, tap the bubble, and it will start a timer for you! Once the timer is up, you’re done!
Decide Which Tasks You Can Delegate to Other Family Members
I do want to stress here that just because I’ve created a working mom cleaning schedule for you doesn’t mean you can’t get help from other family members!
We all know you aren’t the one constantly leaving Lego grenades on the floor for others to step on…so why should you have to constantly pick up after everyone else? “You don’t,” I shout from the rooftops! Or at least from my front porch.
Children and husbands are shockingly capable of helping with the chores, and I’ve even created printable chore cards to help you with room-by-room cleaning! Just pass them out to each person, and they’re responsible for completing the tidying and cleaning tasks for that area of the house.
Daily Cleaning Schedule Ideas for Working Moms
If you’re stuck on what daily cleaning tasks to add to your routine, check out this list for some ideas:
Weekly Cleaning Jobs for Working Moms
An excellent way to stay on top of chores is to include a weekly cleaning job for the day into your working mom cleaning routine. These cleaning tasks will be done once per week, and you can pick one to do each day of the week. For example, Mondays would be vacuuming the floors, Tuesdays could be cleaning the bathrooms, etc.
Here is a suggested weekly cleaning job schedule you can borrow, or you can use my free printable cleaning routine template to create your own!
- Mondays – Clean Bathrooms: declutter surfaces, wipe down sinks and mirrors, clean toilets and tubs/showers, empty trash can
- Tuesdays – Clean Floors: vacuum carpets and sweep/mop hard-surface floors, spot clean baseboards and rugs
- Wednesdays – Bedrooms: declutter/tidy up, put dirty laundry in the hamper, clear trash and clutter from nightstands and dresser tops, empty trash cans, declutter and organize closet
- Thursdays – Clean & Dust Surfaces: Declutter living room area, clean and disinfect kitchen countertops, dust tops of cabinets, shelves, furniture, and blinds
- Fridays – Kitchen: Empty fridge of leftovers, organize pantry, spot clean food splatters, declutter countertops, wipe down fronts of cabinets/drawers, wipe out inside of microwave, wash dish towels/rags
- Saturdays – Sheets/Meal Planning: Wash sheets from all bedrooms, plan out meals for the week, and order/shop for groceries
- Sundays – Light Decluttering: 10-minute pickup as a family, rest and relaxation!
Free Printable Cleaning Schedule for Working Moms
Use this template to write down your weekly working mom cleaning schedule. It has a section for daily cleaning jobs for before/after work and a separate section to add one weekly job for each day!
Other Cleaning Printables
Grab a Weekly Cleaning Schedule You Can Type In
It doesn’t matter how many weekly cleaning schedules you print out if they’re unrealistic for your life! Get tons of ideas you can use to create a workable cleaning routine—or grab a weekly cleaning schedule template that you can type in to personalize with your own routine here!
Living Room Cleaning Checklist
Your living room might be the hub of family activity, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be a constant mess! Use this free printable living room cleaning checklist for daily and deep cleaning jobs to help cut the clutter.
Bathroom Cleaning Checklists – For Daily, Weekly, and Deep Cleaning!
Cleaning the bathrooms might not be at the top of everyone’s favorite to-do list, but it’s a necessary part of life. This free printable bathroom cleaning checklist will help you get everything done so you can move on to better times!
Comments & Reviews
I LOVE the laminated cards on a ring. The first card shown is for thr “Foyer”
where can I buy that?
Hi Teri! Those cleaning checklist cards can be purchased in my shop here: https://the-savvy-sparrow.myshopify.com/collections/best-sellers/products/chore-checklist-cards-printable – They come with 2 different versions, one that you can type in to edit yourself and one that is already filled in with all of the chores.