Look, housecleaning is no one’s favorite, but it must be done! At the end of the day, who feels like scrubbing floors, doing even more laundry after work or spending their time off chasing dust bunnies from under the sofa? Here’s some tips from pros to help you stay on top of the chaos, so you don’t find yourself under it! 

According to Pam Clyde, the president and professional organizer at BritLin Cleaning LLC, it can be as easy as creating an official cleaning schedule and maintaining it! Here’s some tips from pros to help you stay on top of the chaos, so you don’t find yourself under it! 

Get a headcount

The number of people (and pets) living in your house can really make a difference when it comes to when and how often you should be cleaning, according to Clyde. If you’re living alone, you may have to clean less often than someone who is living with three small kids and a dog (that’s me). Think about how many people and pets you’ll need to account for before planning your cleaning routines. Also, delegate those tasks you can to family! 

Consider your lifestyle

Pay attention to the things you do every day that contribute to household messes. Love your furry family member? Prepare to do lots of hair removal, vacuuming, and picking up toys! Love to cook? Plan to clean the kitchen nightly! Which brings us to our next point!

Don’t let dishes pile up.

Most people maintain some amount of cleaning most days (if not every day of the week), and most of us can from some form of daily cleaning no matter how many people you have in your home. Dishes are number one in daily cleaning, as staying on top of this one task makes you home smell and look better, and it can prevent pests! Make a habit out of loading and unloading the dishwasher each day, putting away anything that has been hand-washed, and keeping dirty dishes from piling up in the sink. 

Do a weekly deep clean.

All of those daily items will help make your weekly deep-clean a little bit easier. “Weekly is my favorite interval for the deeper cleaning chores: showers, toilets, sinks, countertops, floors, and dusting,” she says, adding that you can also tackle these tasks bi-weekly or monthly if it works better for your schedule and messes. Just remember, the more time between cleans- the longer it will take! 

Keep up your routine.

Knowing when to clean your home is only half the battle. Oftentimes people (myself included) can push these tasks off when life is busy. Clyde says there are a few easy hacks to ensure that you keep up with your new routine once you set it. 

“Make it fun and involve the entire family,” she says. “Create a star chart for kiddos to earn for helping with daily chores. Heck, if adding star stickers to a chart motivates you as well, make one for everyone in the family.” You can even have competitions to see who earns the most stars in a week, and then come up with an award or treat to give out!

“If you are a list maker, add the tasks to your weekly planner so they can be checked off,” Clyde continues. “Having a checklist on the refrigerator or bulletin board can be super motivational, because it is right there staring at you every time you walk by.”