As a busy, homeschooling mom of three boys, I know first-hand how challenging it can be to keep your house clean. Life gets crazy on a regular basis around here! If I didn’t have an easy-to-use daily cleaning schedule, I’d be even more of a hot mess than I usually am.

So today, I’m sharing my printable Daily Cleaning Schedule with you, so you can get on a simple cleaning schedule too!

With this cleaning schedule, you’ll be able to stay on top of all those recurring tasks, like laundry and dishes AND find time for the deep cleaning tasks that you keep putting off.

No more slaving away all weekend just to get ready for the week ahead. No more wishing you could find a free Saturday to finally organize your pantry.

I’ve realized that as long as I have a good cleaning schedule that utilizes a looping routine, I don’t have to work as hard to keep my house clean AND I don’t feel stressed trying to find huge blocks of time to get everything done.

Here are a few of my personal tips to make this cleaning schedule work its tail off for you!

Zone Cleaning

My older boys are finally able to handle some cleaning on their own (can I get an amen??) and little brother (who’s 3) is getting the hang of it too.

For the older ones, I typically assign them one room (aka zone) of the house to clean up during our 10-minute tidy-up (more on that below).

By giving them a zone to clean up, we avoid the whole, “That’s not my shoe,” “I didn’t play with that,” “There’s so much stuff I’m frozen like a deer in headlights” scenario that used to play out in our playroom every time my kids heard the words “time to clean up.”

This way, they know they’re responsible for everything in their zone, no matter who it belongs to AND they can finish quickly without getting overwhelmed by the idea of cleaning the whole house.

This works well with younger kids too – I actually highly recommend it as a training method if you ever want your toddlers to start picking up their own toys. They just need more supervision and step-by-step instructions. But you’re already doing that all day long, right?

10-Minute Tidy-Up

When do I use this awesome zone cleaning method? During our daily 10-minute tidy-up. I was sick and tired of picking up every room in the house after my kids had all gone to bed, but couldn’t think of another way to get the house clean and KEEP it that way.

Until I figured out the 10-minute tidy-up.

The other day, I actually got my boys out of bed and told them in no uncertain terms that we would NEVER be going to bed with a messy house again.

But how to enforce this awesome mom rule? Enter the 10-minute tidy-up. Typically I set our good old-fashioned egg timer (because it has the added benefit of making that little ticking sound) for 10 minutes. You can also use your phone, the oven timer, anything really.

Then I give the boys their zones, do the whole “ready, set, go!” and before I know it, they’re rushing to get their space clean and tidy before time runs out.

They actually love the racing element of this method (most kids do), so it doesn’t feel so much like work to them. And I get my house cleaned up in just a few minutes a day.

My tip: I reward my kids with coveted iPad time if they can get the job done before the timer rings. Trust me, this works like gangbusters. Give it a try in your house for extra motivation.

Don’t be afraid to employ this cleaning schedule throughout the day if your kids are messy or have a habit of leaving things out when they move on to a new activity.

Morning and Evening Routines

There’s nothing like starting and ending your day with a calm, clean home. But how do you get it that way without feeling stressed all the time?

The key is to add routines to your daily cleaning schedule.

I’ve learned that routines make everything a thousand times easier. Instead of trying to think about all the things I need to do before bed, I simply rely on my evening routine to work through them quickly.

I’ve included my own morning and evening routines in this checklist, but feel free to modify it on the blank version to meet your own needs.

My tip: Listen to a favorite Spotify channel or podcast while you work through your routine. You may even find yourself craving that daily cleanup time.

Ready to get your home clean and make your life a whole lot easier?

Originally written and published by Melissa Fitzhugh. Used with permission.