Quick Tips

5 Ways to Upgrade Your Cleaning Routine This Year

Now that the holidays are over and the New Year has officially begun, it’s the perfect time to start upgrading your cleaning routine! Whether you’re a long-time fan of cleaning schedules or just looking to get more organized this year, our cleaning experts at Merry Maids® can help you stay on track with your goals, by providing regular cleaning services to supplement your everyday efforts.

Here are 5 great ways you can upgrade your house cleaning habits for 2020 – and beyond!

5 Ways to Improve Your Cleaning Game This Year

#1: Develop one simple daily cleaning habit (and stick to it!)

If you’re constantly on-the-go, it can be hard to find time for a 15-minute daily cleaning ritual, let alone a rigorous cleaning schedule. When you’re not sure where to begin, we recommend starting small, by mastering a single daily cleaning habit that makes a difference to you.

To get started, make a list of all your cleaning “pet peeves” – in other words, the tasks that drive you nuts when you can’t finish them. Whether on your own or with a partner, pick out the top chore and do it daily until it becomes a habit, typically within 3-6 weeks. From there, you can slowly introduce new habits as needed!

#2: Create a defined house cleaning schedule.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s possible to create an easy house cleaning schedule that doesn’t take up too much of your time. Again, the key here is to start small, building on your existing efforts and holding yourself accountable to whatever you choose.

Here are a few methods you might like:

Create themed cleaning days. If you hate repetition more than anything else, try giving each day a “cleaning theme.” Maybe Mondays can be for laundry and Tuesdays can be for kitchen clean-up. Whatever you decide, make sure it’s something you’ll follow!
Set a specific time aside for your top 10 tasks. Have multiple cleaning pet peeves? Instead of taking it one day at a time, create a list of the top 10 small cleaning chores that you would like to accomplish by the end of each night. Then give yourself a consistent time to accomplish them, whether in the morning or the evening.
Pick one day to be your cleaning day. Prefer to take care of everything all at once? Select a day to designate as your “cleaning day” and take care of key high-traffic areas at the same time. Give yourself at least 2 hours to complete the task!

#3: Make an “organized home checklist.”

No matter what cleaning schedule you prefer, it’s a good idea to build out an “organized home” checklist, which should include every cleaning and organizing task that you’ll ever need to do. Keep this list somewhere handy and check it often to make sure you’re covering everything.

Just follow these simple steps to create your own checklist:

Take a walk around your house and list every area that needs to be cleaned.
Within each area, write down all the cleaning and organizational tasks that need to be completed during the year.
Assign each task to a sub-list, depending on whether the chore should be done daily, weekly, monthly, or seasonally.
Create an easy system to check these items off your list.

#4: Find creative ways to remind yourself about cleaning tasks.

Even when you have a clear direction for your daily cleaning rituals, you’ll need plenty of reminders to stay focused and on track. By finding a creative and colorful way to remind yourself, you’ll be more likely to get everything done!

Here are a few ideas:

Make a cute DIY corkboard and tack up notes about your daily and weekly tasks.
Keep a calendar on the wall just for your cleaning schedule.
Create a chore wheel so that your whole household can stay on top of cleaning.

#5: Get everyone involved.

As the old saying goes, two heads are better than one! Enlisting your spouse, your kids, or other live-at-home family members will make the work go much faster. A chore chart is a time-honored tradition for a reason – it allows everyone to participate in maintaining their space.

Next Steps: Call in a Professional

Of course, the best way to elevate your cleaning routine this year is to bring in a professional, on whatever basis will work best for your needs. At Merry Maids®, we’ve been helping homeowners keep up their cleaning standards for more than 40 years, and we’re committed to helping you enjoy a more peaceful and stress-free week. We offer weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly cleans, so you can choose the schedule that makes sense for you!

Give us a call at (888) 490-4227 today to request an estimate on service.