A simple way to keep on top of our homes so they don’t become overwhelming is to have a daily cleaning routine.
Even when life gets busy, having a daily routine means that the minimum is always done in our homes.
It may seem like a small thing, but just knowing that those basics are done, really does help us feel a bit less stressed and overwhelmed.
This is the second part of the morning routine blog posts. You can find part one here.
So let’s do this.
What is a daily cleaning routine
A daily cleaning routine is simply a set of tasks that when we do consistently makes cleaning our house a whole lot easier.
Keeping up with a daily cleaning routine also means that our house always stays at an okay level of clean and tidy.
Most people are going to have similar tasks on their daily cleaning routine list, but ensuring that the tasks on your daily list suit you and your family is what will make them the most helpful.
My favourite thing about having a daily cleaning routine is if someone let me know they were calling in after we had been out for then entire day – I know that our toilets will be wiped, everything will have had a quick 15 minute reset and it won’t be the most embarrassing experience of my life.
It’s important to remember here that even though these are cleaning tasks – this isn’t the time for your cleaning routine.
These are just a few tasks that help your home running smoothly and reducing the daily stress of keeping up with your home.
What tasks should be included in your daily routine?
The secret to making a routine that is actually helpful, is to make sure that it is personal for you.
You can google so many different cleaning routines and daily routines, but unless it works for you and your family it’s just not going to work well.
Look for inspiration but make it work for you.
When planning what tasks you want on your daily routine you need to think about what tasks make your day run smoothly if they were done.
Think about what tasks will make the biggest impact
Things like unloading and re-loading the dishwasher, putting a load of laundry on, giving the kitchen a quick wipe down and a reset.
Consider the things that if you had to go out, and it was a long day, when you got home, what would you be glad that you did in the morning.
Those things that keep things running smoothly and stop everything from becoming overwhelming are the things that need to be on your list.
In our house, for example, if the dishwasher isn’t emptied, so the breakfast dishes can’t go on before we go out – then in the evening there isn’t enough room for the dinner dishes and honestly things get chaotic fast.
Or if a load of laundry gets missed one day for whatever reason, it mysteriously multiplies by ten by the next day.
Then it’s overwhelming.
Think about what would get chaotic fast in your home, and that thing needs to be on your list.
The things that I do every day are my non-negotiables.
I know that not doing them causes me stress, so they get done.
If you find yourself wobbling about certain tasks, if you keep procrastinating and finding excuses it’s probably not a non-negotiable task.
Leave it off the routine for now and add it in at a later time if you would still like it to be a part of your daily routine.
Or find a way of breaking it down into a smaller task or find a way of making it easier.
A peek at my daily cleaning routine
I don’t know about you but I love looking at what other people do, so here is my routine.
The point is to give you inspiration, not for you to do exactly as I do.
We all live very different lives, what I do might not make sense for you.
My Daily Routine
- Empty and reload dishwasher
- Wipe down Kitchen
- 15 minute reset (you can read more about that here)
- Wipe down the sink and toilet
- Make the beds
- Open Curtains and open windows
- Laundry on
- Pull meat etc out of the freezer for dinner
- Feed pets
- BONUS TASK: I try to hoover but this isn’t non-negotiable everyday
This can be broken down a bit simpler into these tasks to make it easier to remember:
- Wipe surfaces
- Reset house (make beds, open curtains, general tidy etc)
- Laundry
- Kitchen (Dishwasher, wipe kitchen, pull meat out, feed pets)
It might look like a long list, but once you get into the habit of doing them every morning they don’t actually take long and they just become part of your routine.
For example, when I go to Anest when she wakes in the morning, I automatically make our bed and open the curtains and windows without even thinking about it.
Sorting the dishwasher and tidying the kitchen just becomes a part of the morning breakfast routine.
While at the beginning we do tend to have to put a lot of mental energy into remembering each task, it doesn’t take long for you to be doing them on autopilot without thinking about them at all.
Make it into a checklist if it makes it easier for you to remember or have a note on your phone that you can just glance at as a reminder of what you need to do next.
If you are struggling to make into a routine, just do it one thing at a time. Every day or every week add in a task.
It might be slower but in a few weeks the end result will be exactly the same and it it will have become a stronger habit.
Daily routine for self care
Something that doesn’t get talked about as much as it should is the benefit of having a routine when things get chaotic.
Maybe you have a child in hospital or an unexpected illness happens or things just get really busy all of a sudden with appointments or just life – having a routine helps things keep flowing.
Just doing your daily routine when things gets a bit crazy helps anchor us, it helps us feel a sense of calm and like we are in control of something after all.
It also helps when things calm down as things won’t be completely chaotic and it will help you reduce your stress levels as lot quicker.
What time of day should I do my daily routine?
There isn’t a right answer for this, it is whatever works for you and your life.
Most of the tasks in my daily routine work well as morning tasks so they tend to get done in the morning.
What I like about doing them in the morning is that I know if I am out for the day or if something unexpected happens during the day, when I get home, the house feels calm because I have got the important things done.
The laundry isn’t overflowing because I have put a wash on.
There is meat defrosting ready for our evening meal.
The dishwasher is done and the house has had a quick pick up so it’s not completely chaotic.
The beds are made and there is fresh air flowing through the house because I opened the windows.
It’s just a nice feeling to come home to.
However, if you work or if you just don’t have time in the morning for whatever reason, then find spaces in your day where it does make sense.
Or even do some tasks in the morning, and others like laundry in the evening.
I would recommend the morning if you can because it does make things seem a lot less overwhelming and calmer.
I hope this blog post is helpful and inspires you to make your own non-negotiable daily routine.
It honestly helps so much more than expected with keeping those stress levels in check.
Think of it as self-care for your future self.
Let me know what your daily non-negotiable tasks look like in the comments!
Beth x
