Way back when, before I had kids, I would take one day a week or so and clean the house.  Every room, every floor, every surface, etc.  I loved the smell and feel of a house that was completely ceiling-to-floor clean.  But with each kid that got added, the harder this became to do.  Find 4 hours to clean the entire house?  Yea right.  And the mess didn’t decrease…in fact, it increased.

So, a few years ago, my Type A self decided to figure out a more manageable way to keep my house clean.  Especially since I love a clean house.  Enter Money Saving Mom (I know, I know…I reference this site a whole ton!).  She had a binder that she uses to keep her home organized.  Now that is a little much, even for me.  But one of the things that she does have in that huge binder is a chore chart that tells her what to clean when and helps her do a little each day.  She posted a code that her readers could use to get a discounted price on this downloadable chore chart from Motivated Moms.

So, I bit the bullet, paid the money (I think it was only like $5 at the time, which to me was worth the gamble), and downloaded it.  Not only did I like it, I LOVED it!  Now those of you close to me have probably heard me rant and rave about it, and if so, please feel free to close your browser, but for those who haven’t, tune in and let me share with you the reasons for how it moved me from the “love the whole house clean at one time” person I was to the “love doing daily cleaning” person I now am.  See the sample below for a visual.

1.  I love that it keeps my house feeling clean and that if I am having company or have an unexpected guest pop by, my house isn’t filthy and I don’t have to have a day scrubfest to get it clean.

Case in point, when we moved Kinsley’s birthday party from the park to our house the morning of her party (not to mention we had church that morning and had maybe 2 hours before people arrived to do everything to get it all ready), I didn’t stress because I knew the house was clean except for just sweeping the floor and picking up toys.  Without following this chart, I would have been a frantic mess trying to get everything clean!

2.  I love that is lists spring cleaning tasks and things I always forget to do.  Vacuum out the car, change the air filters, refill the soap dispensers, change the kitchen and bathroom towels often – oh how I slacked on these things before because they are things you always forget about doing until it is nasty or they are well past due.  With this, I never have to wonder how long that goldfish has been sitting on the floorboard of my car or how many months ago I changed the air filters.

3.  I love that it goes heavy on the weekdays and then is very light on the weekends.  Seriously, who doesn’t love having weekends off?  And that means off from cleaning the house too.  While there are a few tasks and routine things to be done on the weekends, it is really light and allows me to spend time with my family instead of in the shower cleaning it.

4.  I love that it is so flexible.  While I am Type A and love lists, this chore to-do chart is so flexible.  If I have a busier than normal day or am traveling for something related to ministry, I can move chores around to best fit and am still sure that everything gets done.  So for those of you who feel stifled by having a certain day above it, don’t!

5.  I love that I feel like I am accomplishing something.  In the monotony of motherhood and the demands of children, other to-do lists may sit forever.  For me, even if all I do all day is tend to my family and check out these 5 things, I can still feel as though I am doing something good.

6.  I love that others can help.  When my mom was here after Emerson was born, she could easily chip in to help me clean by following the chart and not have to feel as though she was scrubbing toilets the whole time.  And Ed, my sweet servant-hearted husband, does a great job of helping me get things done, especially when I may be gone all day and he is home – and lets be honest, who doesn’t love a honey to-do list already written out instead of having to write it out for them every time?

So, if you are looking for a system to keep your house clean, try it.  The worst that can happen is that you don’t like it – you can tell me just that and my feelings won’t be hurt.  The best is that it works for you and helps you to juggle the many responsibilities you have!