I came across a post today on keeping your house clean in 15-20 minutes per day. Though the plan would need to be a little different for our house, I thought the balanced approach to housework was well-planned.

A year ago, I came up with my own chore chart, which has broken down housework in a manageable way for us, which usually equals about an hour on work days and 4 hours on days off. Here’s what our weekly list looks like:

Monday

• Unload dishwasher
• Clean kitchen (pull out countertop appliances, wipe down stove and refrigerator, wipe out microwave, scrub sink)
• Make dinner
• Wash, dry, fold and put away one load of clothes
• Walk dogs
• Load dishwasher and run

Tuesday

• Unload dishwasher
• Straighten bedrooms and TV room
• Wash, dry, fold and put away one load of clothes
• Make dinner
• Clean bathroom (sink, mirror, toilet, shower)
• Walk dogs
• Load dishwasher and run 

Wednesday (We don’t get home until after 8:30, so we keep it light.)

• Unload dishwasher
• Straighten living room
• Walk dogs

 Thursday

• Sort mail/pay bills
• Sweep, vacuum and mop floors
• Dust
• Make dinner
• Load dishwasher and run
• Wash, dry, fold and put away two loads of laundry
• Mowing 
• Walk dogs

Friday

• Unload dishwasher
• Plan Grocery trip
• Make dinner
• Wash, dry, fold and put away one load of clothes
• Load dishwasher and run
• Appointments if needed (doctor, dentist, etc.) 
• Walk dogs

Saturday

• 10 minute tackle
• Special project
• Unload dishwasher
• Grocery shopping
• Place online orders
• Furminate dogs
• Wash couch blankets and pillows
• Wash, dry, fold and put away three loads of laundry
• Wash bedding
• Mowing/landscaping (if not done Thursday)
• Plan college breakfast
• Make dinner
• Load dishwasher and run
• Walk dogs

Sunday

• Unload dishwasher
• Make college breakfast
• Buy newspapers
• Cut and file coupons
• Wash, dry, fold and put away one load of clothes
• Make lunch and dinner
• Load dishwasher and run
• Walk dogs

 During Saturday’s 10 minute tackle, I set the stove timer for 10 minutes and tackle one room for 10 minute. When the timer goes off, I reset it, and tackle the next room for 10 minutes, and repeat until all rooms are cleaned. It’s amazing what can be done in 10 minutes! In an hour, I can clean the whole house! That’s one benefit of having a small house!

I am also working on a schedule of infrequently repeating special projects, like Goodwill donations, washing windows, planting flowers. If one special project is tackled each Saturday, it makes all those other projects seem more manageable!

 So, do you use a Chore Chart or other cleaning calendars? How do you organize your cleaning schedule? How do you keep up with all those projects that you don’t have to do on a weekly basis?