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Don't Clean for Company! . . . Clean on a Schedule

By Alyson Shedd

     This article piggy-backs on my "De-cluttering Your Home" article from last month.

     I find that most of the clutter in my home is simply built up "stuff" that gets overlooked because of lack of orderliness. A simple Monday-Friday cleaning schedule for the most part will do the job of de-cluttering naturally.

     Clutter easily leads to uncleanness, which can lead to a myriad of other problems, including frustration, confusion, and even sickness. Ultimately, we cease to look like our beautiful Creator and we miss out on enjoying His beautiful creation.

     I want my home, my little corner of the world, to look like God, who is a God of peace, order, and beauty. When I profess Jesus as my Lord and Savior and then invite my non-Christian neighbor over to a cluttered, unclean mess, I have given the wrong image of my Father in heaven. Remember, we are the only Bibles most people will ever read. We truly do have a responsibility to look and act like the God we profess to know.

     Now, I'm not speaking of the little daily "happy messes." My home is full of those all day as a homeschooling mother of seven children! No . . . those get cleaned up before dinner. I'm speaking of a home that stays in a perpetual state of uncleanness due to clutter.

     Dear ladies, if we don't have time to keep our homes clean and orderly, then we may need to drop a few outside activities and turn our attention towards home. ("That they admonish the young women . . . to be . . . homemakers . . . ." Titus 2:4-5 NKJV) I have found that on days filled with errands and/or extra-curricular activities, my home will quickly show signs of neglect. Outside activities have their place (and we very much enjoy them!), but keeping them at a minimum makes for a happy, peaceful home.

     I want my home to be a haven, a place where my family loves to spend most of their time. It is up to me as the wife and mother to create that atmosphere of beauty and joy even on a yard sale budget! It doesn't take lots of money to create beauty and order, just lots of prayer and creativity. God promises to give you the wisdom you need to flow in obedience to Him.

     Here is a sample cleaning schedule. (Yours will look completely different in accordance with your weekly schedule.) My four older children help with all of these chores, and they are all finished in the morning after breakfast and our family devotional time.

Monday:

• Clean toilets
• Dust the downstairs
• Clean the microwave oven
• Clean the downstairs bathroom
• Clean the kitchen floors/baseboards
• Simple meal preparation
• Laundry

Tuesday:

• Dust upstairs
• Clean bathroom floors
• Clean master bathroom and children's bathroom
• Simple meal preparation
• Clean windows
• Vacuum downstairs

Wednesday:

• Laundry

Thursday:

• Big meal preparations for the weekend

Friday

• Clean out/reorganize all closets, drawers, and underneath beds (It's amazing the things we find that we thought were lost!)
• Meal preparation
• Vacuum upstairs and downstairs
• Laundry
• Clean toilets again!

**Every three months - Ceiling Fans, Lampshades, Vents**

     Each day's cleaning takes 20-25 minutes at the most when we all work together. We find things that were lost, and then we don't end up making unnecessary purchases. Then, when company arrives, I've not slaved all day cooking and cleaning.

     Also, when my children grow up and have families of their own, an orderly home will be normal for them, not something they have to learn.

     As for sons, train them also! Your future daughters-in-law will thank you on days when morning sickness gets the best of them, or the flu runs through the home and mom is unable to keep up the home for a few days. Your son will be well-trained to serve his wife in sickness and in health!

     Cleaning on a schedule keeps your home smiling at you, breathes order and beauty to your friends and neighbors, and creates a place where your family loves to dwell! Even more, you will enjoy living there as well!