Get Bored While Cleaning? Try the “Keep the Momentum Going” Routine

Get easily bored or completely distracted when you try to clean your house? You’re not alone. When some folks try to do too much at one time or try to tackle too many tasks in one session, cleaning can end up abandoned. But there’s a type of cleaning routine for folks just like you that will help you stick to cleaning tasks, keep the momentum going and leave you with a whole clean house each week. See if it’s something that might fit your lifestyle (or cleaning personality)!

You might be the kind of cleaner that does their best when momentum keeps you going. When you’ve got to switch cleaning tools for each room — and switch gears — you can open yourself up to distraction and losing interest. Not to mention living in a small space (like you might) — and not having a ton of storage space for cleaning supplies — means it can sometimes be a frustrating game of Tetris when you want to get to all your cleaning tools at once.

So try this cleaning schedule instead. It attacks the whole home in efficient layers — layers that are usually the same type of surface and so use the same tools to clean. The tool and supplies list per day in this plan is kept simple, your attentions on the task at hand focused and your house cleaner than it would be if you tried to do it all at once.

The premise: Tackle one type of surface or cleaning tool task a day.

Whether you have a washer and dryer in your home or not, still tackle the laundry all at once. Strip bed sheets, wash towels, wash clothes and here’s the kicker: fold it all and put it where it’s supposed to go when it’s done cleaning.

Get a couple of rags, some gentle all-purpose cleaner and wood polish and attack all the dust on all the smaller accessories, art, frames, shelves, lamps, plants (though just warm water for them) and weird places. Dust the tops of baseboards this day, too. Consider this day the day for varied surfaces that get dusty, but not really dirty. Moving things around to dust properly can be annoying, so it’s a frustrating day of cleaning, but getting it all done at once helps.

Things get serious on Wednesdays, when you attack the surfaces that get the most use like the kitchen counters, bathroom counters, mirrors, faucets, shower and toilet (though do not use the same scrubber brush for the last two). This cleaning step works best if you also do a few swipes of these areas after you cook or brush your teeth daily, but if you don’t this is the day to really scrub hard. And doing all the surfaces one room after the other is pretty quick.

Drag your vacuum from room to room vacuuming the floors thoroughly (vacuum under rugs, too!), but also vacuum anything you can possibly vacuum. From rugs to curtains to the sofa, make the most out of the effort it takes me to get your vacuum out of the back of your closet (or wherever you store it).

On this day do whatever is left, from watering the plants, to spraying for bugs, to decluttering an area that got a little out of hand. Take out the trash. Replace light bulbs. The little things that are left over for your home and lifestyle.

And then repeat each week. Depending on the size of your house you might be able to get away with only cleaning a few minutes a day. Things that you should consider getting done on the daily (that might not match the above surfaces and cleaning tools) are trying to do quick swipes of counters as you use them, the dishes, cleaning out the kitty litter box.

More Apartment Therapy cleaning routines:

• The House that Cleans Itself: The Power of a Weekly Cleaning Schedule
• How To Clean Your House in 20 Minutes a Day for 30 Days
• Take the Weekdays Off: The Complete Weekend-Only Cleaning Plan

Share your cleaning routines tips and ideas below!