I came from a REALLY big family and we most often had smaller homes. It is a Navy thing. But Mom taught all of us early on if we wanted our weekends then we needed to pitch in . Everyone of us went through a slob stage. But for the most part everyone came out of it. :@} Since I normally have people needing extra help living with us I had to learn to give people jobs, Even my 93 year old MIL had chores. While bedridden she still folded the baby's laundry every day. She would fold and refold it until it was perfect...made the idea of throwing your stuff in a chair seem the height of lazy. You are never too young or too old to help. Period. Most of us have developed a system, something that just works for us. There are only 5 of us in our home right now, But there was 10 for the last 3.5 years. 5 though is about average for our household, the ages may differ but yep 5 is about right. Always 3 to 12 large dogs. 2800sq ft home, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a full dog room. Plus the RV which is 40 foot and needs cleaning before and after every dog show and trip. If not done it is a real pain in the well you know...
When things are clicking we can keep things up in about 1/2 hour a day for the routine stuff. Total cleaning time when our home is clean is never more than an hour and a half. There are guidelines or rules we adhere to however...
Beds HAVE to have sheets and pillow cases... drives me batty when they are left off and I will raise the roof until it is corrected.
Dishwasher is broken but we wash dishes twice a day, right after breakfast and dinner. As I cook I wash things to prevent piling up the sink.
Bathrooms are picked up daily, fast wipe down on counter tops and trash emptied . Toilets are cleaned every week ONE time... I can not use product in them because of the dogs and since we are on a well if I don't use Kaboom Foaming, about a 10 minute process once a week they tend to stain a rusty or blue shade... I dump a cup in each then I go back to the first one scrub it while it is soaking in the rest.... by the time I get to the last one, it is done.... all but the final flushing.. While scrubbing the bowl I pick up around the trash cans, wipe out the sink and if needed hit the mirrors. There are guest towels and family towels.
Floors are sweep daily, the Italian Tile floors first ( Dog room, Kitchen, Pantry , Entry and my Back Door entry for the master bedroom.) Then the carpets. Front Room and Hallways. They are Vac'ed 1- 2 xs a week. But Picked up daily. Bedroom floors once every 2 weeks. again picked up daily.
Floors are mopped once a month , but we wipe up as things are spilled. So they stay nice and clean , since they are a light salmon color they need to be kept up or everything would show.
Once a month I check under beds and behind crates.... That is a 3 hour ordeal but I schedule it for a light day when I have nothing better to do..
Sheets are only changed once every two weeks. ick I know... but I don't have the time and man power to do it more often since my laundry is a massive thing to begin with.. I have 2 sets per bed, new fresh one goes on, the other hits the laundry I make the beds then fold the clean sheets etc right out of the machines. Into the linen closet everything folded into a pillow case. I buy GOOD sheets, high thread count so they can go a bit longer than normal. And everyone has a color scheme or theme this helps a ton when you do not have to try to figure out what belongs where ..
Hubby does his own laundry once a week. I do mine. Daughter does hers and her 2 children's then the misc and dog laundry is done as it piles up... About 14 loads min. a week.
Twice a year on windows. After hurricane season and early spring. I use the outdoor spray by windex to cut down on time spent as I have something like 24 double windows. That is a Bottle of Mix inside with about 4 rolls of paper towels. I use ammonia or vinegar , cost every little and can be used on mirrors, counter tops and light fixtures. When I do the Windows I do the Fan Blades as every room in our house has ceiling fans.
Dusting is a once every 60 days for rooms like the bar filled with knick knacks and beer bottles but once a week for table tops, computer tables, etc etc TVs and monitors... the more you might look at something the higher the emphasis...
DE CLUTTER counter tops a HUGE trick for making things easier... I go through magazines and mail near the trash can. My magazine habit can get out of hand if not careful. This week I have to take a large bag to the local Wally world to recycle.
Cleaning the inside or under furniture cushions is done when I turn furniture over for cleaning one big upheaval... I drag a trash bag, laundry basket and vacuum cleaner along with me and hit everything at one time.
Once a week the yard is tidied and mown about once every 2 weeks. My yard is not as perfect as I would like But it is nearly an acre and could keep a person busy daily with the weed whacker. I do NOT weed but I get rid of mushrooms and fungus to make sure the dogs don't eat anything they shouldn't I fill holes about once every 2-3 weeks. Pooh is picked up once a week... as I mentioned huge yard but the dorks like to potty on the carport and walkways if it has been rainy...
I have an entry area that has a place for library books , school things etc etc and my doors are metal so they are basically huge bulletin boards with magnets. I go through and up date them every other week or so.
The top of the big screen TV, my work desk and the craft station are all done at the same time. Decluttered and dusted
The big rule is never walk through a room with out picking up or putting away something. No one goes to bed with out doing the same. Grouping supplies, outdoorsy stuff like swim fins snorkles and floaties in a tote, sunglasses sunscreen etc the same way .... Holidays are decorated for big time and kept in labeled totes when not in use. Magazines are in one area, craft supplies the same...
If you have time to lean you have time to clean...and God made portable phones so you can pick up and put away junk while gabbing with friends...
Cleaning supplies in job specific totes... Bathroom, Kitchen, right down to microwave and stove.... This way your sponges don't cross over and everything is at hand. Extra trash bags under the ones being used in every trash bin. If you have to stop to grab a new one chances increase you may procrastinate.
Do NOT get overwhelmed... Just get into a habit and teach the rest of your household to get into it as well... If they don't have to lose a whole day because they pick up daily they are more likely to help when needed.
When you feel like you are behind take it one chore or room at a time and begin with what you see first. Give yourself time frames. 10 minutes to pick up all the floors, Then stop messing with picking up but instead grab the vac. 10 minutes or 15 to vac everything. does not have to be perfect when you are catching up. Just keep going. If you say Sh*T I have to clean the Whole house IT IS overwhelming. If you say I have 15 minutes before my tv show comes on or so and so gets home it is just 10 minutes not a huge fence to hurdle.
Good Luck !! Oddly a tidy home doesn't have to be spotless , just getting it uncluttered makes a huge difference!
Hugs