What did you do this weekend? Were you able to catch up with some friends and family? Could you enjoy the cooler temperatures? Or did you spend a few hours cleaning and getting your house back in shape?

In my home, Friday is dominated by sports and meeting friends while Saturday is about running errands and cleaning. In the past, I’ve experimented with what works best for us and have now a cleaning schedule in place which helps to save substantial time and energy.

I first looked into the existing cleaning routine and felt it was too much of an effort. My life does not evolve around cleaning the house and without a maid, I don’t want to spend any more time than necessary on it.

So I looked into the different options of getting the house cleaned faster and with less hassle:

• Do you clean room-by-room? Or is it better to bundle activities (e.g. mopping the floors) and carry them out for all rooms?
• Do you need to stick to your cleaning schedule? Or is it enough to clean as you need to do it?
• Do you make a specific day your major cleaning day? Or is it easier to clean smaller bits every day?
• If you have a cleaner or maid, do they do all the cleaning? Are there specific areas where you prefer to clean yourself? If you have any children, can they be given age-appropriate activities (for example, putting away their toys)?
• Do you start with the living room as most people enter this first? Or do you start with a different room (e.g. the bedroom where you’ll require peace and comfort for a good night’s sleep)?

You may be disappointed to hear that there’s no right or wrong answer to any of these questions. Whatever suits your preferences, time and support will be the most appropriate way to clean your home!

When cleaning my home, I’ve found that going task-by-task works better for me than going room-by-room. If the vacuum cleaner is out already, I may as well continue from the living room to the bedrooms.

Given the size of the home, it’s cleaned as needed with a certain schedule in mind and starts with making the bed in the morning. Vacuuming is done generally every day (dark hair on light tiles just gets to me). Cooker is cleaned, just like the counter tops, after use and dishes are either washed or put into the dishwasher. The dishwasher is run about every second day at night and then unloaded in the mornings.

Sinks, whether in the kitchen or bathroom, are cleaned 2x a week. And so is dusting. Mopping the floors is the worst for me and so only done once a week. The weekly bathroom cleaning includes the yucky toilet clean, shower and bathtub, floors and mirror.

Laundry is scheduled for about 3x a week, either in the evening for it to be dry in the morning or in the morning to be dry in the afternoon. Yes, we hang up the laundry on the drying rack. Sheets are cleaned every second week and that’s the time when the mattress is also vacuumed (don’t want any visitors at night!) and flipped.

Outside windows are cleaned by the property management every quarter and I do the inside around that timeframe. Bigger projects like deep cleaning the rugs, upholstery in the lounge, curtains, the duvets or the fridge freezer and pantry are done quarterly or every 6 months.

The actual cleaning days may differ from week to week and are influenced by work calls in the evening (welcome to working for Western companies in the Middle East) or the social calendar.

If you don’t have a maid, when will your cleaner come in? Some people prefer to have their cleaner come in on Thursdays, just in time for the weekend, while others opt for Sundays, as the start of the new week. Again, your personal style will determine when you’ll book your cleaning services.

The location of your home also influences how often you’ll need to clean. A house further into the desert may require more vacuuming and dusting than an apartment in the city. The same goes for a house with flurry friends compared to one where only fish or not pets are kept.

If you have a larger family, mopping the floors, wiping the surfaces or doing the laundry may keep you more active than if you are in a single household with frequent travel.

Regardless of when or how you clean your home, ensure that your children can’t reach your cleaning products! Latches can prevent them from opening the cabinet doors. A “safe” box can not only prevent your kids and pets to nip in, it can also double function as a caddy.

How are you cleaning your home? Are you going room-by-room or task-by-task? Share your cleaning shortcuts in the comment’s box below.

Until next time,
Agni