A Clean House with Minimal Effort

Let me start by saying that I really don't like cleaning.  In fact, I pretty much hate it.  However, I will say that I LOVE the feeling of a clean house.  It is so relaxing to be in a space that smells and looks clean and fresh.  Cleanliness is next to Godliness....right??  So, in order to combat the funk one step at a time, I have adopted a daily list of chores.  Here is a sample of what my list looks like:

Monday: Laundry
Tuesday: Vacuum & Dust
Wednesday: Laundry (split loads between M&W), clean kitchen appliances
Thursday: Clean bathrooms & mirrors around the house
Friday: Vacuum & mop floors (mopping floors sometimes done throughout the week too, as needed)
Saturday & Sunday: NOTHING

I'm not including daily chores like picking up, making beds, cleaning kitchen, cleaning up dog hair, watering plants, or whatever else needs immediate attention on a particular day.  I also don't have monthly chores on the list (like cleaning baseboards or windows).  This list is simply a general guideline to keep me on task each day so I can avoid spending an entire day cleaning...or avoid paying someone to clean it for me.  Obviously this works for our house, but you might need a slightly different list.  Here are a few lists from some different blogs that might be useful:

http://organizingmadefun.blogspot.com/2010/11/15-minutes-of-cleaning-how-to-have-fake.html

http://askannamoseley.com/2012/01/day-14-get-on-a-cleaning-schedule-free-printable/

http://www.my3monsters.com/2011/09/housekeeping.html

Hope this is helpful! 

Katherine