If I were your stay at home man, what would your daily 'to do' list be?
I recently have become a stay at home husband. I am running my own business but for the most part the work is done by my employees. I want to keep a nice house but am list motivated. Both my wife and I are ADD so asking her for said list would not help. I am not completely inept, however, I just need a daily list as to what to do to keep a clean home. So, what I am asking is for a stay at home mom, or anyone really, to give me a list of things to do around the house in a 5 day week. Outdoor chores are not in the equation. We live in a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment and basically "Cleaning the kitchen" is an everyday affair. We have no kids yet but have one dog. We also live in a very snowy climate with a mudroom. Outline for list Day 1: Day 2: Day 3: Day 4: Day 5: Thanks! (I always choose best answers!) So far, Susan has given me an AWESOME answer and Spicey, as so many people here on YA do, did not answer my question the way I wanted it answered, instead, gave me her opinion. Susan, I would have given you #1 except I am waiting to see if more people answer this!
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- Day 1: Change bed linens, do all the laundry, fold and put away. Launder shower curtains if you have them. Day 2: Pick up all the clutter on the floor or elsewhere. Stack bills and magazines. Sort through "stuff". Take out trash and recycling. Day 3: Dust or wipe all the surfaces in all the rooms including woodwork and moldings. Check the ceiling corners for cobwebs. Shake out drapes. Wipe switch plates,door knobs and door jambs. Don't forget dusting the the light bulbs. Vacuum everything including underneath sofa cushions etc. Go over wood floors with a damp mop. Day 4: Bathroom. Clean shower, shower doors, and chrome.Use an old toothbrush for crevices and shower door tracks. Scour tub. Clean mirrors. Clean sink area and any shelves. Scour the sink. Clean the toilet inside and out - don't forget to wipe the walls around the toilet for stray urine. Wash the floor really well on hands and knees. Day 5: Clean the mudroom. Do the floor on hands and knees. Wash the front door windows. Choose two other windows in your home and wash those. Even though you clean the kitchen daily you should give it a thorough cleaning. Cabinets, door handles, outside fridge. Take the stove apart and soak the burner trays and knobs. Take a look in the fridge and discard yucky things. Clean out the microwave including the "ceiling". Wash the kitchen table well. Scour the sink, clean the knobs and faucets. Use an old toothbrush for crevices. Give the floor a serious wash. That should take care of most of it. Make sure you have all your materials with you as you clean. You can carry them in a bucket, apron, or shower caddy. Develop a system for each set of tasks and never retrace your steps - do everything as you come to it. Update: A tip for keeping the house cleaner. Since you have a mudroom this should be easy. Have a shoe rack in your mudroom. Never wear your outside shoes into the house. Slip them off and put on a pair of slippers or designated indoor shoes. For winter keep a couple pair of nice dry socks for each of you in there too. If the "house stuff" is a big issue between you and your wife, and you can afford it, you could have a cleaner come to the house. I believe rates vary greatly regionally. I would probably charge you about $65.00 for the above tasks w/o laundry if on a weekly basis. I'd be there about 2 hours and 20 minutes. If bi-weekly, about $75.00 and and another 20 minutes. If you are able to "hyperfocus" and work with extreme efficiency, you could do it all just as quickly once you got a precise routine down. I call this "aerobic cleaning", it is a work-out and you do break a sweat. Btw, I have ADHD so if I can do it, you can too!
- It's not so much about day's 1-5. It's about doing what needs to be done every day, what ever it is. Cleaning the garage is and working on the car should probably be for weekends. Everyday, keep the dishes done, put them away, sweep the floor, wipe the tabel. Scour the sink when needed. Make sure the bathroom is clean and dry, if sink, toilet, tub need cleaning, do it. Vacumming you MAY be able to set a day or two to do it. Like Tuesday and Friday. The bed needs to be made, trash emptied when full or smelly, and clutter pretty much picked up throughout the house. Dusting depends on your type of heat. Changing the bed should probably be once a week. Now, ir you need to mow the grass or shovel the walks, that needs to be done when you can do it to avoid rain, and keep the walks safe. You may get behind on some of the other chores. Do you have to do the marketing, too? Make your trips efficient--twice a week downtown--all stops in line right down the street(s) if possible. Laundry can be done just about anytime--I like to start it later so I have my other chores out of the way. That way, I can get down to the dryer the instant it stops and when I promptly remove clothing, lots less of it needs ironing.
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