A cleaning schedule that survives a busy month

Built after a month where I did none of this and paid for it on a Saturday. Split by how often, not by room.

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Wipe kitchen counters after dinner, not before bed

(learned this one late) waiting until bedtime means it never happens, you're already tired

Run the dishwasher every night regardless of how full it is

Wipe the shower down while you're still in it

skip this for a week straight and it's a whole Saturday project instead of ninety seconds

One load of laundry every other day, never a laundry day

a dedicated laundry day is where this whole system goes to die when work gets busy

Sweep or vacuum entryway and kitchen floor daily

Take trash out Tuesdays and Fridays no matter how full

Clean bathroom sink and toilet on Sundays

Vacuum the whole apartment on Sundays too

do this first, before anything else on the list, because you'll quit halfway through if you save it for last

Change bed sheets every other Sunday

Wipe down light switches and doorknobs monthly

the thing nobody thinks to clean that everyone touches constantly

Clean out the fridge before the weekly grocery run

do it before you shop, not after. cleaning a full fridge is a different, worse job

Wipe down baseboards once a month

Deep clean the microwave monthly

a bowl of water with lemon slices, two minutes on high, everything wipes off

Declutter one drawer or shelf every Sunday

one drawer. not the whole closet. the whole closet is how this system dies

Clean windows and mirrors monthly

Wash the shower curtain or liner monthly

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