Yearly cleaning is a must, but how to make it fun for the family

Yearly Cleaning Schedule: Revitalize Your Space

Cleaning is a never-ending journey, day by day. Yet, it's just as important to keep in mind those tasks that pop up monthly or even yearly.

The demands of daily cleaning routines can sometimes make it seem impossible to tackle the deeper cleaning tasks that should be done on an annual basis. However, breaking down your yearly cleaning schedule into manageable chunks can make a significant difference. By allocating specific tasks to different months or seasons, you can spread out the work and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Here are a few steps to help you get started:

Assess Your Home: Begin by making a list of all the areas and tasks that need attention. This could include deep-cleaning carpets, organizing closets, decluttering, and more.

Create a Monthly Cleaning Plan: Divide your tasks into smaller, monthly goals. For example, you could focus on one room or area each month. This way, you can give each space the attention it deserves without feeling rushed. Or better yet, you can use my yearly cleaning template to keep all your cleaning organized on a single page

Set Realistic Goals: Be realistic about what you can achieve each month. Some tasks may require more time and effort than others, so plan accordingly. 

Creating time limits or daily/weekly goals keeps the challenge from feeling overwhelming.

For example:

The 20-Minute Rule: Dedicate just 20 minutes each day to the cleaning challenge. Set a timer, and everyone can stop once the buzzer goes off.

Weekend Clean-Ups: Choose one weekend each month as the designated “deep-clean” time.

Goal-Oriented Challenges: For instance, “This month, let’s clear out one whole closet!”

Setting up these manageable time frames helps prevent burnout and keeps the family motivated.

Delegate and Involve the Family: If possible, involve your family members in cleaning. Assign age-appropriate tasks to children and share the workload.

Assigning age-appropriate tasks helps the challenge feel inclusive and manageable.

Younger Kids: Tasks like dusting, sorting toys, and organizing their personal spaces.

Pre-teens: Cleaning windows, wiping surfaces, and organizing shared spaces.

Teens: Deeper cleaning, like vacuuming and mopping, as well as organizing storage areas.

Adults: Focus on high-impact tasks like decluttering, deep cleaning carpets, and tackling outdoor chores.

Letting everyone choose their tasks from a pre-approved list can be a great way to encourage participation.

Celebrate Your Progress: Don't forget to acknowledge your accomplishments. Celebrate each completed monthly goal to stay motivated throughout the year.

Organizing your annual cleaning tasks can be a game-changer when you involve the entire family. Not only does it lighten the load, but it also fosters a sense of unity and shared responsibility within the household.

A good idea is to turn cleaning tasks into a 'Cleaning Challenge.' Assign point values to tasks and encourage family members to earn points by completing their chores. This adds a fun competitive edge and ensures everyone is actively participating.

My girls love stickers, when I do this at home they  earn stickers for completing individual tasks, and when we all finish we “unlock” a reward, like going to the zoo or just having icecream and going to the park together.

Here are a few fun ideas:

Themes: Pick a theme for each month (e.g., “Spring Sparkle” for April, “Fall Fresh” for October).

Challenges: Add mini-challenges like “Who can find the oldest item in the pantry” or “Who can fold clothes the fastest.”

Family Rewards: At the end of the challenge, celebrate with a fun family activity, like a picnic, a movie night, or a trip to the zoo.

You can even create a family scrapbook or photo album of before-and-after pictures to celebrate each year’s progress. Over time, this annual cleaning challenge can become a cherished family tradition that keeps the home organized and creates lasting memories.

The Clutter-Free companion Kit can be the perfect tool to help you with your decluttering journey

Decluttering is also a crucial part of a yearly cleaning challenge. Encourage each family member to go through their personal belongings to find items they no longer need. Set up a “donate” bin for things you’ll give away and a “recycle” bin for items that need to be discarded. My Decluttering challenge template is perfect for this.

Tip: Have a “one in, one out” rule – for every new item brought into the home, one must go. This keeps  clutter in check throughout the year.

By the way, do you already have your Free cleaning binder? grab it here.

Please let me know if you have comments, share them with me at: hello@natsikoworkshop.com

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