For years, I used a cleaning service, and honestly, it was a lifesaver for myself and for my family during that season of life. Full schedules, kids at home, constant coming and going…outside help felt like such a gift!
But as an empty nester, I realized….we’re in an entirely different season now and well, I just don’t feel like outside help is still warranted. The expense used to feel more like a necessity than a luxury, and it started to feel like a luxury that was really just a huge waste of funds. My husband left this decision up to me because he’s always traveled for his job, and he was more than happy to just keep using our cleaning service.
But I actually really enjoy cleaning. I find it cathartic. An audio book in my ears while using my hands to make our home sparkle? That’s my kind of therapy! I really only ever hired a cleaning service because I don’t function well in messy environments, and as a work from home mom, I didn’t have the time required to maintain the level of clean I wanted for our home.
So last fall, after my college kids were both back in school, I made the decision to stop using our cleaning service. And I noticed fairly quickly that I was in rather desperate need of a schedule, a routine…a cleaning rhythm.
I found myself cleaning so randomly. A little here. A little there. It wasn’t terrible, but I just felt like there had to be a better way to tackle cleaning my home.
So I did what I almost always do when I’m feeling stuck: I asked my Instagram community!
I asked for tips, routines, and schedules….and the response was incredibly helpful! So many great ideas, small but significant tweaks, and reminders that cleaning doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing to be effective.
Using all the input, I put together a simple weekly and monthly cleaning schedule that finally gave me the rhythm I’d been missing.
So far this new schedule seems to be working out pretty well for me. There’s something truly magical about waking up to a clean bathroom on a Monday morning! And I really love keeping my Fridays easy and my Saturdays free and clear!
The one task you don’t see on the schedule is laundry, which honestly used to be my biggest battle (and was something I never outsourced). But years ago when I mentioned that I was drowning in dirty laundry my sister-in-law told me what works for her is doing small loads every day, and that little tip has pretty much changed my life.
By the way, this laundry detergent has made doing laundry feel like a luxury experience!
All in all, this new season of life called for a reset, a reevaluation, and a little help from my internet friends…and I’m so glad I asked! Asking for help was the key to finding my rhythm again.
What season are you in right now when it comes to cleaning your home? I’d love to hear ~ what’s one small cleaning habit that’s working for you?
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