Getting Started: The Basic Housework Rotation
Housework is something that is never done. Even if we do a massive cleaning twice a year, as our mothers and grandmothers did, we still need to keep up with the work in between.
Back in the days of coal or wood heat, and before the days of automatic washing machines, it was necessary to do a massive cleaning twice a year. The walls and floors had to be cleaned of the film left by the impure heating materials, and the bedding and rugs were never cleaned otherwise. The effort it took to clean these items was such that it could only be done infrequently.
Why Rotate?
Since we no longer have these conditions, thanks to furnaces, vacuum cleaners and automatic washers, it is no longer a major effort to clean items. However, if we wait until things get really dirty, we will end up putting in major amounts of effort to clean them (Cleaning: Little and Often) By setting up a household rotation, you can clean a little at a time, and never end up doing a major cleaning effort.
A cleaning rotation is such that you clean deeply a little bit at a time, and catch the dirt before it gets out of hand.
The theory behind the rotation is that we take into account the spaces we maintain, and how heavily they are used. Some areas, like the kitchen, will require more effort due to the amount and type of use it receives, than a storage closet. Then we decide how much time to devote to each area, balancing the cleaning effort with the time in between cleanings.
Flylady has a pre-set rotation set up. She assigns an area of the house to each week in the calendar month. I have also seen 10 and 13 week rotations, where you touch each area of the house four times a year.
How Do I Set Up A Rotation?
List Rooms
The first thing to do is sit down with a piece of paper and list all of your rooms. This includes storage areas and small single-purpose rooms (like laundry rooms).
My list is as follows: front entry, music room, dining room, hallway, coat closet, powder room, game room, great room, kitchen, butler pantry/storage, kitchen (including pantry), and laundry closet. Upstairs is the guest room, second bath, daughter’s room, office, master bedroom, master bath, master toilet and cat room (this is a storage closet that holds the litter boxes and needs frequent cleaning).
Decide on Level of Effort Required
Some rooms are going to require more effort than others to clean. My kitchen needs more done to it than my formal dining room. The guest room needs less maintenance than the office.
Here are my levels:
- High: kitchen/pantry, powder room, second bath, master toilet, master bath, master bedroom, cat room
- Medium: daughter’s room, office, laundry, great room, front porch
- Low: front entry, music room, dining room, hallway, coat closet, game room, butler pantry/storage, guest room
Decide on a 5/10/13 Rotation
Grouping your rooms should present a picture of rotation (and don’t be afraid to try one and then change!). The rooms should be sub-grouped based on location and effort, to give you an idea.
Looking at my high list above, I see that the three bathrooms are there; however, it doesn’t take me more than 15 minutes to completely clean the smaller bathrooms or the master toilet. The master bath, master bedroom and cat room are all connected. I can see that I have three groupings there.
I also know that doing a 13 week rotation, for me, does not give me any slack. With a monthly rotation, if I don’t get to something, I know I will get back to it in a few weeks. This gives me a cushion to have an off day without the guilt that I won’t get back to something in a small amount of time.
This is how my rotation works out:
- Week 1: Front entry, dining room, music room, hallway, coat closet
- Week 2: Kitchen/pantry, butler’s pantry, laundry
- Week 3: Bathroom/toilet rooms (2 days), daughter’s room or office (3 days)
- Week 4: master bath, master bedroom, cat room
- Week 5: great room, game room, guest room
The first and fifth weeks of the calendar are sometimes partial weeks, and sometimes full. I do what I can, and pick up on my lists where I left off the next month.
Next Time: How To Decide on What Needs to Be Done In Each Room
Photo by frader
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader or email.
![[Valid RSS]](/images/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed")
[...] my scheme to keep things clean, I work daily on my rotation (Getting Started: The Basic Housework Rotation), but there are things that need to be kept up with more [...]