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You just pictured actually cleaning with a planner, didn’t you? Wipe, wipe! Actually, I want to show you how I keep track of my cleaning with a planner. Passover is right around the corner, and it’s a great time to work a bit harder and get a good cleaning system into place.

I believe I have a few redeeming qualities, things I’m good at, but cleaning thoroughly and consistently is not one of them. I desire a clean home, but I have to work for it. I have discovered that having a measurable way to track what needs clean works well for me. When I look around my home, I can see obvious mess, but remembering that the floor hasn’t been mopped in three weeks probably isn’t going to happen. Here’s the system I use.

Track by room

I have tried several ways to break up the cleaning jobs. Some people like to do all the vacuuming on Tuesday, for example. Another method is to list all the little jobs and tackle some of them each day. I used a phone app called Tody that worked well for this. The only problem with breaking everything up into small jobs, is that you never really see a room completely clean all at once.

I have decided that my brain likes to clean by room. I like going into a room, putting in some time, and seeing a finished job. I also like that my family notices when I clean a whole room. I recently super cleaned the front hall, and it was so fun to watch their gasping faces as they walked in the front door. I think they might have secretly wondered if they were in the right house.

I created a list of jobs that need to be done in each room of my home. This does not include daily jobs like washing the dishes. This is specific to cleaning jobs like mopping and cleaning any cobwebs.

Now, let’s take a look at how I use my planner to make all this happen.

List your jobs

My Torah Family Living planner has gridded pages in the notes section. This is what I use for my cleaning pages. I put my rooms in the order I want to clean them, as follows:

• kitchen
• laundry room
• living room
• master bedroom
• kids’ rooms
• bathrooms
• office
• stairs and front hall
• seasonal (porch, checking propane, etc.)

I clean one room on any given day, and then the next day I am able to devote 30-60 minutes to cleaning, I tackle the next room on the list. If I go shopping, I may not feel up to cleaning a whole room, but that’s okay. I’ll just tackle the next room on the next day. I’m able to get through the whole house in about two weeks. Then I start again at the first room.

Track in your planner

In my planner, each room gets one of the gridded note pages, in the order I listed them above. At the top of the page, I write the room. Then, each box gets one job. For example, my kitchen page has the following jobs.

• clean stove
• clean fridge
• clean freezer
• mop
• wipe small appliances
• clean wire shelves
• pantry
• long counter
• cobwebs
• glass door and windows
• dishrack

Your jobs will probably look different than mine, because they will be specific to your house. Here’s where this system works great. Today, I will be cleaning my kitchen. The last time I was in the kitchen, I put a little date in the box of each job I actually completed. I didn’t get to everything. This time through, I will do my best to get the jobs done that didn’t get done before. I didn’t get to the fridge or freezer last time, so I’ll be starting there. Tracking everything in your planner with dates allows you to get everything clean, but you don’t have to panic if every job doesn’t get done every time. Just start with the missed jobs the next time through.

I keep a bookmark in my planner in the cleaning section. I just move it along so I know what room is up next for cleaning.

Cleaning for Passover

When you are getting your home ready for Passover, this system can help you get ready without feeling overwhelmed. Just keep working through your cycle of rooms as usual, making an extra effort with the vacuuming and sweeping. Once you get within a few weeks of Passover, start forbidding food anywhere but the kitchen. Then, you can actually mark rooms yeast free and ready for Passover.

Torah Sisters has adorable door hangers you can print and hang on the rooms that are clean and ready to go.

May you be blessed as you learn to effectively clean your home. I hope this simple planner tracking system will help you create a haven for your family.