How To Create a Cleaning Schedule for Working Moms

If you’re a working mom (or just a busy woman in general), you know that cleaning your house can often feel like an impossible task. Between work, taking care of your family, managing school activities, and making sure there’s dinner on the table, it can be difficult to find time to clean—let alone do it effectively.

But here’s the good news: you don’t have to spend hours each day scrubbing floors and wiping down counters. With a little planning and some intentional routines, it’s totally possible to keep your house looking tidy without feeling overwhelmed.

In this post, I’ll share tips and strategies to create a cleaning schedule that works for busy moms like you. By following a few simple steps, you’ll have a home that feels organized and stress-free—even on your busiest days.

1. Identify Your Priorities

Before you can set up a cleaning routine, it’s important to figure out what your cleaning priorities are. Do you care more about your house being tidy or about deep cleaning? There’s a difference, and recognizing what matters most to you will help guide your cleaning schedule.

For some moms, clutter is the biggest issue. If the kitchen counter is full of mail and school papers, it can make the entire house feel messy. For others, the deep cleaning aspects, like vacuuming and dusting, might be more important. Understanding what bothers you the most will help you create a realistic schedule that works for your lifestyle.

Is your priority to

Get all dishes washed after meal times.
Sweep the kitchen floor on a daily basis,
Get a load of laundry done every other day.
Get clutter off your kitchen counters.

Sp, figure out what you need to get done first, and add that to your cleaning routine!

2. Divide the Workload

One of the biggest mistakes busy moms make is taking on all the cleaning themselves. If you’re lucky enough to have a partner, family members, or roommates, don’t be afraid to delegate! Dividing the cleaning tasks can make a huge difference in how much time you spend on chores.

Sit down with your partner (or kids) and talk about what tasks each of you will take on. If you both work full-time, consider splitting things up based on who is home more during the week. If you’re a single mom, it’s still important to get your kids involved in the cleaning process. Even young kids can help with simple tasks like putting away toys, folding laundry, or wiping down counters.

3. Start With the Basics: Tidy and Clean the Kitchen Every Night

The kitchen is the heart of your home, and it’s also one of the most visible rooms. A messy kitchen can make the entire house feel chaotic, so make it a habit to clean it every night. This doesn’t mean deep cleaning, but just tidying up the dishes and wiping down the counters.

One of the easiest ways to stay on top of this is by running the dishwasher every night. After dinner, load up the dirty dishes, run the cycle, and let them dry overnight. You can unload them in the morning while you make breakfast, or have the kids do it after school. This simple habit keeps your kitchen looking organized and prevents dishes from piling up.

4. Laundry: One Load a Day Keeps the Pile at Bay

Laundry is one of those never-ending tasks that seems to pile up no matter how often you do it. But with a simple system, you can keep it under control. The secret is to do a load of laundry every day, or every other day!

I am not a fan of starting a wash and then getting to fold the clothes when you get home from work! I like to do a wash from start to finish in one go! Figure out how long it’s going to take you to do a wash from start to finish. So say for example, a normal wash on your washing machine takes 45 minutes, and then your dryer takes the same amount, you will need 90 minutes to get a wash done. Now, remember you won’t be doing laundry for 90 minutes, in reality, you will need maybe 10 minutes to fold and put away clothes, and that’s it! Have your kids help out by folding their own clothes or sorting socks. It’s an easy way to get everyone involved without overwhelming yourself. If you have teens in the house, they should be doing their own laundry, even the littles can help with this chore!

The goal is to stay on top of it so you are not waiting until the weekend to do all of your laundry!

5. Take Five Minutes to Tidy Before Bed

A quick tidy-up before bed can work wonders. Set a timer for five minutes and walk through the house, putting things away as you go. Have the kids join in, and you’ll be surprised at how much gets done in such a short time.

Focus on high-traffic areas like the living room, kitchen, and entryway. Pick up shoes, mail, toys, or anything else that’s out of place. You don’t need to do a deep clean, just make things look neater and more organized. This simple habit helps you wake up to a tidy home and sets you up for a smoother morning.

6. Tackle One Big Task a Day

If you try to do everything in one day, you’ll quickly burn out. Instead, focus on one big cleaning task each day. Here’s a sample schedule you can follow:

Monday: Dust and wipe down surfaces.
Tuesday: Vacuum the main areas of your home.
Wednesday: Clean bathrooms (sink, toilet, and shower).
Thursday: Mop floors or clean baseboards.
Friday: Change the bed linens and do a quick declutter of the bedroom.
Saturday: Tidy up the playroom or family room, vacuum, and organize toys.
Sunday: Catch up on any missed tasks and give yourself a break!

By breaking things up like this, you’ll keep your house clean without spending an entire day on chores.

7. Choose Your Best Cleaning Time

Some moms are morning people, and others do their best work at night. If you’re a morning person, try waking up 15 to 30 minutes earlier to get a jump-start on cleaning before the rest of the family wakes up. You could unload the dishwasher, wipe down the kitchen counters, or do a quick sweep of the floors.

If you’re not a morning person, that’s okay too! Schedule your cleaning tasks for after work when you have more energy. Having a set time for cleaning each day will make it easier to stay on track. Use your time wisely, so while the dinner is cooking, you could be sweeping the kitchen floor or filling up the dishwasher!

8. Use Small Pockets of Time

Sometimes, you don’t have a full 30 minutes to clean. But you’d be amazed at how much you can get done in smaller pockets of time. Use those moments while dinner is cooking, your kids are doing homework, or even during commercial breaks to clean up a small area.

For example, use five minutes while you wait for your coffee to brew to wipe down your bathroom sink. Or, while your kids are watching TV, quickly vacuum the entryway. These little cleaning bursts add up and will help you stay on top of things without feeling overwhelmed.

9. Power Hour: A Quick Burst of Cleaning

If you have a bit more time, try a Power Hour. This is a cleaning technique where you set a timer for one hour, put on your favorite tunes or a podcast, and tackle as many tasks as you can. It’s amazing how much you can accomplish in just an hour, especially when you’re focused and motivated.

If you’re feeling really ambitious, try scheduling two Power Hours each week. Afterward, reward yourself with a relaxing treat (a cup of tea or your favorite show) as a reward for all your hard work.

10. Be Flexible with Your Schedule

Life doesn’t always go as planned, and that’s okay. There will be days when you don’t have time to clean, or your kids are home sick, or you just need a break. Don’t beat yourself up over it. The key is to be flexible and not let missed cleaning days derail your entire routine.

If something doesn’t get done one day, simply add it to your list for tomorrow or the weekend. Don’t feel like you have to do everything perfectly. As long as you’re consistent with your cleaning habits, your home will stay tidy and organized.

Master Your Cleaning Schedule

Creating a cleaning schedule as a working mom doesn’t need to be complicated or stressful. The key is consistency, delegation, and focusing on the tasks that make the biggest impact. With a few simple strategies and a little planning, you can keep your home clean and organized, even with a busy schedule.

So grab your planner, make a schedule, and get your family involved. You’ve got this!

List Your Priority Cleaning Tasks
Identify the essential cleaning tasks, such as putting away dishes or running the dishwasher each night. These should be your must-dos to maintain a clean home.

Divide and Delegate Responsibilities
Consider who in your household can help. For example, can your partner cook dinner four nights a week or assist with folding laundry? Assign tasks to lighten your load.

Focus on Impactful Kitchen Tasks
Write down three or four kitchen tasks that will make a big difference in your daily life, such as wiping down counters, putting dishes in the dishwasher, or cleaning the sink.

Assess Your Laundry Routine
Decide if doing one load of laundry each day is manageable for you. If so, determine the best time to fit it into your schedule and set an alarm for it!

Establish a Nightly Reset Routine
Choose two or three tasks to complete before bed to set your home up for the next day, like tidying the living room or clearing clutter from the kitchen.

Plan One Major Task Per Day
Assign a single big cleaning task to each day of the week, but make sure to keep Sunday free for rest and relaxation.

Identify Your Ideal Cleaning Time
Determine the time of day when you’re most productive or when cleaning fits best into your routine, and use that as your dedicated cleaning time.

Use Small Cleaning Tasks During Busy Moments
When you don’t have a lot of time, focus on small, quick tasks like wiping down a surface, sweeping the floor, or decluttering a single drawer. These small wins add up and help you make progress.

Schedule Power Hour Cleaning Sessions
Choose one or two days a week for a focused “Power Hour” cleaning session. Set a timer for one hour, decide in advance which tasks to tackle, and work through them efficiently. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish in just 60 minutes!