With work, school, and my family, my house is not often super tidy. In fact, if someone were to drop by without at least 30-45 minutes notice I would probably die of embarrassment at the state of the house. Most of the problem is clutter — too many toys, too much laundry, and too much random, useless stuff that we’ve never found a place for. Over the next few weeks I will be organizing each room in my house one by one, throwing out or donating anything we don’t use, and thoroughly deep cleaning. Life is pretty crazy, so I’ve put together a day by day plan to keep me on track. I’ll update my progress weekly to keep myself accountable.

Week One:

• April 20: Hang/fold “clean laundry mountain”
• April 21: Hang/fold “clean laundry mountain”
• April 22: Hang/fold “clean laundry mountain”(yes, sadly this is probably a 3 day task–the clean laundry mountain has taken over my guest room AND my bathroom!)
• April 23: Get rid of any unwanted/unused clothes/shoes (adults)
• April 24: Get rid of any unwanted/unused clothes/shoes (kids), box any hand-me-downs
• April 25: Box half of the kid’s toys for storage (we need to start rotating toys), move the majority of toys from the loft to the kids’ rooms
• April 26: Clean/organize boy’s room, make sure crib is ready for Jonah to start sleeping in it.

Week Two:

• April 27: Clean/organize my office, get rid of clutter
• April 28: Organize all bookshelves, donate anything we won’t read again, move knick-knacks into storage.
• April 29: Organize movie shelves, get rid of anything on them that’s not a movie
• April 30: Move as many game systems/electronics onto higher shelves as possible, hide wires/outlets from kids as best as possible
• May 1: clean/reorganize Kinsey’s closet
• May 2: organize Kinsey’s desk/bookshelf, get rid of clutter, finish decorating and hang new lights
• May 3: Vacuum entire house

Week Three:

• May 4: Organize my closet, move long-term and holiday storage to attic
• May 5: De-clutter my bathroom cabinets, throw away anything we don’t use
• May 6: Clean showers, deep clean baby tub and toys
• May 7: Clean toilets (or give hubby a back massage to do it — this is my least favorite chore), clean bathroom mirrors and counters
• May 8: Clean bathroom and kitchen sinks, and kitchen counters/stove, and microwave
• May 9: Clean/organize laundry room, move all plastic drawers to garage for tools (any leftovers go to kids’ closets), no clutter on shelves
• May 10: Throw away any trash in the garage, wash all laundry in garage

Week Four:

• May 11: Move holiday storage back to the attic, organize tools, vacuum mats and wipe down workout equipment. Sweep off the concrete.
• May 12: Move garbage/recycling bins to backyard
• May 13: Organize guest room, move all storage to attic or hall closet, wash sheets/remake bed, no laundry or clutter
• May 14: Dust all fans and lamps
• May 15: Clean out pantry, clean any counter-top appliances, put as many away as possible
• May 16: Clean out fridge and freezer
• May 17: Vacuum entire house

Week Five:

• May 18: Create/update Excel spreadsheet to better track finances
• May 19: Clean/organize walk-in hall closet, move any long term storage to the attic, move any food storage into this closet
• May 20: Organize linen closets, get rid of clutter, donate any sheets/towels we don’t use anymore
• May 21: Organize kids’ and guest bathroom cabinets
• May 22: Find a dedicated spot for all crafting supplies (including sewing machine)
• May 23: Put hampers in all bathrooms, trash can in loft, clean or replace any existing trash cans
• May 24: Pack up Jonah’s bassinet, move rocker out of my room (I’m so not ready for this…but he’ll be 3 months by then!)

I’m excited to have a truly clean house! I tried to save the biggest items for after finals, so this should be a realistic plan to get the house ready to entertain. After I’m done, I’ll create a weekly chore list so I don’t find myself at the end of the week behind on laundry, dishes, and who knows what else.

Are you doing any spring cleaning? Do you follow a specific schedule for chores so you don’t get behind?