Keeping Your Home a Sanctuary

"Hi, I am a perfect domestic goddess and LOVE cleaning and keeping my house in mint condition." NOT.
That is so not me, and out of all my girlfriends, I know very few who enjoy cleaning. It can be a serious struggle to keep your house feeling like a romantic, cozy, inviting place. Whether you are a stay at home wife/mom, work full time, part time or some of the time-we're all busy and dishes pile up, dust collects, and things get messy. Despite those things, I believe that it is important to keep your home a sanctuary. This is where I come at the end of the day to escape it all. This is where my husband and I share loving memories and quiet moments. To keep the cleaning from feeling overwhelming, I try to follow a daily, weekly and monthly schedule. I may not like the process, but I love the result.

For those of you who don't know, I am a list fanatic. If it isn't written on a list, it probably will not get done. So for you scatter brained list addicts like myself, Queen Martha has shared her printable cleaning lists via her blog. 

You can find them here.

Here is what works for me: 

Daily

Make bed 

Pick up/fold/hang up clothes

Clean as you cook 

File incoming mail

Dishes after dinner

Sweep floors 

"Tidy" main living areas 

(fold blankets, put away shoes and clutter, "reset" coffee table decor)

Weekly

Clean bathrooms (at least the ones that are used daily)

Launder/change sheets, towels, bath mats etc

Laundry 

Dust

Vacuum/dust vents

Vacuum/Mop floors

Empty all trash cans

Wipe all mirrors

Wipe down windows 

Vacuum upholstered furniture

Disgard old magazines from end tables

Go through fridge and toss as necessary 

Clean counters/kitchen surfaces/appliances/microwave

Twice a year

Clean fridge 

Clean pantry 

Clean oven

Flip mattresses 

Wipe baseboards
Deep clean windows inside and out

How do you approach the daunting task of keeping your home clean? I'd love to hear what works for you.