The 5 key benefits of having a cleaning schedule
Many of us live busier lives than ever.
The demands on us can range from work, home life, parenting, social commitments, hobbies, and more, not to mention our efforts to stay fit.
As studies have shown that our space can have a profound impact on our mental and physical health, it’s also important to stay on top of cleanliness.
But how can this be achieved when there is so much to juggle? A cleaning program can help.
Whether you’re a strictly organized person who loves lists, projects, and ‘checking off’ items when they’re complete, or more relaxed, scheduling your cleaning can have many benefits.
We’ve rounded up some of the best below.
Keep you from feeling overwhelmed
There are few feelings more exhausting than coming home with a mountain of laundry or cleaning, or finishing chores only to find that things are back to the way they were a few hours later.
At such times, it can be easy to get discouraged and even overwhelmed.
Having a cleaning routine helps prevent this. You know that things will work out even if it’s not right away, because you’ve already set aside some time to deal with it. It will also help ensure that nothing gets too out of control, as this is addressed regularly.
We probably know from our own experience that the longer we leave a mess, the bigger it gets. Cleaning routines help tackle this slowly but surely, so things stay manageable.
Minimizes ‘decision fatigue’
New studies show that all daily decisions incur an energy cost in the brain. What happens when we have too many decisions to make in the day, even small ones, is that we can develop ‘decision fatigue’.
Decision fatigue can feel exactly like it does. We are simply faced with too many decisions until ultimately too little is done.
The way to combat this is to somehow take the decision out of our hands. If we have already allotted time to clean, we don’t have to decide to do it again the next day. We already know that this is what we have planned.
Assigning cleaning to a specific day or time that works for us and trying to stick to it reduces the fatigue of the daily decision of wondering whether to clean or not.
Can be easily delegated
A cleaning schedule will help illuminate exactly what needs to be done and how often. Once you know this, you’ll be in a position to share the load.
Partners, children and other family members or roommates everyone can get involved. You might even consider making it an event with a friend, like returning the favor at her house the following week.
Even if you do the cleaning yourself, having a schedule ensures that you can spread out the work sensibly throughout the week, so you never give yourself too much to do.
it becomes routine
Cleaning can feel like an unwanted chore or obligation if it interrupts us.
We may have settled in for a movie night with friends or a well-deserved rest after work when we notice that surfaces are dusty, for example.
Having to get up and start cleaning when we’re already tired or had other plans can make the process feel like punishment. The results we get can even be sloppier.
A cleaning schedule helps ensure that cleaning doesn’t infringe on your free time or disrupt things. You know when it’s going to be done, and you can even enjoy a reward afterwards!
it is more efficient
Our time is precious. We want to obtain the best results in the shortest possible time, with the minimum of effort.
One of the best ways to accomplish this is with professional cleaners, but a cleaning schedule can go a long way if you take care of the cleaning yourself.
A cleaning schedule helps ensure that our cleaning is efficient. We are less likely to repeat areas or forget when things were last covered.
We can also use a program to keep track of things that need to be done only periodically, like deep cleaning carpets or mattresses.
With a little initial effort, even a simple cleaning program can help keep us efficient, effective, and in check.