Are you having trouble keeping your home clean and would like to get into the habit of keeping it clean? To begin a cleaning routine, you will need to make some changes and take some first steps that are going to get you moving in the right direction.

To help you through the initial period, we have put together this article on how to get started. Most people who begin an exercise regimen do not stick with it. The same is true of those who start diets. This doesn’t have to be true of you as you begin your cleaning routine for your home.

Set Time Aside

The first step is to determine how much time you will need for cleaning. You may pick half an hour or an hour a day, but give yourself a reasonable amount of time that you believe will be enough for you to make the kind of impact you are hoping for.

Once you have scheduled in some time during your day, it will be easier to make sure that the cleaning gets done. You can schedule time for the morning or the evening or whenever it is most convenient for you. Consider your schedule and what you are likely to be able to do. Also think of how you feel during different times of the day. Some people are very productive at night but move sluggishly first thing in the morning. Other people are very motivated first thing in the day but get tired quickly in the evening and don’t feel like doing anything at that time.

Consider all of this and set aside the most appropriate time for your cleaning. As you start cleaning, you may need to make some adjustments to the amount of time you give yourself as well as the time of day that you have picked.

Get the Tools You Need

It would be a shame to plan to do some cleaning and then find out as you start that you don’t have everything you need. Before you begin your cleaning for the week, take time to go through your cleaning supplies and ensure that you have everything you will need. You may not have much cleaning solution left or you may need to replace some of your tools.

If you have what you need on hand, you will be more likely to complete the work and not be hindered. We recommend updating old tools with newer ones that work better and buying powerful and appropriate cleaning solutions for each type of cleaning you will be doing.

There are some homemade cleaning solutions you can use as well, if you want to save money or you need to replace a missing cleaner quickly. Many of these use ingredients like baking soda, dish soap, water, and lemon juice to clean effectively.

List Out the Chores You Need to Complete

The next thing to do to begin a home cleaning routine is to write down everything that needs to be done. Put the list of chores on your phone or on a piece of paper- whichever is more convenient and will allow you to see it easily.

You may want to break the work down room by room, listing out everything needed to be done for the living room and then a separate list for the kitchen, and so on. This will help you to stay organized. We suggest checking off each item as you get it done, as that will give you a sense of accomplishment.

If you feel like the work will be too much for you, which can happen as you start to list everything out, then you should consider hiring a professional service for efficient cleaning in San Francisco. It may be helpful to have someone do some of the harder chores or the ones that will take a long time to complete.

Assign Chores to Others

If there are other people living with you in the home, like children, your spouse, or roommate, then you can give them some of the chores to do as well. You can write the name of each person by the chores they are supposed to do for convenience and order’s sake.

To make this work well, take time to talk to whoever you are asking to help with the chores. Ask them which chores they would like to do and then portion out the work fairly. Try not to put too much work on yourself, and make sure that others are doing their fair share. It can be helpful to take on some of the more unpleasant chores yourself to get someone else to pitch in on the nicer chores. That way you are more likely to get some help. Once they see that you are willing to do the stuff no one else wants to do, they may feel convicted that they should pitch in.

Begin Quickly

The last step is to stop planning and start doing. The longer you put off the housework, the less likely you are to do it at all. Just start working on the next day you have the opportunity to do it, and work at the time you have scheduled for yourself. Maybe you won’t get all the work done in a day that you thought you would, but just starting the housework is an accomplishment in itself.

How do you ensure that you stick with it? You should adjust the cleaning schedule so that you are not overwhelmed. You should also give yourself a chance to rest when you need to, but don’t take more than one day off, if it can be helped.

You can also be accountable to other people in the household, letting them know that you intend to have so much for the house cleaned by a certain day. This will keep you motivated and make sure that you are not likely to make excuses for why you can’t do the work. We hope this helps as you embark on a journey of regular housecleaning.