Having a good plan and an organized routine is helpful in many different aspects of life – especially cleaning. Whether you’re talking about personal cleaning or professional cleaning, implementing a schedule will lead you toward success. Are you wondering how?
A cleaning schedule and routine is essential because it increases structure and organization, prevents tasks from building up, encourages participation from others, and has a higher efficiency level.
Let’s learn more about the importance of a cleaning schedule by discussing each of these benefits in both a personal and professional environment!
Personal Cleaning
When it comes to personal cleaning, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with all of the tasks you feel like you need to complete. This can be magnified if you have other people or animals in your home as well. Without having a plan written out, things can feel completely chaotic.
The structure and organization that having a written-out schedule provide is one of the most important reasons you should implement a cleaning plan and routine. In a unique cleaning environment, this schedule can look different for every individual/family. No matter what type of schedule you end up with, the outcome should know what chores need to be done and when they will be completed. This feeling of structure and organization will immediately reduce some of the stress that can surround cleaning.
The following reason having a cleaning schedule is important is that it prevents tasks from building up. Sometimes when specific responsibilities are neglected, there’s an overwhelming amount to do by the time we get around to completing them. For example, think about the last time you had company over. Did you have to do a bit of tidying up, or did you have to dedicate a whole day to clean your entire home? If you answered with the latter, implementing a cleaning schedule that includes routine maintenance will prevent this from happening again.
In addition to organization and the prevention of task build-up, a cleaning schedule in your personal life encourages the participation of others. There is one circumstance this doesn’t apply to, and that would be those of you who live alone. (That is unless you want to get your cat involved).
Whether you have roommates, a partner, or children in the same home as you – they should be helping! Creating a cleaning schedule with an organized plan and routine will allow everyone to understand their responsibilities. This will ensure that all household tasks are not falling on one person, and it will prevent any future tensions about who was supposed to do what. Instead, each member of the household will be held accountable for the routine they agreed upon.
Now, let’s talk about efficiency. Putting a cleaning schedule into action is essential if you want to automatically increase the level of efficiency at which household tasks are completed. This is due to the reasons discussed above, and more!
Check out this article to know some of the most effective cleaning tips that are eco-friendly.
Here are a couple of examples of what increased efficiency can look like:
Example 1
You usually do laundry randomly, as needed. This can result in a few loads a week due to poor planning of what is being washed. Now that you’ve implemented a cleaning schedule and established that you would only do laundry on Wednesdays, you’ve started to plan accordingly to ensure you have the appropriate clothing pieces washed each week. This has resulted in less time spent on this task (leaving more time for other tasks and/or free time), less money spent on laundry supplies/utilities, and reduced stress from not having the desired clothing ready when you need it.
Example 2
You hate washing dishes, but after following your cleaning schedule for a few weeks, you realize that the reason you dislike this task is that in the past, you’ve always let dishes pile up too much. Whenever this happened, the chore would feel so large and daunting! It actually would end up taking you twice as long as needed to complete – not only because of how large the pile would get but also because your negative feelings would cause you to drag while working on it. Now that you’ve started doing the dishes more frequently, you’re enjoying smaller amounts to clean, along with the drive to move at a faster pace.
Now that you understand the importance of a cleaning schedule in your personal life let’s review the benefits for someone providing professional cleaning services.
Professional Cleaning Services
In a professional setting, things can get even more complicated. You’re now looking at a space you aren’t familiar with, and there are so many things that need to be done. Where should you start?!
To prevent feeling overwhelmed, planning out a cleaning schedule will significantly improve your mindset and execution. Like personal cleaning, writing your plan down will help you feel more prepared to accomplish your goal. If you’re offering professional cleaning services, it’s a great idea to have a standard to-do list that you can refer to each time you have a new project. While your tasks may vary slightly depending on circumstance, having a list like this will help you ensure you never forget anything.
Sometimes your services may need to be completed in a few days (or less)! Is it possible for tasks to still build up in this short amount of time? The answer is… yes! This is another reason a cleaning schedule is essential. Without a structured plan and routine, it’s possible to overlook something that needs to be done or not give a task the appropriate amount of time that it actually needs. No one likes the feeling of scrambling at the last minute, and this can be easily prevented by making a schedule to help you prioritize.
Now let’s talk about how a cleaning schedule encourages the participation of others. This looks different in a professional environment than it does in a personal environment. If you’re offering professional services, a cleaning schedule is a great way to delegate tasks. Delegation is crucial for any business – no one can do everything on their own!
To do this successfully, you should look at your standard list of everything that needs to be done and assign tasks to each person involved in the process. This is helpful in more ways than one. Not only will you be confident that the project will be completed according to the expected timeline, but your staff or coworkers will be confident knowing their designated responsibilities. Having a structured plan will make everyone feel more at ease.
Finally, onto efficiency! You and your staff/coworkers will notice a rewarding increase in efficiency after enforcing a routine. We saw what this looks like when it comes to personal cleaning, but how does it look in a professional environment? The scenarios below demonstrate two examples of the importance of a cleaning schedule for professionals:
Example 1
You and your team are almost done with a two-day project. You start packing things up to leave – but after one final walk-through, you realize you forgot to dust and clean the vents. Instead of panicking, the team can quickly complete this duty with the extra time saved by efficiently delegating tasks for the past day and a half. To further increase efficiency, you add cleaning the vents onto your standard cleaning schedule to prevent this oversight from happening in the future.
Example 2
Your coworker has called off, and now you have a home to clean all by yourself. You realize that this could be an excellent time to implement the cleaning schedule and plan you recently made up but haven’t used yet. In some of the time you have before the project begins, you review the routine and even add a few specific details. Instead of feeling nervous and overwhelmed when you step inside the home, you feel confident and productive. The organized schedule, along with the positive attitude that stemmed from it, have you set up to succeed – and you do!
You’re going to be so relieved by the increased organization, discontinuation of overwhelming build-up, helpful participation of others, and boost in overall efficiency that comes from creating a cleaning schedule. Remember, it’s okay to tweak your routine as needed until you have the perfect plan for everyone involved. Now that you’ve discovered the importance of both a personal and professional cleaning schedule, it’s time to go ahead and create your own!
Check out this article to know if a cleaning business is profitable or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cleaning products are essential?
This comes down to personal preference to an extent. Still, some of the most essential cleaning products include a broom, a mop (or mop variation), cleaning wipes, surface cleaner, bathroom cleaner, dish soap, window cleaner, and your preferred tools such as sponges or towels.
How do I know when something is fully clean?
The best way to tell if something is clean is to make sure there is no longer any residue being picked up on your sponge, towel, or any tool you are using. If you still see dust or other remnants, it’s safe to say it isn’t clear yet.
What are the benefits of a clean environment?
A clean environment has many benefits. Aside from the positive feeling of being in a tidy space, you also keep yourself (and others) safe by maintaining cleanliness. Reduced dust and pet hair mean fewer allergies, and clean surfaces mean less germ exposure!
To learn more on how to start your own cleaning business, check out my startup documents here.
Please note that the contents of this blog are for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Any action taken based on the information provided in this blog is solely at your own risk. Additionally, all images used in this blog are generated under the CC0 license of Creative Commons, which means they are free to use for any purpose without attribution.
About the author. Entrepreneur and Cleaning Business Fan.
Hi! I am Shawn and I am a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online cleaning business resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a cleaning business owner, I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to retain clients, find good employees and keep the business growing all while trying to stay competitive.
That’s why I created Cleaning Business Boss: I want to help cleaning business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.
