• Make beds.
• Sweep floors.
• Clean kitchen tables & countertops.
• Load/unload dishwasher or the old fashioned way.
• Tidy up living areas.
• Sort mail; toss junk.
• TIMESAVER::  keep a basket near the stairs to hold things that need to go to another floor.

Day 2. Family Room~if you don't have one do another room, bedroom, basement, etc. OR go on to Day 3.

• Return videos & CDs to storage area.
• Spot-clean sofas & carpeting as needed.
• Flip & rotate cushions; fold throws.
• Straighten magazines & newspapers.
• Spot-clean & dust surfaces.
• Vac/sweep family room floor.
• TIMESAVER:: Clean rooms in a clockwise pattern, starting at the door.

3.Conquer Junk!

• Clean catchall drawers & shelves by culling junk from usable items.
• Group like items, such as pens, tape, stamps & coupons.
• Use small baskets or folders to hold pens, coupons, etc.
• Give kids 5 minutes to get all their stuff to their rooms--or else!

4.Home Office

• Straighten up your bill-paying center; group things by category.
• Cull old papers from files & countertops.
• File bills, user manuals, warranties & receipts.
• Replenish supplies, such as stamps, envelopes, staples & pens, & store in one drawer or container.
• TIMESAVER:: When you open bills, immediately toss outer envelopes & inserts.

5.Basement

• Neaten basement storage area.
• Move items off the floor to pallets or shelves.
• Sweep or mop floor.
• Label boxed items.
• Check for water damage or pest infestation.

WEEKEND ONE-- ATTACK THE ATTIC!

• Tidy up, grouping like things together.
• Take quick invertory; label storage boxes.
• Make piles for tossing, donating or selling.
• Check for water damage or rodent infestation.
• Sweep or vac. surface areas.
• Schedule any necessary maintenance or repairs.
• TROUBLE SPOT:  Seal any holes in walls, roof, windows or eaves to keep out water, pests & rodents.

• Make a sweep of the liv. room with a bag or basket to hold items that go elsewhere.
• Straighten items on mantel, coffee & end tables.
• Vacuum, dry-mop or sweep floor.
• Spot-clean dirty surfaces & dust the rest.
• Wipe mirrors & TV screen w/ damp paper towel or windex (my fav)
• Straighten or flip cushions & fluff pillows

TROUBLE SPOT:

Use a dry sponge or vac. on low suction with dust-brush attachment to clean lampshades.

9. DINING ROOM

• Clear off piles of junk that have accumulated on table, then dust.
• Return clean dishes & vases to storage areas.
• Spot-clean any stains on chair covers & spray w/ stain repellent.
• Spot-clean windows & mirrors w/ damp paper towel or windex.
• Vac. or dry-mop floor.

TROUBLE SPOT:

Remove scratches from wood floors by sanding very gently with fine steel wool that has been dipped in paste wax.

10. Bathrooms

• Tidy counters; wipe down shelves & cupboard surfaces.
• Use degreasing cleanser on sink, tub & shower walls.
• Launder bath linens.
• Sanitize toilet bowl & seat cover.
• Clean sink & tub fixtures with all-purpose cleaner.

TIMESAVER: Spray tub, shower walls, & sink & move on to other chores, letting cleaner do its work.

11. Houseplants

• Transfer portable plants to kitchen or utility room counter.
• Trim or snip any dead leaves & flower heads.
• Dust or wet-wipe dirty leaves as plant -appropriate.
• Water & fertilize as needed.
• Dust & spot-clean surfaces where plants are displayed.

12. Master Bedroom

• Pick up clothes & tidy dresser & tabletops.
• Open window to freshen room.
•  Vacuum or dry-mop floor.
• Spot-clean windows & mirrors.
• Dust furniture & baseboards.
• Change linens & fluff pillows.

Weekend 2--Master Closet

• Clean off floor & straighten up shelves.
• Go thru clothes & shoes & pull out anything you don't wear or that needs repair.
• Cull unused hangers.
• Keep a dry-cleaner storage bag on a hook to stow items that need cleaning. Check it weekly to see if it's time to drop it off.
• Vac. floor & dust shelves.

Timesaver:  Either hang entire outfits together or group similar items such as skirts, tops & pants.

Another tip: Color coordinate your closet according to rainbow colors... off colors(pinks, lilacs, etc. would go w/ the color closest to them)

• Gather recipe books, binders & boxes in central location.
• Review books & move those you seldom use to another bookshelf.
• Toss clipped recipes that you haven't made or didn't like.
• Paste "keepers" onto paper sheets & file in binder.
• Flip through recipes & make grocery list for needed items for the next few weeks.

16. Refrigerator

• Toss expired products & past-prime leftovers, fruits & veggies.
• Wipe down the fridge walls, bins, shelves & gasket.. I use warm soapy water for inside, outside I use an all-purpose cleaner or Pine sol.
• Restock after grouping like things together; consider clear plastic storage bins for jams, breads or condiments.

TIMESAVER:  Clean fridge before you go shopping to better complete your grocery list.

17. Freezer

• Do a quick survey of freezer items; rearrange items, grouping like things together, such as meats, veggies, dessert items, pizzas, etc.
• Check dates on packages, & move oldest up front for next use.
• Spot-clean any spills.

TIMESAVER:  Date any new items before storing in freezer; keep a list on front of fridge of meats & leftovers to help w/ meal planning.

18.Pantry

• Remove all canned goods & spices; toss outdated items.
• Group by type or arrange in abc order.
• Use permanent marker to label & date can & jar tops.
• Wipe down shelves & replace lining if needed.
• Restock shelves, keeping like things together.

TIMESAVER:  Use plastic turntables to keep things in plain sight.

19. Bulletin Boards, Calendar, Fridge Door

• Strip items off bulletin board & fridge door, tossing old & rearranging the rest by event/family member.
• Go thru calendar & review scheduled items for this month & next.
• Compare appt. cards & invites against calendar to make sure everything is listed.
• Consider storing or recycling extra magnets.

Weekend 3--Kitchen

• Straighten countertops & tabletops.
• Spray surfaces with sanitizer, let sit, wipe & rinse.
• Survey cupboards & drawers to assess level of disorganization; rearrange & restock as needed with an eye toward storing things where they will be most handy.
• Spot-clean cupboard surfaces, doors, windows & shelves; replace shelf/drawer lining as needed.
• Vac., dry-mop or wash floor.
• Dust baseboards & cupboard fronts & tops.
• Wipe down stovetop, microwave & toaster oven.

TROUBLE SPOT:  Place 1 cup of water in microwave, can put lemon juice in water, turn on & then let warm/hot water sit & everything will soften so it can be easily wiped off w/ paper towels.

• Either tidy or supervise kids efforts to clean up rooms.
• Place a crate or box on closet floor to hold outgrown items.
• Spot-clean windows & mirrors w/ windex.
• Dust surfaces & vac. or dry-mop floors.
• Help kids organize their stuff w/ over the door storage systems or plastic crates.

TROUBLE SPOT:  Initiate a no-food rule for bedrooms.

23. Blinds

• Close blinds & firmly brush across slats w/ a treated dust wipe, lambs wool duster or disposable foam brush. Reverse slats & repeat. Or cover your hand with a cotton glove or sock & run each slat between your finger & thumb.
• Dust vertical blinds w/ dust-brush attachment on vac.
• Remove smudges & fingerprints w/ a warm damp sponge.

TIMESAVER:  If you've had these mini blinds for awhile... treat yourself... go buy new ones each time you get a room done...  My personal fav....

24. Laundry Room

• Clear top of washer & dryer.
• Wipe down surfaces; check inside surface of dryer for gum, ink or other buildup.
• Check hoses, filters & dryer ducts. Clean & repair as needed.
• Clean iron as needed.
• Vac., sweep, mop floor.
• Check supplies & make a list.

TIMESAVER:  Get hanger caddy from local dry cleaner to recycle extras.

25. Windows

• Clean window ledges & sills w/ vac.
• Use window cleaner & clean windows.
• Wipe off any smudges w/ paper towels.

26. Front Closet or mud Room

• Pickup everything from floor; sort & replace where they belong.
• Make pile of things that go elsewhere.
• Cull extra hangers.
• Place a storage crate for each family member in closet.
• Label individual hooks for family members.
• Remove, clean & store any out-of-season items.

Weekend 4-- Garage

• Sort garage items, tools, sports equipment, gardening & lawn supplies, etc.
• Group old paint, pesticides & other chemicals. Call city sanitation for disposal info.
• Clean & sweep floor.
• Check for rodent & pest infestation.
• Vac. & clean windows & shelves.
• Clean, oil & sharpen tools.
• Check tols & machinery for damage or wear; schedule repair & maintenance as needed.

TROUBLE SPOT:  Avoid water damage by moving items up off floor to shelves, tool-hanging systems, or onto long, thick nails pounded into studs.

• Group toys by categorys, blocks, board games, dolls, puzzles, army men, cars, books, etc.
• Discard broken toys.
• Put outgrown toys aside for donation, storage, or rummage sale.
• Store keepers by category in bags, boxes or plastic bins. Label or stick a picture of what's inside on outside of solid containers.
• Stack containers; label shelves for board game storage.

30. Arts & Crafts Supplies

• Gather sewing/ craft items; divide into groups.
• Toss any unusable scraps or packaging.
• Wipe drawers with damp dusting cloth.
• Replace items by type/ label outside of drawer or container for easy access.Store duplicates elsewhere.

TIMESAVER:  Color-code storage boxes or labels, such as red for knitting, blue for sewing, yellow for stamping, etc. etc.