A week or so ago I was tweeting with some peeps about how I developed a chart of chores when I first started LegalTypist.

Back then, I was the mother of two children under age 5, in the middle of an on going whole house renovation, with a fledgling business.  Let’s just say, I needed to get everything organized, including my cleaning.

I promised to share.

Here it is:

and you can download the pdf here.

A tips re: cleaning efficiently:

1. I use only three products:   (a) Fantastic; (b) Windex; and (c) bleach.  Fantastic on counters, cabinets and anything plastic/fiberglass (won’t hurt these surfaces).  I use Windex on items that need to be shiny – mirrors, stove top, windows; and I use bleach for sparkly sinks and toilet bowls.
2. I keep separate bottles of these items upstairs, under the bathroom sink – as well as a roll of paper towels and a hand scrubby brush (much easier to clean the tub).
3. Make your bed when you first get up (or you won’t bother) and make sure your kitchen sink is empty before you go to bed. It’s a psychological thing for me – getting into a made bed just makes it that much more inviting and not waking up with dishes and feeling like I’m behind before I even get started.
4. Nuke your kitchen sponge every night before you go to bed.  Rinse it first, then pop in microwave for a minute or two (will be hot!).  This is not scientific, but it does make me feel better about using a sponge which apparently has the most active germs of any surface in your home (recently confirmed by MythBusters).
5. Do little things all the time – such as a general pick up of the living room as you walk through or quick swipe of the bathroom right after you use it – each takes less than 5 minutes of concentrated effort.  Two or three of these five minute efforts each day has a massive overall effect on the cleanliness of your home.