Creating a Zone checklist for your home will help you maintain those odds and ends that we tend to forget about during our everyday routines. I will share with you my Zone checklists, and I encourage you to run with it. Make it your own and customize the list to fit your home and your schedule. I prefer to work my zones a week at a time, from Monday through Sunday. You might “start” your weeks on Sunday, or even Friday. Remember, do what works best for you!
I work my Kitchen and dining room in the same week. Maybe it is not realistic for you to work your kitchen and dining room in one zone. Maybe you don't have a dining room and prefer to do the kitchen alone or along with another room in your home. As you start the Zone cleaning process you may find that adjustments need to be made to your checklists in order to make the zone a realistic goal for the week.
The idea of having zones is simple. It is to ensure that each room is getting equal attention.You may start Zone 1 on Monday, and complete all the tasks on your zone checklist by Friday. I may take the rest of the weekend off when this happens, or I may go back to the previous zone if there were tasks I was unable to complete the previous week. If I am super motivated I may go ahead and start zone 2 early, but I still try to run zone 2 until the following Sunday. Make sense?
Walk around your home, determine what rooms will be your "zones" and make a list of all the spaces that get neglected in each room. Make the zone list your own, and you will find that the rooms become easier to maintain as time goes on!
I print my zone list and put it in a sheet protector sleeve in a binder. This way from day to day I can check off what I was able to do in that zone during my 15 min zone cleaning with a dry erase marker, and see what is left to get accomplished during that week. I also leave it checked off until I return to that zone so I can see what areas I did not get to the last time. ie: maybe last time I didn't purge my clothes from my bedroom closet. Next time I want to try and do this first. It's easier to remember what I did if I leave it checked off...plus if I get the next zone done early I may go back and finish the unfinished work in the previous zone.
Zone Cleaning Checklist
Zone 1: The Kitchen, Dining room, & Office areas
Zone 2: Kitchen, Sunroom/Dining room, & Office area
Zone 3: Hall Bathroom, & kids rooms
Zone 4: Master bedroom/Master bath
Zone 5: Living room
Your goal is to spend 15 minutes per day de-cluttering in the current zone. Baby steps! Set your timer for 15 minutes and clear out those things that you don't want, use or love.
The rules of zone cleaning:
1. Your daily routine should be caught up before you start your zone!
2. The room has to be fairly straight.
3. Do not pull out more than you can put back in 1 hour.
4. Clean one drawer, cabinet, or one pile at a time.
5. Set your timer and work for 15 minutes. Don’t try to do it all in one day! If you have extra time that is great, but don’t get burnt out on it!
Zone 1: Foyer/ Porch & Laundry
Entrance Detailed Cleaning List:
1. Clean up spider webs
2. Wash front door inside & out, clean glass
3. Clean light switch plate covers and wash walls if needed
4. Dust furniture, & baseboards
5. Straighten the coat closest
6. Sweep vacuum or mop the floor
7. Straighten the utility closet
Front Porch Detailed Cleaning List
1. Sweep down cobweb and spider webs
2. Sweep off porch
3. Clean porch decor
4. Wipe off tables, and light fixtures.
5. Fix walkway light covers on walkway
Laundry Room Detailed Cleaning List
1. Clear off counter top on machines
2. Wipe down washer door
3. Toss the trash
4. Organize shelves
5. Check supplies of detergent, softener, dryer sheets, Oxy Clean, and bleach
6. Clean out dryer vent
7. Put all stray clothes away
Zone 2: The Kitchen, Dining room, & Office areas
Kitchen: Detailed Cleaning List
1. Empty and clean the fridge inside and out. Purge leftovers.
2. Clean the Microwave inside and out
3. Clean oven/stove top & Dishwasher
4. Wash Biscuit Jars on counter top
5. Straighten cabinets and drawers, one at a time!
6. Wipe down walls/backsplash
7. Wash glass sliding door
8. Dust wall decor
9. Clean cabinet door fronts
10. Clean glass globes on pot rack light fixture
11. Clean/Dust top of cabinets & decor
12. Clean trash compactor inside & out
Dining/Sun Room Detailed Cleaning List
1. Clean the cobwebs
2. Clean the windows
3. Dust fireplace mantle, straighten dishes, clean shelves
4. Clean off top of Dining table and Polish
5. Dust the bottoms of the chairs.
6. Dust ceiling fan
7. Move furniture and vacuum underneath
8. Dust wall décor
Office Detailed Cleaning List
1. Clear off the surface of the desk.
2. Organize drawers
3. Toss the trash
4. Purge To-do in-box
5. File bills & paperwork in in-box
6. Clean up drawers
7. Toss, sort, and organize receipts
8. Clean monitor
9. Fill printer paper
11. Clean out shelves & cabinets
12. Clean under desk
Zone 3: The Hall bathroom, and Kids rooms
Hall Bathroom Detailed Cleaning List
1. Wash throw rugs
2. Scrub & wax floors
3. Straighten drawers & cabinet
4. Clean shower/tub
5. Was shower curtain
6. Clean & purge medicine cabinet
7. Toss the trash
8. Clean & organize the linen closet
Kids Bedroom Detailed Cleaning List
Kid 1
1. Polish furniture
2. Straighten & purge dresser drawers & closet
3. Clean cobwebs
4. Dust wall decor
5. Flip mattress
6. Wash closet curtains
7. Organize games, books, & movies
8. Straighten shelves
9. Clean under bed
10. Clean out the closet
11. Put away stray items
12. Purge out grown clothing
13. Vacuum
14. Dust baseboards
15. Clean walls
Kid 2
1. Polish furniture
2. Straighten & purge dresser drawers & closet
3. Clean cobwebs
4. Dust wall decor
5. Flip mattress
6. Wash curtains
7. Clean window
8. Straighten shelves
9. Clean under bed
10. Organize games, books, & movies
11. Put away stray items
12. Purge out grown clothing
13. Vacuum room & closet
14. Dust baseboards
15. Clean walls
Kids 3 & 4
1. Polish furniture
2. Straighten & purge dresser drawers & closet
3. Clean cobwebs
4. Dust wall decor
5. Flip mattress
6. Wash curtains
7. Clean window
8. Clean walls
9. Clean under bed
10. Organize games, books, & movies
11. Put away stray items
12. Organize books
13. Vacuum room & closet
14. Dust baseboards
Zone 4: The Master Bedroom/Bath/Closet
Master Bathroom Detailed Cleaning List
1. Wash throw rugs
2. Scrub & wax floors
3. Straighten drawers & cabinet
4. Clean shower/tub
5. Was shower curtain
6. Clean & purge medicine cabinet
7. Toss the trash
Master Bedroom Detailed Cleaning List
1. Polish furniture
2. Organize Armoire
3. Clean cobwebs
4. Wash dust ruffle
5. Flip mattress
6. Toss trash
7. Wash glass door
Master Bedroom Closet Detailed Cleaning List
1. Straighten top shelves
2. Arrange shoes
3. Sweep carpet
4. Purge outgrown/old clothing
Zone 5: The Living Room
Living room Detailed Cleaning List
1. Clean cobwebs
2. Clean window
3. Straighten bookshelf
4. Wash knick knacks
5. Dust furniture
6. Purge Magazines to recycle
7. Wipe down walls
8. Clean shelves
9. Tidy magazine racks
10. Clean phone & base
11. Clean kids desk
12. Clean fireplace & mantle inside & out
13. Move furniture and vacuum
14. Clean carpets
15. Dust TV screen
16. Clean/organize armoire
17. Purge/organize toy baskets
18. Tidy contents of hope chest
19. Dust wall décor
20. Tidy/organize toy armoire
21. Clean/sweep area rug
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