Keeping a clean home can be a challenge even when you do not have your home listed for sale. Many people are fortunate enough to have regular house cleaners take care of this – for the rest of us, we find time in our week to take care of our home ourselves.

Experts suggest that creating a schedule to accomplish the important tasks each week is the best way to keep a clean home without the stress. Taking into account that things change, customize this schedule/list to fit your own weekly activities. By using this plan, you will keep your home clean all week, with only 5 days of effort.

Day 1 – Dust and then vacuum the home. Dust first as the dust will fall onto the floor. Mop any hard surface floors as well.

Day 2 – Deep clean bathrooms, shower and toilets, clean mirrors and shine fixtures.

Day 3 – Address the kitchen. Check the inside of the microwave, oven and clean drips off of cabinets.

Day 4 – Window day. Clean all the windows you can reach. Hire a professional if needed.

Day 5 – Garden work. Trim trees, remove weeds and remove debris

Sounds easy, right? No. It’s hard to carve out time during the week, but breaking up the work into smaller chunks makes it less burdensome. Of course throughout the week, check for basic maintenance; countertops, kitchen spills and pet hair, etc. This schedule is a framework you can use to create your own plan and make sure your home is always clean.