A Frugal 5 Day Spring Cleaning Plan for People Who Don’t Like to Clean

by Patricia Estero

Hate the idea of taking an entire weekend to clean your home? Break up those cleaning tasks with this plan for ‘5 Days to a Cleaner Home.’

For many of us, devoting an entire weekend or even a few uninterrupted hours to deep cleaning our homes is problematic. A clean and organized house is great, but getting to that point with a full-time job, a family, or many other responsibilities might be difficult every week.

So how about breaking up your cleaning tasks to be done according to a daily schedule? So you aren’t faced with four hours of house cleaning on a beautiful spring Saturday? We’ve come up with a few daily tasks designed to take only a short amount of time per day. They’re geared toward wiping out those weekly cleaning tasks and opening up your weekend schedule.

Day 1: Clean the Bathrooms

(estimated time 30 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on the number of bathrooms)

First, clean the bathrooms. It makes sense to do all of the bathrooms at once because you likely won’t use bathroom cleaning supplies anywhere else in your house. So gather gloves, supplies, and a bucket and work on the sink and countertop, tub, shower, and toilet. Don’t forget any mirrors, too. Empty the trash and change out the rugs or bath mats for fresh ones. And remember to check toilet paper to make sure there is plenty.

Throughout the week, keep your eyes open for ways to keep the bathroom tidy. It may make sense to keep a canister of wipes under the sink or in a safe, out-of-the-way spot in the bathroom. This way, you can keep up with countertop toothpaste, water, or makeup spills in between Mondays.

Related: 10 Things You Don’t Want to Get Caught Doing in Your Bathroom

Day 2: Dust and Clean Mirrors/Glass

(estimated time 30 minutes to 45 minutes)

On Tuesdays, get the dusting gear ready and the glass cleaner too because you are going to be walking around the house armed to wipe off dust anywhere you see it.

Have fan blades that are covered in dust? Wipe them down. Have a picture frame with the top covered in dust? Give it a good cleaning. Wipe away the dust that you can see. Some things might not accumulate dust every week, but other items will. You know where dust accumulates faster, so give those a precautionary wipe down.

While you are in the dusting spirit, make sure to clean any mirrors or glass tables with glass cleaner.

Day 3: Laundry and Linens 

(estimated time 30 minutes to 1 hour or more)

Reserve Day 3 for washing, folding, putting away, and changing bed linens.

Get all of the laundry completed up until this point. You can always catch up on loads that accumulate throughout the week with any extra time you have.

Related: 8 Ways To Save Time and Money On Laundry

Day 4: Kitchen 

(estimated time 30 minutes)

Today is reserved for cleaning the kitchen.

Like your bathroom, your kitchen also has special cleaners that you’ll only need when you clean it. Clean your appliance fronts and clean off your countertops. Wipe down your microwave and your sink. Check the inside of your fridge and throw out any old food or leftovers, and quickly wipe out crumbs or spilled liquids you might see.

Related: Make Your Own Cleaners and Save

Day 5: Vacuum/Sweep and Mop/Pick Up 

(estimated time 30 minutes to 1 hour)

Today, tackle your floors with a vacuum or broom and mop your floors.

Give everything a good vacuum or sweep (or both, depending on your preference). Then give everywhere a good mop. As you’re looking at the floors, you can also pick up any toys, shoes, or other items that might need to go back to their places.

Related:

• Spring Cleaning Your Home’s Exterior Inexpensively
• 7 Frugal Homemade Cleanser Recipes
• 10 Ways To Cut the Cost of Cleaning
• 5 Spring Home Maintenance Projects
• Don’t Forget To Do Your Financial Spring Cleaning

Reviewed April 2023