Deep Clean Fridays at Our House

Every other Friday at my house is known as Deep Clean Friday. I actually look forward to this day because I have the day off so I'm not scrambling to clean when I have a bunch of other things to do. After Daddy goes to work, James and I usually lounge around and eat breakfast, I drink my coffee, we play or go to the park, and when he goes down for his 10:30 nap, I start my cleaning. In full disclosure, I have help. James' babysitter comes for a few hours and we clean together, chatting away and taking turns watching James and playing with him while he "helps". She has become a good friend of mine and it makes the process go so much quicker with her help. Also, I usually make us a Starbuck's run in the afternoon- she's a Venti caramel frappaccino, I'm a tall iced mocha:) Is it more fun to clean while drinking Starbucks? I think so!

Floors- every room gets swept and mopped or vacuumed, including the stairs.

Bathrooms- sinks, counters, shower, toilets, and mirrors are cleaned. Bath mats are laundered.

Bedrooms- the sheets are laundered, all surface areas are dusted.

James's Room- crib sheet and changing pad are changed. Toys are put away.

Offices- dusted.

Kitchen- sinks, counters, stove top, and microwave are cleaned. The cabinets are wiped down. Miscellaneous piles of stuff that accumulate on the counters during the week are taken to where they belong. The highchair gets sprayed down outside and the splat mat is washed.

Dining Room/Breakfast Room- tables are dusted.

Living Room- end tables and media cabinet are wiped clean, the sofa is vacuumed and all the toys/pacifiers are fished out from under the sofa.

Mudroom- The bench seat is cleared of clutter, and the mirror is wiped clean.

Laundry- During the week, I usually do a load or two (typically of James' clothes and dirty bibs/washcloths) but the big laundry day is Friday.

Replenish- I restock the diapers, wipes, toiletries, and soap dispensers.

Once a Month Chores - wipe down the baseboards, blinds, windows, dust ceiling fans, vents, wipe the insides of drawers and cabinets.

I have my routine down pretty well, and always start by opening all the blinds and letting the sunshine in. Then I change the sheets on our bed, James' crib, and the changing table. I sort all the laundry by color, James' clothes, towels, and sheets. I continue the laundry process while getting started on the other rooms in the house and am usually putting the last load of clean laundry away around 4:00 p.m.

I love to add a small votive of fresh flowers to the nightstand after the room is all clean and fresh sheets are on the bed.

Counters, sinks, shower and tub are wiped clean.

Fresh towels are put out.

The living room sofa and rug gets vacuumed and the sofa cushions and pillows get a good fluffing. Also, the living room throw blankets get laundered. We have the Dyson "Animal" and it's a great vacuum.

The hardwood floors are the last thing to be cleaned. The rugs are shaken out and I sweep the floors with a wide broom, then spray with floor cleaner and use a soft cloth mop that I got from Bed, Bath, & Beyond- the one James is holding below (I told you he likes to help! and p.s. that star rug is for Jimmy's office). I've been considering getting the Eureka Steam cleaner I saw on JustAGirl, but I need to research whether its good for bamboo floors. Our floors get so dirty so quickly, but are really pretty when they're clean.