Do this simple cleaning routine before relaxing on the couch for the night.
It’s the end of the night. Both of our playful, high energy children are asleep and the house is quiet. This time of day is one of my favorite times. I bet most parents understand this quiet that I am talking about.
It is peaceful, calm, and quiet. The dishes are washed, the living room is picked up, and the house is tidy. I am now able to curl up on the couch and enjoy reading a great book. I might pour myself a cup of relaxing bedtime tea or light a candle and enjoy the silence.
What three cleaning tasks can I do now to make tomorrow morning easier?
I like to ask myself that question to help guide my cleaning routine decisions. My three cleaning tasks are: wash dishes, tidy up the living room, and set out tomorrow’s clothes. Plus I try and do those cleaning task in under 15 minutes. That’s what works for me.
We all lead different lives and have different needs. Do what works for you. My cleaning routine might not work for you. But I strongly encourage you to ask yourself, what three cleaning tasks will I do tonight to help make tomorrow morning good better?
Simple Cleaning Routine before Relaxing
I am going to show you my cleaning routine. So you too can relax at the end of the day and wake up to calm, peaceful, and tidy home.
It’s also worth mentioning that I try and do this routine while my children are awake. Why? So once they are asleep for the night we can immediately relax.
1. Do the Dishes
The first step in my nightly cleaning routine before I relax is to do the dishes.
This usually only takes a few minutes. I try really hard to use a minimal amount of dishes when preparing dinner.
I also will clean off countertops, sweeping the floor, and wash the dishes. To find out more about my Easy 10 minute Cleaning Routine
I hand wash our dishes because we have a toddler who likes to climb on top of the dishwasher door. I find it’s more work using the dishwasher than its worth. So I hand wash the dishes.
2. Plan next day activities
The next step is to write down and plan the activities for the next day. I plan out the workout that I will be doing in the morning, the chores that we will complete as a family, and decide upon the preschool learning our three year old will work on.
3. Set out the clothes for the next day
Then I will to pick out our clothes that we will be wearing the next day. Even though I am a stay-at-home mom, I find that if I do this step my day usually goes better.
What about you? Does having your clothes picked out for the next day help your day go smoother?
4. Tidy up the Living Room
The last step is to tidy up the living room. The children’s toys are located in the living room. So this is the step that used to take the most amount of time. However, I have tried to make this last step as smooth as possible.
Want to make cleaning up kid toys easier?
We decluttered most of our children’s toys. All of the kids toys need to fit in this one cube unit. After decluttering the children’s toys, we were able to cut our daily toy pick up time to 5 minutes or less; How to clean up kid toys in 5 minutes or less. Heck yes!
What do you include in your cleaning routine before relaxing on the couch?
Thank you so much for stopping by! I write posts every week about how to live a more simple life. To discover more about my family and I, go HERE.
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This is the kind of motivation I need. I often feel overwhelmed but I need to try to focus on small tasks. And I need to set clothes out for the next day! That would be a great help 🙂
Yes, one small step the day before can change the course of the day in a positive way.
Great tips! It’s hard to get going to do the things but once they’re done, the reward is big!
The reward at the end is what helps keep me motivated. Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
I love to clean. It relaxes me. I tend to do all my cleaning on the weekends. Gonna try your tips to try to make weekends a little bit more calm and restful.
Cheers to a more calm, restful,and relaxing weekend.