Back to starting this on Friday for anyone who wants to start early. Honestly with doing the branches each month, it is keeping the house is great shape, IMHO.

Think of your home as a tree and each room is a branch of that tree.

First, break the house up into branches (manageable areas), which can be DEEP cleaned in a week's time.

For each branch, compile a list of all the tasks you'll need to do to get that room to SPARKLE! This includes cleaning, dusting and vacuuming the areas behind and under furniture, washing windows and curtains, etc. (if possible in your schedule, it can be done in babysteps each day)

Also, put together a Weekly Cleaning List to keep things looking good. Each week, finish your Weekly Cleaning THEN focus on doing some deep cleaning in this week's branch.

Cycle through the branches, one per week, to maintain a high level of cleanliness throughout the house.

Here's the schedule of Branches we'll be following:

Week 1: Entry/Living Room
Week 2: Dining Room/Laundry Room
Week 3: Bathrooms/Front Porch
Week 4: Kitchen/Back Porch
Week 5: Children’s Room/Guest Room + Closets for those rooms
Week 6: Family Room/Room of choice
Week 7: Master Bedroom/Master Closet
Week 8: All House Cleaning

Some sample "Choice" Rooms:
Office, Pantry, Craft Room, Garage, Attic, etc.

Make your master and individual branch lists work for YOU. The lists we share here are just our own examples; yours should be designed to suit your own home and situation.

If the branch you're working on needs decluttering, focus on that first. It's much easier to clean a room that doesn't have piles and boxes everywhere. Even if the whole house needs decluttering, this is a good way to focus on a room at a time on a regular schedule.

This isn't a competition. Just go at your own pace, as that will be exactly right for you. We are all here to support and encourage one another.

Start with a new branch each week. If you don't finish all the tasks on your branch list for the week, that's OK--you're already ahead of where you were before, and the unfinished tasks will still be there for you when you cycle back to this branch. If you finish early one week, you can go back to work on previous branches
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I'll be off this week, but have straightened out the laundry room. The Dining room can wait, it is in good shape.

Good luck in your branch this week.

Since I have more 'areas' than actual 'rooms' for this branch I'm skipping it. I may throw in a disinfectant puck in the washer but that's it! Once it comes back around I'll work on sorting recipes and cleaning appliance drawers... love branches!

I have lots of school work to finish before Friday and need all the extra time I can manage.

Have a good week!

BBG:
Good luck on the school work. You will do fine.

We came to the busy city for a couple of days, today, so I am excused from this branch until Tuesday! Laundry room definitely needs sprucing up. Dining room needs spotcleaning on rug for a start.

Bushlady
ENJOY!

Dining room: has turned into a sewing room with the sewing machine set up on the table!
- PUPA sewing notions
- Dust the table
- Sweep the floor

Laundry room (closet, actually):
- Declutter
- Wipe
- Sweep

Ok I've been working on school so just now getting to this branch. Dining room is in great shape. Laundry needs help. I'll go in and do it when after I post. Since it's so tiny it won't take long.

Cindy

p.s. All finished for school. Ready for the kids to show up tomorrow. Than 9 months.........

Great going Cindy. You do such a wonderful job in teaching and making the room feel "welcoming". Good luck!

Well the first day of teaching was ok. Things went pretty good really. I do have one class that is really smart and loves to talk but I think they will be fun. Of course now I have to do next weeks lesson plans, grade papers, get them posted, etc.....

I started on the laundry room and discovered it wsn't in as good of shape as I thought. The blinds were filty. I've washed them and they are drying. I really need to do the curtain but I will wait until the kitchen branch since they both have the same type. I cleaned up everything else and when the blinds are dried I can say this branch is finished.

Need to check and see which branch is next and start planning it.

Cindy

Cindy:
Good to hear class went well. Thanks for the reminder on blinds in the laundry room. LOL I can give mine a good swipe too.