Deep Clean Zones: How to maintain a clean and minimized home

You may have already minimized your home, but how do you keep it that way? I have found that using a Deep Clean schedule is an easy way for me to do this. 

I took my home and wrote down each room and then put them in six “zones.” This way I hit these areas at least twice a year. 

Each month I divide these zones up and work about 30 minutes each Thursday as part of my Weekly Cleaning Routine. (Watch for that blog post and video next week!)

During this time I will deep clean these room. This includes blinds, baseboards, wiping all woodwork, etc. I also go through each cabinet and closet. Did I use this in the last 6 months? Is something expired? Is there something I no longer use here? Does this space no longer function well? Do I need to replace something? These are all great questions to ask yourself as you move through these areas. 

Let’s get started!

January and July - Living Room and My Desk

Why? January - great time to make sure all my paperwork is in order. I paired the Living Room with this because it’s a super simple room to do. July is usually super busy for us, so this is a perfect month to circle back here. It usually only takes me 2 Thursday mornings to get these areas deep cleaned.

February/August - Master Suite

I usually divide this up into 3 weeks - Closet, Bathroom, and Bedroom.

March/September - Stairs/Landing, Linen Closet, Laundry Room, Guest/Kids’ Bathroom

April/October - Entry and Lower Level Bathroom, Library, Dining Room

May/November - Kitchen and Pantry

June/December - Kids’ Bedrooms, Guest Bedroom

If you follow this list, you will have your home minimized in 6 months! I started this routine long before I called myself a minimalist. It took me MUCH longer 3 or 4 years ago. I felt like I always needed to rearrange closets and I did a lot of reorganizing. I probably own 50% less now and I rarely need to completely reorganize. Things stay much neater and more organized when own less. So don’t be discouraged. The longer you are on this path, the easier cleaning gets and the less you need “organizational systems.”

These cleaning routines will give you the margin you need to live your best life!