By Stephanie Yrungaray

I may get a tad distracted while cleaning. On those rare days when I wake up excited and determined to get some serious housecleaning done, things rarely go the way I plan. Take, for instance, the day my in-laws came to visit. I woke up with a short to-do list that included, of course, cleaning the guest bedroom. By the time they arrived I was still scrambling to find clean sheets and blankets, yet I had thoroughly (and rather unintentionally) cleaned all of the kitchen drawers out. Oops.

I do love a tidy house, but I have a hard time managing all of the logistics. When was the last time I mopped the floors? (Perhaps the spot on the floor where my foot keeps getting stuck should clue me in?) And how often am I supposed to clean the refrigerator? Part of me longs for the days when I played merrily until my mom told me to clean my room. But since mom isn’t particularly keen on the idea of moving in with me as our housekeeper, I had to take things into my own hands: Time to automate my cleaning and find help from the experts!

1. Make a list

The first thing you need to do is make a list—I’m talking about a serious list, incredibly detailed bullet points of what needs to be cleaned in every room in your home. These are the “master” cleaning lists even experts rely on. Before you stop reading and run for a pencil (or the door!), discover a few pros that have already done the work for us and are willing to share. Hooray!

• flylady.net – Amazing organizer Marla Cilley and her team have posted routines for morning and night as well as a weekly checklist that covers all of the tasks that should be done every week in your home.
• organizedhome.com – Katie Leckey authored a 14-week “cleaning grand plan,” with room-by-room lists and even a 2010 challenge that gives you strategy (and accountability) for conquering each room in your home.
• If you’re a list person, checking off the lists at organizedhome.com can bring a sense of calm and accomplishment.

2. Yes, even cleaning needs a strategy

Those lists won’t do you much good if you never use them. One popular idea explained really well on momstheword–livingforhim.blogspot.com is an index card cleaning system. Assign colored index cards, one color for daily chores, one for weekly, one for monthly, and one for seasonal. Use your master cleaning list to fill out each card with one chore. Next, put your cards in an index card filing box that has tabbed cards with the days of the week written on them.

If you prefer the click of a mouse to the flip of a card, flylady.net is the way to go. Sign up for free daily emails, reminding you with such things as: what room to focus on, how many minutes to spend on tasks, and encouraging advice. Some people find the sheer amount of emails to be overwhelming, but there is no doubt this lady knows what she is doing. Flylady takes care of all of the planning.

3. Get the right supplies

Nothing will stop your progress faster than going to mop the floor and realizing that you have no floor cleaning solution. Housekeeping.about.com/ has a long list of cleaning supplies you may need along with recommended cleaning solutions.

Personally I like to organize my supplies in fabric bins or caddies.  Newfashionedhousewife.blogspot.com has a sample list of what supplies to put in a cleaning caddy. I decided to make several caddies for my cleaning system. I have one for bathrooms, one for floor cleaning, and one for general cleaning. Once you know your chores for the day, pick up the appropriate caddy and start cleaning without delay.

4. Delegate

Now I’ll admit that the delegation of cleaning does not always produce the most favorable results. My 5-year-old isn’t really good at cleaning his bathroom yet…but delegating chores isn’t only about the cleaning. It is about raising awareness of what it takes to keep something clean. Until I put my son in charge of cleaning up the playroom every night before bed, he thought nothing of dumping out all of the toy bins during the day. Now he knows every mess he makes HE will be responsible for, and (and I smile smugly as ?) he reminds his friends to put the toys away.

There are also chore charts you can find online. One of my favorite finds is this one on available from a digital scrap booking store, scrapgirls.com. It is a craft, so all you have to do is purchase the chart, download it, print the pages and assemble it. There are also free chore charts available at dltk-cards.com/chart, and chorecharts.com.

5. Whistle while you work

Cleaning isn’t typically  fun. Well, maybe some people like it, but can they really call it fun? However having a clean house allows me to be fun again, and while my mother might know otherwise, my inlaws will think I’m immaculate.