• Home
    • Resources
    • The Gospel
    • Statement of Faith
    • Church Finder
    • Homemaking Courses
    • Privacy Policy
  • About
    • About Me
    • My Church Home
    • The Bar Podcast Network
  • Start Here
  • Free Library
    • Sign Up for Access
    • Enter Library (password required)
    • Meal Planning PDF
  • Shop
    • Homemaking Courses
    • TH Gear
    • Bookstore
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Thankful Homemaker

Gospel-Driven Encouragement for Homemakers

  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Homemaking
    • Menu Planning Made Easy Course
  • Marriage
    • Marriage Series
  • Motherhood
  • Christian Living
    • Spiritual Disciplines Series
    • Sermon on the Mount
  • Homemaking Courses
  •  

Zone Cleaning

by Marci Ferrell
Cleaning Homemaking Homemaking Binder Organization

42shares
  • Facebook 6
  • Twitter

I’d love to help you simplify your meal planning. Check out my new menu planning course here.

 

I have thoroughly enjoyed working through my Homekeeping Binder because it has been time to make some changes as our family is in the next season of our lives.  Quick recap before we head in to one of the easiest ways to keep your house clean and in order.  We have talked about Morning, Evening, Weekly, and Daily Schedules and our Weekly Home Blessing.  The next sheet in my binder is my Zone list.  This breaks down the areas of my home into weekly cleaning so I am not overwhelmed with the whole house at once and it truly takes care of spring cleaning thoroughout the year.  Now when spring comes I don't have a huge list of chores to be taken care of because we have been doing it in small chunks throughout the year.

My routines along with the Weekly Home Blessing maintain order so on weeks when I can't get to the areas of the home on the schedule it is okay and not a concern because we have order over chaos.  By keeping routines it opens up the door to hospitality so ministry can take place in our home. When you are not living in chaos you tend to have more time to minister to your family and to others outside your family.

When we say we are not an organized person (I am not naturally an organized person – my husband is and I continue to learn much from him) we seem to make it an excuse for why we live in disorder.  As believers our homes should reflect the Lord that we serve.  They should be an example of order and beauty.  This doesn't take finances to do this – it takes discipline.  Soap is cheap and we have time available each day to tidy and keep order in our homes.  We should desire our homes to be a haven for our families to come home to.  So ladies if this is an area you have been neglecting I encourage you to show your love and care of your family by rolling up your sleeves and getting organized enought to have order and beauty in your home.

You Might Also Like:
EP 82: Encouraging Your Husband {Elisabeth Elliot's 80/20 Rule}
EP 98: 4 Truths to Pray for One Another
Bible Study Helps for Busy Moms

My home is broken down into five zones.  I am working in a different zone each week.  You may only need four zones but Flylady uses five so I use five.

Zone 1 – Foyer, Dining Room, Front Porch
Zone 2 – Kitchen, Pantry, Laundry Room
Zone 3 – Upstairs Bathrooms, Kids Bedrooms, Guest Room, Home Office
Zone 4 – Master Bedroom, Master Bathroom, Basement
Zone 5 – Living Room, Family Room

This week I am in Zone four – I still follow Flylady's weekly schedule and am signed up on her email list to get updates on the current zone I am in.

I have a sheet in a page protector with the above zones listed and each zone then has its own sheet with the tasks broken down for each room.  Since I am in Zone four we will use that one as the example for today.

Here is exactly how my sheet is laid out (please don't get overwhelmed with this next part but stay with me to the end of this post)

Zone 4 Detailed Cleaning List
Master Bedroom
Declutter
Dust Furniture
Straighten dresser drawers
Organize at least one drawer
Organize one shelf in the closet
Straighten bookcase
Tidy nightstands
Clean under bed and vacuum
Dust baseboards
Clean all light fixtures
Clean widows, windowsills, vacuum curtains
Mirrors cleaned
Switchplates wiped
Vacuum closet
Wash any bedding as needed
Vacuum room
Master Bathroom
Declutter
Toilet cleaned
Countertops cleaned
Straighten inside cabinets/drawers
Clean whirlpool tub and deck
Clean shower and straighten out toiletries in shower
Polish cabinets
Wipe mirrors
Clean window, windowsill, vacuum curtain
Dust baseboards
Wipe all pictures
Refill soap dispensers as needed
Vacuum floor and wash bath rugs
Mop floor
Basement
Declutter and straighten
Dust all areas
Clean bathroom as needed (not used too often)
Wash bathroom floor
Wipe all switchplates
Straighten up all areas
Wipe windows and windowsills
Vacuum furniture
Straighten storage closet
Clean out basement fridge and wipe inside
Vacuum basement
Mop wood floor
This may look overwhelming but it is really simple.  Everyday I schedule in time to zone clean.  Yesterday I spent 30 minutes in zone four and all I did was straighten the bedroom, bathroom and closet.  My first day in a zone is always spent decluttering and tidying up.  I rarely get through the whole list in a week but check which items I did and I know what I should focus on the next week zone four rolls around again.  Today I have an hour scheduled in this zone.  If  the Lord has other plans for me than to spend an hour in that zone due to needs in my family or other ministry needs then it gets set aside and I don't think about until the next day.
I do like to set a timer when I clean to stay focused and on task.  Plus I seem to clean faster with a timer set.  So in the hour I have scheduled today I will hope to get the whole bathroom cleaned and dust my bedroom.  Tomorrow I will focus on the basement for an hour.  Thursday I have a young woman from church coming over to help me organize my library downstairs and I am really looking forward to our time together.  I will not officially zone clean on Thursday but will be enjoying my time with her and getting organized at the same time.   Friday I will finish whatever tasks I can in the zone and put the sheet away until the next time in that zone.
Next week I will be in zone five, the week after zone one, then zone two etc.
This was a great way to work with my daughter in training her to clean and be organized as a keeper of her own home.  With the chores laid out it made it easier to have everyone pitch in and help because they could look at the sheet and see what needed to be done that week.  Our sons are great helpers and cleaners too so don't neglect their training in the repsonsibility of taking care of a home.
This doesn't mean that I am not daily straightening, cleaning up or running a vacuum.  My bathroom is tidied daily in the morning routine and the Weekly Home Blessing gives my bedroom a tidying up too.
Let me know how you break down your cleaning schedules in the comments below.
For related posts check out the Homekeeper Binder series here. 

Related posts:

  1. EP 16: Simplify Your Housekeeping with a Cleaning Schedule
  2. My Homemaking Binder Layout & Detailed Cleaning Checklists for Kitchen, Pantry & Laundry Room
  3. Homemaking Binder Series: Detailed Cleaning Checklists for Foyer, Dining Room & Front Porch
  4. Homemaking Binder Series: Detailed Cleaning Checklists for Living Room & Family Room


Free Resource Library

Get more posts like this in your inbox!

And while you’re at it, you’ll receive access to our FREE library of resources to help you in your homemaking!.

(I will not spam you. Read my privacy policy.)

« Daily Schedules
Loving Our Children – Part One »

Comments

  1. Monica says

    at

    I am so confused by the zone cleaning. Do you not dust or vacuum or change sheets, clean toilets, etc….once a week? Or do you just do it when you are in the week for that zone?

    • Marci Ferrell says

      at

      Monica – weekly I do a Weekly Home Blessing where I change sheets and quickly dust and vacuum the whole house.https://thankfulhomemaker.com/2011/04/weekly-home-blessing/

      Other aspects of my cleaning like – regular laundry fall into my morning routine -https://thankfulhomemaker.com/2011/12/the-joy-of-a-morning-routine/ and my evening routine -https://thankfulhomemaker.com/2011/04/the-peacefulness-of-an-evening-routine/

      All the tasks that get taken care of in my zones I have detail cleaning checklists on the blog to just take a peek at – not everything ever gets done in every zone each week but I love my checklists to keep tabs on what didn’t get done. I print them out and put them in a page protector and check what I did do with a dry erase marker so I know what needs tackled the next time that zone comes around 🙂 – Hoping this helps and not overwhelms 🙂 -https://thankfulhomemaker.com/category/homemaking-binder/cleaning-checklists/

  2. Tiffany Godsey says

    at

    Do you have a detailed list by zone? I only see Zone 4. Thank you for your time. I just found your blog and I LOVE it!

  3. Arc keven Lampad says

    at

    nice..

  4. maria smith says

    at

    That’s an interesting routine. I just finished a huge deep cleaning in my home and I’m looking for a good routine.

    • Marci Ferrell says

      at

      Maria – take a moment to read my current – Daily, Monthly & Yearly Tasks here. It has been a bit simplified but I still utilize a lot of aspects of the Zone Cleaning in it 🙂
      http://thankful-homemaker.blogspot.com/2014/03/homemaking-101-series-my-daily-weekly.html

  5. Skylla says

    at

    I’m trying the zone cleaning with some homemade cleaners and the binder idea really works. However, the weekly blessing hour does take more than that. I feel that it takes like two hours. I need tips to get it done quicker. Drop me a line at http://www.thecleaningladyblog.com.

    • Marci Ferrell says

      at

      Skylla – It does depend on how much you have to do. I only vacuum where it needs it and that is usually traffic areas. I do a quick tidy through and feather dust and my son is always my garbage man :). Going through catalogs and magazine baskets has gotten easier as I’ve unsubscribed to almost everything. Let me know if this helps at all. I’d love to come visit your blog 🙂

  6. Judith says

    at

    This is such a wonderful way to clean the house without any effort. I find it so much easier to clean a ‘clean’ house than one that has gotten overwhelmingly dirty.

WEEKLY HOME CLEANING SCHEDULE SIDEBAR AD

Welcome to Thankful Homemaker

So thankful you’ve stopped by for a visit. Please grab a cup of coffee or tea and sit a bit. I hope to remind you that contentment in our role as homemakers begins with finding our satisfaction in Christ.

read more…

MENU PLANNING MADE EASY SIDEBAR AD

Categories

  • Bible Study
  • Christian Living
  • Holidays
  • Homemaking
  • Marriage
  • Menu Planning
  • Motherhood
  • Podcast
  • Time Management

thankfulhomemaker

Marci Ferrell
"Self Pity is a death that has no resurrection, a "Self Pity is a death that has no resurrection, a sinkhole from which no rescuing hand can drag you because you have chosen to sink."⁣
~ Elisabeth Elliot⁣
⁣
The above quote is taken from yesterday's Episode 105: Practical Steps to Overcome Self-Pity - link to the podcast episode in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows in my profile).
I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wi I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wives, and mothers.  How many times do we focus on our needs that aren’t met?  Unfair situations or circumstances?  Self-pity is a selfish tendency that takes our eyes off Christ and puts them on ourselves.  We forget that “God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” Are we able to give God “thanks in all things”?⁣
⁣
Come take a listen to EP 105: Practical Steps to Overcome Self-Pity at the link in my profile (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
"Your household is the most important schoolroom y "Your household is the most important schoolroom your children will ever know. And the lessons they learn don't begin and end when you crack open the family Bible. They are always watching and learning from your example—often without even realizing it. That's a tremendous responsibility and opportunity for Christian parents—one that we must make the most of, for God's glory and our children's good."⁣
 ~ John MacArthur⁣
⁣
Come listen to EP 20: The Blessings of Loving Our Children at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
"The visible church is where you will find Christ' "The visible church is where you will find Christ's kingdom on earth, and to disregard the kingdom is to disregard its King."⁣
~ Michael Horton⁣
⁣
Read - Building Loving Relationships In Your Church Family at the link in my bio @thankfuhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
Isaiah 48:10:Behold, I have refined you, but not a Isaiah 48:10:Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;  I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.⁣
⁣
Israel is being refined for the honor and glory of the Lord. I need the reminder that everything the Lord allows in my life is for my good and His glory. All that He does and allows is to further His eternal purposes. ⁣
⁣
He continues to remove the dross from my life in the furnace of affliction, and through each trial and circumstance of my life, the hope is I'm becoming more and more molded and shaped into the image of Christ. ⁣
⁣
Susan Huntington shared on this passage:⁣
"...if our blessed God sees that the disciple, like his Master, must be made perfect through sufferings, ought we not to welcome every means which will conduce to this blessed end? Can we desire to be babes in Christ all our days? If it is a proof of sonship to be chastised, may it not prove a special favor to be greatly chastised? ⁣
⁣
If we were asked what the greatest good is, should we not answer that it is conformity to God? If we were asked what the best circumstances are for the Christian to be placed in, should we not answer that they are those that will, most constantly and most effectually, promote his conformity to God? Shall we then pray for afflictions? By no means. We are weak, and are crushed before the moth. We should not pray for what we do not know that we could bear. ⁣
⁣
We should habitually pray for conformity to God, and quietly leave it to Him to determine by what means He will effect this blessed end."⁣
⁣
-Excerpt taken from my favorite devotional - Seasons of the Heart: A Year of Devotions from One Generation of Women to Another by Donna Kelderman (link to the book is in my profile @thankfulhomemaker - click on the link under the blue arrows, and then this image).
Preaching the gospel to yourself. It's a phrase we Preaching the gospel to yourself. It's a phrase we've all heard, and we all agree with, but deep down, we're like, okay, what does that look like? Or how do I make that practical in my day-to-day life when my marriage is hard? Or the kids are out of control? Or there's an illness in my family, or I'm just stuck in a sinful pattern? Or the house is in chaos, and I don't know where to begin? ⁣
⁣
The reality is we're always saying something to ourselves in our minds, especially in those moments of chaos or difficulty. ⁣
Is what we're speaking to ourselves centered on the truths of God's Word, or are we buying into the lies of the world? ⁣
We need to be talking to ourselves and not just listening to ourselves. But what do we need to be talking to ourselves about? ⁣
⁣
This is what we're going to work through together in EP 69: Preaching the Gospel to Yourself - link in my bio @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
"Your worst days are never so bad that you are bey "Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace."⁣
~ Jerry Bridges⁣
⁣
Read more at God's Blessing Does Not Depend On Our Performance at the link in my bio @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
How many times at church do you find yourself disc How many times at church do you find yourself discussing non-spiritual things? As believers, our relationships with others in the body of Christ are unlike anything non-believers will ever experience. It is such a joy when you come across another Christian that you haven't met before, and because of the common bond of Christ, it is as if you have known them forever.⁣
⁣
I have a favorite book that gets used quite often by Donald S. Whitney called Simplify Your Spiritual Life. In the section, Simplifying our Spiritual Life with Others, he guides us to drive the conversations into the spiritual. Wouldn't we all as believers like our conversations with other believers to be directed towards things related to knowing God, Bible reading and application, theology, evangelism, and prayer, to name a few.⁣
⁣
Mr. Whitney shares some questions that are a natural help in directing your conversations with your brothers and sisters in the faith to the spiritual.  This is a handy list to keep in your Bible, planner, or purse.⁣
⁣
The link to the questions is in my bio @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
"If there is one maverick molecule in all the univ "If there is one maverick molecule in all the universe, then God is not sovereign. And if God is not sovereign, He is not God."⁣
~R. C. Sproul
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Access the FREE Library!

Copyright © 2021 Thankful Homemaker · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy & Disclosure

Copyright © 2021 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email