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Zone Cleaning

by Marci Ferrell
Cleaning Homemaking Homemaking Binder Organization

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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.

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


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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

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      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

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    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

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    nice..

  4. maria smith says

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    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.

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.

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thankfulhomemaker

Marci Ferrell
Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly how it happened, the unthinkable becomes tolerable. And then acceptable. And then legal. And then applaudable.⁣
~ Joni Eareckson Tada
We have to pray with our eyes on God. Not on the d We have to pray with our eyes on God. Not on the difficulties.⁣
~ Oswald Chambers⁣
⁣
Listen in to EP 98: 4 Truths to Pray for One Another at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker - click on the link under the blue arrows⬇ and then this image 🎧.
Dear friends, I recorded this episode last year af Dear friends, I recorded this episode last year after sharing my testimony with my church family. It was one of the hardest podcast episodes to work through. ⁣
⁣
My testimony comes from one who remembers what it was like to be unsaved and seeking an abortion and now coming from the other side of being born again, a new creation in Christ and understanding the beauty of forgiveness and redemption in Christ. ⁣
⁣
No sin is beyond the grace and forgiveness of God, even the sin of abortion. True forgiveness, hope, and healing can only be found, but it is only found in Jesus Christ. ⁣
I pray you'll listen in if you haven't yet. ⁣
⁣
The link to the podcast is in my bio @thankfulhomemaker - click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image.
The gospel is the one great permanent circumstance The gospel is the one great permanent circumstance in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His gospel purposes in me. 
~ Gloria Furman
“The Christian's primary need is for wisdom and “The Christian's primary need is for wisdom and obedience to appropriate the abundance of blessings the Lord has already given. Our problem is not lack of blessings, but lack of insight and wisdom to understand and use them properly and faithfully.”⁣
~ John MacArthur⁣
⁣
Come listen in to the new BITESIZE Podcast Episode this week - 4 Truths to Pray for One Another - at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
EP 98: BITESIZE - 4 Truths to Pray for One Another EP 98: BITESIZE - 4 Truths to Pray for One Another:⁣
⁣
Wisdom in God's ways is something we should all desire to seek as believers and to pray for others that are in Christ.⁣
⁣
Come listen to the episode at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image.
"Much of my learning to follow Jesus is unlearning "Much of my learning to follow Jesus is unlearning to follow myself."⁣
~ Burk Parsons
Charles Spurgeon on gentleness and respect:⁣ Ha Charles Spurgeon on  gentleness and respect:⁣
Have your doctrinal views, and all your knowledge of Christ, packed away in a handy form so that, when people want to know what you believe, you can tell them. If they wish to know why you believe that you are saved, have your answer all ready in a few plain, simple sentences; and in the gentlest and most modest spirit make your confession of faith to the praise and glory of God. Who knows but what such good seed will bring forth an abundant harvest?⁣
⁣
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#spurgeon #spurgeonquotes #apologetics #
We have a generation of people who think they can We have a generation of people who think they can stand before the judgment seat of God despite their sins. ⁣
~ R.C. Sproul
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