NOTE: I put this together last year for Lent and it was quite popular.

So, I m offering it again this year. Tweak it for your home and family (http://maureenwittmann.blogspot.com/2011/03/prep-work-for-40-days-to-clean-and.html ). I suggest finding a friend or two to join you. This way you can help hold each other accountable. As you push yourself to complete the tasks, I promise great results in so many ways, spiritual and temporal. May God bless you and your good works.

40 Days to a Cleaner and More Organized Wittmann Home Notes:

y y y y Remember St. Therese and her Little Way. Take small steps and don t get overwhelmed by putting too much on your plate. Commit to at lease 20 minutes twice a day. However, if all is going well and you re feeling energetic, keep going. This is a 2-part plan. In the morning: Part 1 to a clean house. In the afternoon: Part 2 to an organized house. As you complete each day s work check it off. If you don t complete a task don t sweat it! Just go to the next day s step on the next day. If you get to a day when you re feeling extra energetic, you can then go back and look for days without a checkmark. If not, forget about it and get on with your life. I could have added so much more. An outdoors week would have been good. And the girls sewing/craft area could use a whole week. Let it go. Or make the kids do it. Friday is the day that my Lord died on the cross for me. I can commit to a bonus cleaning job that day for Him. What s another 20 minutes? Sundays are for praise and worship. No work this day!

y y

Part 1
Inspired by http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/cleaning/the-schedulehouse-cleaning-in-20-minutes-a-day-for-30-days-131142 o o o o o o o o o o o o o Day 1 (Ash Wednesday): Surface clean kitchen. Day 2: Deep clean kitchen Day 3 (Friday): Clean interior windows. Bonus job: Tidy school room. Day 4: Surface clean 1 bathroom Sunday is a day off! Day 5: Deep clean 1 bathroom Day 6: Dust shelves. Start at the top and work down. Day 7: Surface clean living room Day 8: Deep clean living room Day 9 (Friday): Sweep floors. Bonus job: Mop floors. Day 10: Surface clean 1 bedroom Sunday is a day off! Day 11: Deep clean 1 bedroom o Day 12: Clean all door knobs, phones, remote controls, switch plates, banisters, and are things that are repeatedly touched.

o Day 13: Surface clean 1 bathroom o Day 14: Deep clean 1 bedroom o Day 15 (Friday): Clean front entranceway and sweep front porch. Bonus job: Wipe down all door jams for fingerprints. o Day 16: Surface clean dining room o Sunday is a day off! o Day 17: Deep clean dining room o Day 18: Wipe down window sills and radiators o Day 19: Surface clean basement play area o Day 20: Deep clean basement play area o Day 21 (Friday): Clean out 1 car. Bonus job: Vacuum and clean windows of same car. o Day 22: Surface clean kitchen o Sunday is a day off! o Day 23: Deep clean kitchen o Day 24: Clean back entranceway o Day 25: Surface clean 1 bathroom o Day 26Deep clean 1 bathroom o Day 27 (Friday): Vacuum carpeted areas upstairs. Bonus job: Vacuum carpeted areas downstairs. o Day 28: Surface clean office o Sunday is a day off! o Day 29: Deep clean office o Day 30: Wipe down light fixtures o Day 31: Surface clean kitchen o Day 32: Deep clean kitchen o Day 33 (Friday): Dust surfaces. Bonus job: Take duster with long handle to ceilings & walls (especially corners) o Day 34: Surface clean living room o Sunday is a day off! o Day 35: Deep clean living room o Day 36: Surface clean one bedroom o Day 37: Deep clean one bedroom o Day 38: (Holy Thursday): Clean laundry room o Day 39: (Good Friday): Make every last bit of laundry is washed and sorted. No bonus job today spend extra time preparing spiritually for Easter. o Day 40: Help everyone prepare for Easter Vigil. o Easter Sunday He is risen!

Part 2
Prep Week o Day 1 (Ash Wednesday): Let s start our Lenten journey with some general decluttering. For today: Fly Lady s 27 Fling Boogie take a trash bag around

the house and find 27 things to throw away. For more details, see http://www.flylady.net/pages/FLYingLessons_Decluttertips.asp o Day 2: Today find 27 things to give away instead of throw away. o Day 3 (Friday): 5-minute tidy in 4 different rooms. Set the timer for 5 minutes. Do a quick tidy in one room. Stop as soon as the timer goes off. Do this again in 3 more rooms. How much can you get done in 5 minutes? o Day 4 Drive to thrift store with the 27 items to give away. o Sunday is a day off! Kitchen Week o Day 5: Organize kitchen cabinets (Tupperware & baking dishes) o Day 6 Organize kitchen cabinets (pots & pans and serving dishes) o Day 7: Organize kitchen drawers (silverware, utensils) o Day 8: Organize kitchen pantry (take out food, clean and label shelves) o Day 9 (Friday): Clean out fridge (take out everything, wash down shelves & sides. Check expiration dates of food). o Day 10: Clean out freezer. Leftovers for dinner food found in past 3 days close to expiring. Have fun and make it a buffet! o Sunday is a day off! Kids Room Week (Tidy, give away access, store away grown out clothes for next child. Look for odd socks!) o Day 11: Boys upstairs dressers o Day 12: Boys upstairs closet o Day 13: Girls dressers o Day 14: Girls closet o Day 15 (Friday): Boys downstairs dressers o Day 16: Boys downstairs closet o Sunday is a day off! Mom and Dad Week o Day 17: My closet o Day 18: Rob s closet o Day 19: My dresser o Day 20: Rob s dresser o Day 21 (Friday): Linen closet in master bedroom o Day 22: Master bathroom cabinet. Drive to thrift store with any donations. o Sunday is a day off! Basement Week o Day 23: Tidy canning supplies and equipment o Day 24: Cedar closet (Organize winter coats, gloves, etc. Fold & tidy blankets & sheets. Tidy games & puzzles.) o Day 25: More cedar closet o Day 26: Books (Straighten shelves, check order, dust) o Day 27 (Friday): Organize office & school supplies o Day 28: Basement bathroom closet & cabinet. Trip to thrift store with any donations. o Sunday is a day off!

Garage Week o Day 29: Tidy skating bins o Day 30: Tools in their place o Day 31: Throw out unnecessary junk o Day 32: Tidy boiler room o Day 33 (Friday): Garage bathroom closet o Day 34: Sweep garage. Trip to thrift store with any donations. o Sunday is a day off! Misc. Week o Day 35: Upstairs bookshelves o Day 36: Guest bathroom cabinet and drawers. o Day 37: Organize videos/DVD s o Day 38(Holy Thursday): Organize CD s/tapes o Day 39 (Good Friday): Prepare kitchen for Easter baking o Day 40: Prepare kitchen for Easter baking. Trip to thrift store with any donations. o Easter Sunday He is risen!