Amish Housekeeping (Amish Cleaning Tips)

Amish Housekeeping

Amish women are typically hard workers and very good housekeepers. And most of them keep their houses tidy and clean. Amish housekeeping is a daily thing because there are usually lots of kids, and kids make dirt. And you also get dirty when you're working on the farm, and dirt gets drug into the house. So it takes lots of work to keep the house clean.

I grew up in the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania area. And most of the Amish and Mennonite farms in that area are very neat and well-kept. And the inside of the home is usually kept pretty clean as well. However, this does not necessarily hold true for all the Amish communities.

If you observe different Amish communities, you will notice that there is a big difference in the Amish. Not only in the way they dress or the buggy they drive. But also in the appearance of their farm or homestead. A lot of the more strict Amish do not have as neat and well-kept homesteads. And their homes are often not in pristine condition like the more liberal Amish.

Amish Cleaning Tips

The Amish Potato guy who has a YouTube channel (go check him out if you haven't yet) had someone request a video on how to clean like the Amish. Not exactly sure how you would do a video on cleaning the whole house. But I told him that I would write a post with some Amish cleaning tips. So here it is...

I grew up on a farm with nine siblings, seven of them being boys. So of course, there was always lots of dirt to keep after. But our home was always kept relatively clean, and the only way it stayed that way was because we did some cleaning every day of the week, except Sundays.

The dishes were washed, dried, and put away, and the counters were wiped after every meal. After breakfast, we also swept the kitchen, dining, and laundry/entry floors. These were chores that we did every day.

The easiest way to keep your house clean is to clean up dirt whenever you see it. Don't let it pile up.

Checklist for Housecleaning

You could create a checklist for yourself or make a schedule of what you want to clean every day so that every room of the house gets cleaned each week. I find that it is easier to get the house cleaned, and it doesn't seem as overwhelming if you don't leave all the cleaning for one day.

I grew up in a huge 4-story farmhouse. We did not clean the basement/cellar area or the attic every week. Those floors only got cleaned when they got dirty and twice a year during spring and fall housecleaning.

However, we had a routine for cleaning the rest of the house that we always tried to stick to. Every Thursday, we dusted and vacuumed the upstairs bedrooms, and on Saturdays, we focused on cleaning the main floor. Saturdays were our big cleaning days.

Saturday Housecleaning - Amish Housekeeping

We got up early on Saturday morning and swept and washed (on our knees with a bucket and rag) our huge kitchen/dining floor before 7:00 breakfast. After breakfast, the rest of the kitchen got a thorough cleaning. The refrigerator and stove got a good cleaning, and the cabinets and windows were washed.

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned that one of my first cleaning chores was washing the kitchen cabinets (on the outside) and the dining chairs. Those all got cleaned every Saturday.

We only had one bathroom to clean, but also had a big laundry/entry room. All of this got a good cleaning every Saturday. All the doors and some of the main walls were wiped down, and the windows were cleaned.

We didn't spend a lot of money on cleaning supplies and paper towels, etc. to clean. We just used a bucket of hot water with some Mr. Clean or a natural cleaning product and a rag. Our rags were all made out of worn-out clothing or sheets. And we washed them in the laundry and used them again the next week.

Deep Housecleaning

So with all of that cleaning being done every week, our house stayed fairly clean. But on top of that, we did deep cleaning every spring and fall.

Every spring and every fall we spent a few weeks cleaning every single room in the entire house from top to bottom. Every piece of furniture got moved, and every closet and drawer got cleaned out.

We didn't always wash every ceiling and wall in the bedrooms, sometimes we just used a broom and swept over them to get any dust or cobwebs. But on the main floor of the house, every ceiling and wall got washed. Every window got a thorough cleaning. And all the kitchen cupboards were cleaned from top to bottom and inside out.

It was a lot of work, and that's what we did about every day for several weeks. But our house sure was clean by the time we got done. And it was a great feeling when we finished, knowing that the house was super clean.

But honestly, to this day, I'm not too fond of deep cleaning, and my house certainly does not get it very often. I prefer to do a room now and then when I know that it's dirty and needs a thorough cleaning once again.

Cleaning Tips for Moms

When you have babies and toddlers, it's hard to always keep up with everything that needs to be done in the house. And if you are a working mom it is also tough to get it all done. I was a stay-at-home mom for the first sixteen years after we had kids. And I always managed to get my house cleaned every week.

But after I started working a job away from home, it became a challenge to keep up with everything like I used to. My windows aren't spotless anymore, and some things just don't get done every week. And I have decided to be okay with that. It's not that big of a deal.

I still cannot handle clutter and dirt, and I still like a clean home. It's just not as spotless as it used to be. However, I have found that if I spread out my cleaning and do a little at a time, I can still get it done most of the time.

I also have older kids and they help out, although I am a bit of a perfectionist and like my things done right. So I tend to do more of the cleaning myself because of that. They are all responsible for cleaning their own bedrooms and the one bathroom.

Do a Bit of Cleaning Every Day

I vacuum the main living area every Tuesday.

I dust the house on Thursdays (sometimes I get my boys to do this).

On Fridays, I clean my bathroom, laundry room, and entry, and vacuum the main living area. If I have time, I might clean some windows.

On Saturday I clean the kitchen. My daughter usually washes the kitchen and dining floor and does some vacuuming on Saturday as well.

So my house stays relatively clean, although it sure could use a deep cleaning. Does anyone volunteer to do that for me?? 😉 I'll get it a bit at a time.

But honestly, I have found that picking up, organizing, and cleaning dirt when you see it, doing a little bit every day, is the easiest way to keep your house clean and organized.

Amish Housecleaning

So, if you want to keep your house clean like the Amish, you will need to do a bit of cleaning every day. Make sure that you get every room cleaned each week. And give your home a deep cleaning twice a year. It definitely will stay pretty clean if you do this.

And two tips to help make it easier to keep the house clean are #1. Teach your kids to pick up after themselves, and #2. Do not wear shoes in the house.

As Amish ladies, we were always very busy with all the cleaning, cooking three meals a day, gardening, canning, yard work, sewing, and helping out on the farm. But all of these things were a priority, so we got up early and worked hard all day to get it done.

Housekeeping is a big part of an Amish woman's life. Her home and her family are her top priority. And she has a full-time job taking care of them.

There's a saying that goes, "A man's work is from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done." That is certainly true with most Amish women. And me too ;).

Amish Housekeeping (Amish Cleaning Tips)