Daily, Monthly, Yearly? We Have All the House Cleaning Checklists for You!
A House Cleaning Checklist to Make Your Home Shine
A house cleaning checklist contains all the essential chores you need to tackle to keep your house sparkling clean. Having a cleaning checklist means your cleaning will be systematic and organized, ensuring that nothing is left out. The trick lies in creating a realistic schedule that works for you and your home.
Get Ready
Walk through your home with a pen and a clipboard. Go from room to room and take an inventory of tasks you need to put on your checklist. Go carefully from ceiling to floor when identifying tasks. Not all rooms will need the same amount of cleaning.
Some people prefer to do their cleaning all in one go but it will help to divide up tasks to do on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. Having the right cleaning materials and loading a cleaning caddy with supplies to carry from room to room streamlines the cleaning process.
Remember that it will take some practice before your home cleaning schedule runs smoothly. You can make alterations as you see fit along the way. Print out your list, put it in a plastic sheet protector, and keep it visible so you always know what tasks to tackle.
On a Daily Basis
If your family is away from home most of the time on weekdays, you will probably only need to do a minimum on a daily basis. Mothers with young children are likely to need to clean more on a daily basis:
- Make the beds. This immediately makes your house look tidier.
- Keep wipes on your bedside table and give it a quick wipe when you pick up your phone in the morning.
- Wipe down bathroom counters after use in the morning and evening (keeping a stash of cleaning products in the vanity makes this easy).
- Throw dirty clothes in the clothes hamper. Don’t throw them on the floor or on a chair.
- Load the dishwasher or wash the dishes.
- Wipe down the dining room table, counters and sink after meals.
- Sweep and put away loose papers, toys, and stray objects. If you put items away on a daily basis, your weekly cleaning will be easier.
- Do a load of washing and be ruthless about folding or ironing clothes as soon as they are dry.
On a Weekly Basis
Many people who believe they don’t have time to clean during the week may just have to learn some new habits. As long as you do all these tasks on a weekly basis, you can spread them evenly over the nights of the week if you prefer. For example, you may want to tackle the laundry on a Monday evening so that clothes are clean and ready to wear during the week. Some people would rather do all these tasks on a weekend and that is fine too.
These tasks must be done in all rooms:
- Dust all surfaces. Using microfiber cloths lowers allergens and improves air quality in your house.
- Vacuum and mop floors. Make sure your vacuum bag isn’t full and use the right settings and attachments. For mopping, start at the farthest corner and move back towards the room entrance. Keep rinsing the mop as you work.
Make sure you change and launder your bedding and towels too. You can even make this a bi-weekly routine.
Bathrooms are often the dirtiest room in the house, and you will need to:
- Clean and sanitize the bathroom toilet, sink and shower to get rid of germs.
- Clean the bathroom mirror with spray glass cleaner on a soft cloth.
- Spray plastic shower curtains with disinfectant.
- Take the bathmat outside and shake it.
A kitchen can also get very dirty, as it is the room where food is prepared. You need to make sure it is always as clean as possible by:
- Wiping down appliances, such as the microwave, dishwasher, and refrigerator. This includes cleaning the inside of the microwave so that splashes and spills aren’t encrusted on the inner surface. Also, toss any food in the refrigerator that’s past its expiry date
- Cleaning and sanitize kitchen countertops.
- Scrubbing and disinfecting the kitchen sink.
On a Monthly Basis
While keeping up a healthy routine of house cleaning is essential, not every task needs to be done on a weekly or daily basis. In fact, there are certain things you need to do only once or twice a month. Your monthly house cleaning checklist may look like:
- Vacuum upholstery.
- Wipe and disinfect wastebaskets.
- Wipe and disinfect TV remotes, light switches, and doorknobs.
- Dust ceiling fans, vents, and moldings.
- Wipe down kitchen cupboards.
- Scrub the stovetop.
Every 3 to 6 months:
- Launder curtains and shake out rugs.
- Vacuum and turn mattresses.
- Clean and condition leather furniture and wood (wooden furniture needs a good wax every now and then).
- Clean the blinds. For slatted blinds, use the string to close them one way and dust. Then, close them the other way and repeat. This is more efficient than doing one slat at a time.
- Scrub tile grout. You can apply grout cleaner and allow it to sit for a while. Scrub with a bristle brush.
- Wash windows inside and out. Use a streak-free window cleaner, don’t spray on too much, and buff to a shine using newspapers.
Every 6 to 12 months:
- Clean the interior of the oven.
- Wash or dry clean pillows, slipcovers and comforters.
- Empty and clean the pantry and cabinet shelves
- Dust the refrigerator condenser coil
- Wash and dry the stove hood filter
- Clean under large appliances and furniture.
Annually
Just like the monthly tasks, there are things that need cleaning on a yearly basis. This may include jobs where you need to schedule a professional to come in:
- Have rugs cleaned professionally.
- Wipe down all walls to remove dirt and grime.
- Have gutters cleaned professionally
- Clean window screens by removing them from their frames and scrubbing with an all-purpose cleaner and warm water. Use a bristle brush to scrub them, rinse them with an outdoor hose, and then insert them back into the window to dry.
A Final Word
With the above house cleaning checklist, no task will go undone. If your cleaning schedule doesn’t quite work out, you can analyze what worked and what didn’t. Feel free to organize your tasks in a way that works for you. As long as you accomplish them all, you will have a house you are proud to show family and friends.
