Cleaning the house can be an overwhelming task. When there is so much to do you may be asking yourself, “where do I start?”. As professional house cleaners, we can help.
A tactic that many people find useful is to break those tasks down by how often they need to be done and then break them down again by room!
By using this technique you will have a more clear path of the tasks you need to accomplish.
It can make maintaining the cleanliness of your home easier and more attainable. So, that is exactly what we are going to do here!
We have broken down the house cleaning tasks by daily, weekly, monthly, and annually/seasonally to help you feel more organized and equipped to tackle those pesky chores.
We will also include a few tips and tricks to make things even easier and provide links to get even more information about how to keep up with cleaning your home. But if this seems like more work than you’re ready to take on, you can always simply hire us to do it for you!
Start With House Cleaning Supplies
You will always want to start by making sure you have the supplies you need to get your basic cleaning tasks done.
Then you will notice the tasks are broken down by Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Annually/Seasonal checklists. Feel free to add or take away whatever tasks you deem necessary for your home.
The important part of the checklist is that it makes sense for your cleaning goals. Utilize the many tips and tricks available in the post as well as on our website, our link is provided at the end.
A few items on the list you will use daily and some you will only use a few times a year. No matter how often you use these items you will want to keep them stocked up to execute your cleaning tasks effectively.
You can go more in-depth with different products but let’s list out the basics and as you get into your routine you can add products or determine what you do not need in your cleaning toolkit.
- All-purpose cleaner
- Disinfectant spray
- Paper towels
- Microfiber towels
- Bleach
- Toilet bowl cleaner
- Toilet brush
- Glass cleaner
- Dish soap
- Sponges
- Mop and bucket
- Broom
- Dust Pan
- Vacuum
- Duster
- Oven cleaner
- Grout brush
- Laundry detergent
- Laundry basket
- Rubber gloves
- Cleaning caddy (to organize products and easily transport them from room to room)
Daily Cleaning Checklist:
When you look at the big picture, it may feel like a never-ending daily to-do list when it comes to cleaning. Breaking down each step, it will make each room easier to complete in a shorter amount of time.
Plus you can work on the list throughout the day, so it won’t feel like you are spending the entire afternoon or morning cleaning.
Pro Tip: To make cleaning more enjoyable, put on some of your favorite music and time yourself to see how many tasks you can get done before a song finishes. Before you know if you will have all your tasks done for the day.
Kitchen:
- Place dirty dishes in the sink
- Wash dishes or load the dishwasher
- Wipe down countertops and appliances (ie. stove top, refrigerator door, etc)
- Put away clean dishes
- Sweep the floors
- Wipe out the sink and clean the drain of any food debris
- Empty and rinse the coffee maker
- Be sure you stocked up on dish liquid and hand soap.
Pro tip: Make sweeping and mopping your last task so that when you are wiping down surfaces you won’t risk ruining your freshly cleaned floors.
Bedroom:
- Make the bed
- Find any dishes and bring them to the kitchen
- Pick up dirty laundry
- Clean off nightstands and dressers
- Pick up any trash
Pro tip: Have a small trash can in each room to prevent the trash from piling up on any of the surfaces.
Bathroom:
- Wipe countertops and sink (for more detailed information on how to clean your bathroom sink click here.
- Wipe mirror (as needed)
- Pick up any trash
- Be sure toilet paper and hand soap are stocked
- Sweep the floors
Pro tip: Leave a roll of paper towels and a bottle of multipurpose spray in the bathroom so you don’t have to carry the products with you to every room.
Living Room:
- Pick anything off the floor that does not belong
- Adjust couch cushions (as needed)
- Wipe down the coffee table
Pro tip: use an empty laundry basket for items that do not belong in the living room to make it easier to transport those items to their homes (i.e. dishes to the kitchen, toys in the toy box, etc.)
Weekly Cleaning Checklist:
To make your weekly cleaning tasks easy to remember, assign each room a day of the week. You can focus on one room a day and repeat the cycle every week. It won’t be long before these tasks become second nature.
Kitchen:
- Check the refrigerator for spoiled or expired items
- Wipe down the inside of the refrigerator
- Disinfect surfaces (ie: countertops, door handles, etc)
- Sweep and mop the floors
- Clean out the cabinets of any expired food
- Disinfect the inside and outside of the garbage can
Pro tip: use hot water when mopping floors to pick up as much dirt and grim as possible.
Bedroom:
- Wash, dry, fold, and put away laundry
- Change bed sheets and pillowcases
- Vacuum floors
- Dust
- Disinfect surfaces (ie: nightstands, dressers, etc)
- Empty the trash can and disinfect the inside and the outside
Pro tip: sort the laundry into baskets assigned to each person in the household to make folding and putting away laundry faster and easier.
Bathroom:
- Mop floors
- Disinfect surfaces (ie. countertops, doorknobs, etc)
- Dust
- Clean shower/tub
- Empty and disinfect trash can
- Clean and disinfect the toilet
Pro tip: Use the disinfectant spray and let it sit for a few moments when doing your weekly bathroom cleaning on your sink, door knobs, and countertops.
Living Room:
- Disinfect surfaces (ie: coffee table, side table, etc)
- Vacuum floors
- Vacuum furniture (ie: couches or chairs)
- Dust TV stand
Monthly Cleaning Checklist:
Monthly tasks can be easy to forget about. You can set a timer on your phone for an “end of the month cleaning” and tackle this cleaning checklist to reset your home for the new month.
Or, if you prefer to schedule your monthly tasks for the beginning of the month you can do that instead. When it comes to maintaining your home you have to do what works best and find what makes the most sense to you.
Kitchen:
- Clean the dishwasher/deep the clean sink
- Clean the oven
- Dust the blinds
- Wipe the windows
- Clean out the drains
- Dust and wipe the baseboards
Pro tip: Clean your duster to be sure you pick up as much dust as possible. Find more information on how to do this here.
Bedroom:
- Clean out and organize closets (donate unwanted clothing items to decrease clutter)
- Clean behind the dressers
- Wash the windows
- Flip the mattresses and spray them with disinfectant
- Dust and wipe the `baseboards
Bathroom:
- Clean the shower head
- Wipe the windows
- Scrub the floor grout
- Wash the shower curtain
- Clean out the sink and tub drains
- Dust and wipe the baseboards
Living Room:
- Wash the windows
- Deep clean the furniture
- Wipe any electronics (ie: tv, laptops, etc)
- Dust and wipe the baseboards
Annual/Seasonal House Cleaning Checklist:
Some cleaning tasks only need to be done once or twice a year or during a seasonal transition. Keep a list of the items that need to be done in plain sight and set a reminder on your phone so they will not be forgotten about.
Kitchen:
- Defrost and clean the freezer
- Clean the walls
- Clean behind the refrigerator
- Clean behind the oven
Pro tip: Schedule your freezer and refrigerator clean out before a grocery shopping day so you will have a freshly cleaned place ready to restock.
Bedroom:
- Shampoo the carpets
- Wash the walls
- Vacuum the curtains
Pro tip: If your walls have flat paint you will want to read our post on how to clean them to prevent causing any damage to the walls while cleaning.
Bathroom:
- Wash the walls
- Call someone to pump the septic tank
Living Room:
- Wash the walls
- Shampoo the carpets
- Vacuum the curtains
Miscellaneous:
- Clean the gutters
- Clean the chimney
- Clean behind the washer and dryer
These checklists are a great way to keep track of your cleaning tasks. If you are looking for more cleaning tips check out our blog and scroll through our existing blog posts to find helpful tips that will make cleaning your home easier and more pleasant.
Cleaning your home may not be the most enjoyable task you can think of, but breaking things down by room and by how often they need to be done, it can make mundane tasks easier to manage and accomplish.