What Should a House Cleaning Checklist Include?

Do you love to clean the house? Great! Some people find it therapeutic to clean, clean, clean. But what if you don’t? Many individuals dread cleaning and avoid it more than they do the flu. If you keep postponing cleaning your home, you have to clean it more intensely when you really need it cleaned. It would help if you spent more time trying to remove the dirt, grime, mold, and mildew. The secret to spending less time cleaning the house is to have a house cleaning checklist.

A house cleaning checklist is a great way to break down the cleaning tasks into manageable chunks. You can clean your house in record time if you have a checklist. It keeps you on track, ensuring you get all the spots.

It’s a good idea to make a house cleaning schedule for daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal chores. For daily and weekly chores, you put these up on the refrigerator or your message board, preferably beside a calendar. The monthly and seasonal chores can be written down in your planner; if you use an electronic calendar or organizer, so much the better. Take advantage of the alarm feature to remind you of monthly and seasonal cleaning tasks.

House Cleaning Daily Checklist

A sample daily house cleaning checklist follows. Doing the laundry and ironing are outside the checklist because it depends on the number of individuals living in the house. It can be done daily or weekly but never monthly.

Bedroom

• Straighten up the bed
• Keep the clothes in the closet. Dirty clothes go into the laundry hamper.
• Put things back in their proper places.

Bathroom

• Arrange toiletries.
• Wipe down the sink, bathtub, and bathroom fixtures.
• Empty the garbage can.

Kitchen

• Wash the dishes, pots, and pans. Dry and keep them in their proper place.
• Wipe the kitchen counter as well as any kitchen appliances you use. Wipe the dining table also.
• Wash the sink thoroughly, then dry it.
• Put away food containers or items in the pantry, cupboard, or refrigerator.
• Empty the garbage can.

Living room, Hallway, and Staircase

• Fix the sofa; fluff the throw pillows, if any.
• Put away magazines and other items that need to be put in their proper place.

House Cleaning Weekly Checklist

There are some items in the weekly checklist below that you can do every two weeks. It all depends on how dirty it gets. If you live in an area where dust accumulates fast, doing the chores below every week is best.

Bedroom

• Change the sheets. Wash the bedding and keep them as soon as they are dry.
• Using a duster or a microfiber dusting cloth, dust away table tops and the top edge of the door. Remember to dust the bed frame and any wall frames.
• Vacuum the floor, including moldings and baseboards. If you have polished hardwood floors, you can polish them to maintain their shine.
• Empty the wastebasket.

Bathroom

• Clean the bathroom. Dust the corners and upper walls. Scrub the walls and floors. Wash the sink, bathtub, and toilet bowl. Use a disinfectant cleaner to kill germs.
• If you have a shower curtain and liner, launder it.
• Clean mirrors as well as windows with a glass cleaner. You can also use a mixture of water and vinegar to do the job. The secret to streak-free glass is using old, clean newspapers for wiping instead of using a rag.

Kitchen

• Mop your kitchen floor with water and a disinfectant cleaner.
• Sanitize the countertops.
• Clean the microwave.
• Wipe appliances.
• Check the refrigerator for any spoiled food and throw it away.
• Check for the accumulation of grease on your stove. Clean it with hot water and mild detergent or any appropriate degreasing product.

Living room, Hallway, and Staircase

• Dust shelves, table tops, display objects, photo frames, ceiling fans, window sills, and anything else you can dust in the living room.
• Mop and/or vacuum the living room, hallway and staircase. Wipe the staircase handrails and balusters.

House Cleaning Monthly Checklist

The monthly cleaning checklist involves chores you can do more or less every month.

Bedroom

• Wash windows.
• Clean blinds or wash curtains.
• Clean the air filter of the air conditioning unit.
• Wipe overhead light fixtures and dust walls.
• Move furniture and vacuum.

Kitchen

• Clean the cupboards, pantry, and under sink.
• Thoroughly clean the oven and the refrigerator.

Living room, Hallway, and Staircase

• Vacuum behind and under furniture.
• Clean blinds or wash curtains.
• Wipe sliding glass doors
• Clean screens.

House Cleaning Seasonal Checklist

You can do chores every two months, every quarter, semi-annually, or every year. Include these cleaning chores in the seasonal checklist.

Bedroom

• Clean out your closets and drawers. Sort items according to those for giving away to family and friends, for charity, for recycling, and for reuse.
• Turn over the mattress according to the directions found on the mattress tag.

Bathroom

• Clean out the bathroom closet. Throw away any expired toiletry items.

Kitchen

• Pull out the refrigerator and oven. Vacuum and mop behind and under these two appliances.

Living room, Hallway, and Staircase

• Shampoo carpets and rugs.
• Move heavy cabinets so you can vacuum and mop the area.
• Clean out hallway closets and drawers.

This is just a sample of the house cleaning checklist. Every checklist differs depending on the house’s design and the furnishings and fixtures it contains. Some houses have study rooms, dens, patios, garages, gardens, swimming pools, and more. Your checklist should include chores for these areas.

Making the checklist may seem like a chore, but you only have to prepare it once. By having and following your personalized checklist, your house cleaning will be more organized and efficient.