Hello, joyful homemaker!
Let’s be honest—household chores aren’t exactly the most exciting part of homemaking. Some days, it feels like the to-do list never ends, right? But here’s a little secret that’s saved my sanity more than once: you don’t have to do everything in one day.
Seriously, trying to tackle the whole house at once is a fast track to burnout. Instead, break your cleaning tasks into yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily chunks. It makes everything feel way more doable—and way less overwhelming.
What’s really helped me stay on top of things (without losing my mind)? Cleaning checklists. They keep me focused, hold me accountable, and make it so much easier to stay consistent. When you have a plan, it’s easier to keep your home clean, cozy, and organized—without spending your entire weekend scrubbing floors.
Remember, you’re running a home, not a race. A little structure goes a long way!
Reasons why you need a house cleaning schedule
You need to exert time and effort to maintain a clean house. But don't let the image of cleaning bathroom counters or deep cleaning the kitchen daunt you. You won't have to do them all today or even do them forever. Once you figure out the right cleaning schedule that fits your lifestyle, everything else seems easier and more manageable.
Here are the best reasons why you need to keep and stick to a house cleaning checklist:
1. Reduce stress
Mess and clutter can be unbearable for some people. According to a study, a cluttered, chaotic, and messy home can trigger stress hormones. By committing to your cleaning tasks, you minimize the stress-inducing mess and chaos and make your home feel more peaceful and livable. Indeed, a clean home is a "home sweet home."
2. Avoid the overwhelm
Do you sometimes feel like you're putting in too much effort in keeping a clean home? It seems like you'll have to clean windows and doors every so often or deep clean appliances more than you should. You can break down your cleaning tasks and keep a monthly, daily, or weekly cleaning schedule so that you don't have to deal with everything all at once.
3. Stay efficient and organized
Following weekly or monthly cleaning tasks helps you to stay on top of home cleaning chores and ensure that you don't neglect any areas. It always helps to follow a cleaning checklist to streamline your cleaning tasks and make them less time-consuming.
Daily Cleaning Tasks
Go over these simple tasks daily to keep your home clean on a regular basis. These cleaning tasks are less tedious and take little time, but they go a long way in keeping your home neat and organized. You only need to spend a couple of minutes doing these daily tasks, but it helps immensely to prevent dirt and mess from piling up.
- Make your bed. Start your day with an organized bedroom. This morning ritual can instantly boost your mood, reduce stress, and gives you a sense of accomplishment first thing in the morning.
- Tidy up living spaces. Put away toys, fluff the throw pillows, and place everything where they're supposed to be.
- Wash dirty dishes every day to keep them from piling up and prevent pests and foul smells inside the house.
- Mop and vacuum the floors to prevent dust and dirt from settling inside your home.
- Wipe down counters and sinks after every meal to keep stains away.
Weekly Cleaning Tasks
These weekly cleaning tasks take more time than the ones you do on a daily basis. Weekly tasks involve other chores that you don't get to do on the weekdays, and pay more attention to often neglected areas.
- Wash the towels and bed sheets. In addition to washing your dirty clothes, it's also good to include washing the towels and bed sheets in your weekly cleaning tasks.
- Mop floors. Treat stains right away to keep them from getting too stubborn to remove. Move the furniture to reach deep places and nooks and crannies.
- Clean bathrooms. Scrub down the toilet and bath.
- Clean mirrors and other surfaces. Use the appropriate glass cleaner to prevent streaks.
- Clean the kitchen. Raid the fridge and pantry and get rid of expired products. A good cleaning in the kitchen ensures you are preparing food in a safe place.
- Clean and sanitize the trash bin. Your garbage bin may still harbor germs and bacteria even if you empty it regularly, so make sure to sanitize it at least once a week.
- Put away clean laundry. Don't let them pile up, or the bedroom becomes an eyesore.
- Deep clean inside the fridge and microwave. Spoiled and spilled food inside the fridge and microwave become a breeding ground for bacteria. So always include deep cleaning tasks in your weekly and monthly schedule to prevent diseases and foul smells.
- Vacuum carpets. Remove dirt and dust bunnies by vacuuming your rugs and carpets once a week. A sprinkle of baking soda also helps to deodorize them.
Monthly Cleaning Checklist
Some things at home don't need to be cleaned daily or weekly. Others are good for once-a-month cleaning. You can schedule your monthly cleaning tasks for the last week or the first week of each month so you don't forget. It's also good to time it on a weekend so you devote more time to house cleaning.
- Clean kitchen cabinets and cupboards. Places above your head tend to accumulate dust and dirt, yet we don't usually have the time to clean them on a daily or weekly basis. Include this in your monthly tasks to prevent dust accumulation.
- Clean remotes and electronics. We use these things so often in our daily lives, yet we overlook how dirty they can get over time. Wipe and disinfect your remotes and electronics at least once a month.
- Clear drains. Pour warm water into your drains and then some baking soda to dislodge accumulated dirt and get rid of the nasty odor.
- Dust behind appliances
- Deep clean dishwasher
- Dust ceiling fans ceiling fan blades
- Clean light fixtures to keep them bright. You can wipe or dust bulbs and lampshades. Take out removable parts and wash them (if applicable).
- Wash comforters. Since it's not practical to include washing comforters in your daily tasks, then doing it at least once a month should do the trick!
- Clean the doors and windows. Wipe down your doors and windows with a clean microfibre cloth, and don't forget to disinfect the door knobs.
- Clean the walls and baseboards. These places attract so much dirt and grime, so it's good to wipe them down as well.
- Clean blinds and curtains. If you haven't checked your blinds and curtains in a while, you might be surprised to see how dirty they have become. Use a blind vacuum attachment to clean these places.
- Clean the vents. Keep your HVAC system running efficiently and smoothly by dusting and wiping your vents.
- Clear the junk drawer. Check what's inside the junk drawer and decide whether you'd want to keep some of them or not.
- Clean your washing machine. Cleaning your washing machine helps prevent residue build-up and keeps it running in good condition for a long time.
- Declutter your closet. Take a look at your wardrobe and re-organize your stuff. If the seasons have changed, put away off-season clothes in storage. Also, decide whether to donate or sell some of your clothes.
- Clean your furniture. Lounges, sofas, dining tables, and chairs also need some TLC. Cleaning them at least once a month helps keep them in pristine condition.
Stay on top of your home cleaning routine with this free Monthly Cleaning Checklist, organized by area of the house. Download it below to make keeping your home clean and tidy easier than ever!
Annual Cleaning Tasks
Apart from daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning tasks, there are also yearly cleaning tasks that you need to tackle. These tasks require more time and effort, yet you only need to do them at least once a year. Therefore, tend to these yearly cleaning tasks to keep your household a clean haven for your family.
- Deep clean carpets. Clean your carpets thoroughly and remove deep-seated dirt by renting a carpet vacuum.
- Clean the garage. It's common for many people to dump stuff in the garage, from sports and workout equipment to boxes of random things. So once a year, go through all those things and decide whether to keep, sell or donate them.
- Clean the gutters. Remove leaves and other debris to prevent blockage.
- Clean behind huge appliances. Get an extra hand to help you move huge appliances such as the fridge, washing machine, and dryer so you can clean behind them.
- Clean your attic and basement. These areas in your home are easy to neglect, so they accumulate tons of dust and dirt over time. Clean these spots at least once a year, wipe and vacuum the floors and organize your things.
More Cleaning Tips
- Batch tasks by room or day (e.g., Mondays = Kitchen)
- Use timers (15-30 min sprints per task)
- Delegate small tasks to kids (like dusting, organizing shoes)
- Keep essentials handy in a cleaning caddy
- Track progress with checkboxes or a printable version
What is the best cleaning schedule?
There is no best cleaning schedule that serves as a standard for everyone. Instead, your cleaning schedule depends largely on your needs, lifestyle, the size of your home, and family. For instance, if you have a family member who suffers from allergies, you might need to clean your home more often than those who don't. Likewise, families with younger kids may need to clean up more since kids make a lot more mess.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Cleaning your home isn't everyone’s favorite activity, but dealing with the mess, stains, dirt, and foul smells is harder. In addition, a dirty, smelly, messy home can cause stress. And for many people, cleaning feels more therapeutic than a chore.
You can keep your home clean and organized by following a cleaning schedule, allowing you to manage your time and energy. Following a regular schedule also helps maintain and extend the life of your furniture and appliances, saving you from stress and extra expenses in the long run. So keep the overwhelm at bay and do what you can today by sticking to your cleaning schedule.
