Keeping your home clean is no easy feat. With all of life's responsibilities, such as work, socialising, family and much-needed relaxation time, it can feel pretty laborious to do all the necessary cleaning tasks in between.
But the unfortunate truth is if we don't clean our homes regularly, they become disorganised and chaotic, not to mention more likely to attract dirt, dust and bacteria. A clean space is good for your health and your family's wellness. Furthermore, a tidy home is also good for your mind.
Related Articles:
Mental Health and Cleaning
A clean home is very beneficial for mental health and stress levels. When our homes are clean, tidy and clutter-free, we feel clearer-headed and better able to cope with life. Therefore, it's beneficial to find a way to complete a realistic, basic cleaning checklist as often as possible.
The Magic of a Basic Cleaning Checklist
Cleaning your home is overwhelming sometimes, and it's easy to overcomplicate your cleaning routine. For those struggling to keep up with complex schedules, it's good to go back to basics.
Cleaning schedules keep you aware of essential household chores that are required regularly to maintain a tidy home.
Although additional tasks may be required based on your household and lifestyle, the list in this blog covers an essential daily, weekly and monthly cleaning schedule that everyone should undertake to maintain a tidy space. It includes kitchen and bathroom cleaning chores, laundry, and more.
As a bonus, we have put together a FREE Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Cleaning Checklist you can download, print and put up in your home. It will help to keep you accountable and serve as a visual cleaning reminder.
Download Basic Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Cleaning Checklist here:
*Note that these checklists are designed for indoor tasks only, so it's good to consider outdoor chores that require regular attention if you have an outside space.
Basic Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Cleaning Checklist
Daily Cleaning Checklist:
- Morning:
Make bed
Unload dishwasher/put away clean dishes
- Afternoon/Evening
Spend 10 minutes sorting laundry, e.g. put on a load, put a load in the dryer/hang up clean laundry, or fold and put away dry laundry.
Wipe down bathroom sink and surfaces.
Wipe down kitchen surfaces and stovetop.
Load dishwasher/wash dishes.
Spend 10 minutes putting mislaid items back in their place.
Take out trash/compost/recycling - dispose of food waste daily to avoid unpleasant odours. However, you can empty other waste and recycling as needed.
Sort mail.
Vacuum high-traffic areas (possibly necessary daily, depending on household size).
Weekly Cleaning Checklist:
Wash bed sheets, towels and clothes.
Vacuum and sweep all floors.
Mop hard floors.
Dust surfaces.
Check the fridge, e.g. remove expired food and clean dirty shelves.
Thoroughly clean the bathroom, e.g. scrub toilet, sanitise sink and clean drains if necessary (you may need to do this twice a week depending on how many people use one bathroom).
Monthly Cleaning Checklist:
Deep clean fridge, e.g. thoroughly sanitise, remove expired food and organise.
Sanitise garbage bins (it's also good practice to spray with disinfectant and wipe down the inside each time you change the bin bag).
Organise kitchen cabinets, e.g. remove expired products, clean shelves, and organise remaining items.
Scrub bath and shower.
Wipe down mirrors (especially the bathroom!).
Clean furniture, e.g. wash couch covers/throw pillows, hoover between cracks, spot clean stains and marks.
Dust top to bottom - pay attention to between appliances, behind the couch, lampshades, etc.
Clean windows and windowsills.
Check smoke/carbon monoxide alarms to ensure they work.
And there you have it: a basic cleaning checklist. Hopefully, this doesn't seem too overwhelming. When done regularly and routinely, cleaning becomes more simple and possibly therapeutic! Plus, you'll feel great knowing your home is clean.
As the above list is not exhaustive, you may need to add tasks or complete some tasks more frequently.
Twice-Yearly and Once-Yearly Cleaning Checklist
Additionally, it's helpful to keep track of chores that don't need to be done as often but are still important to do regularly.
Below is a bonus checklist for essential twice-yearly and once-yearly cleaning tasks:
Twice-Yearly Cleaning Checklist:
Clean walls and doors (if you have pets and/or children, you'll likely need to move this to the monthly column!)
Wash duvet, pillows and mattress cover (if you use one duvet all year round, it would benefit from a wash every 4 months or so)
Clean mattress
Clean oven (you may need to do this every 3 months if you do a lot of cooking)
Wash curtains/dust blinds
Deep clean carpets
Clean skirting boards/mouldings
Once-Yearly Cleaning Checklist:
Organise wardrobe, e.g. donate clothes you no longer wear and dust inside wardrobe if necessary
Declutter - identify which items you no longer use and create space by donating/selling them
Deep clean appliances such as dishwasher, oven and washing machine/dryer, removing grout and dust build-up
Download Twice-Yearly and Once-Yearly Cleaning Checklist here:
Related Articles: