If staying on top of the daily mess and clutter doesn’t come naturally to you, it might be worth creating a home cleaning schedule.
A schedule, or timetable, can help you keep track of what needs to be cleaned and when, and prevent mess from building up and becoming unmanageable.
Here’s how to create your own cleaning schedule to keep your house looking professionally clean and tidy.
Managing Daily Cleaning Tasks
No matter how neat and tidy you might be, your everyday activities are bound to create a little bit of mess throughout the day. This is especially true if you’re a new parent tackling a new cleaning routine.
To avoid a buildup of dirt and clutter, it’s important to clean as you go and dedicate a small amount of time every day to tidying up. This will form the basis of your home cleaning schedule.
The Key Elements of a Daily Home Cleaning Schedule
If you want to stay on top of the mess in your home, it’s important to have a daily cleaning plan.
You don’t need to deep-clean the house every single day, but you should aim to clean up after yourself and return the house to a neutral state.
What Is the Daily 6 Cleaning List?
The Daily 6 Cleaning List is a framework many people use to keep their cleaning efforts on track.
It includes:
- Making the bed to set the day on a productive note, and create a more organised looking and feeling bedroom.
- Clean and wipe down frequently used surfaces like kitchen countertops, bathroom sinks, and tables to remove dust and germs.
- Wash your dishes either by hand or in the dishwasher, to avoid a pile up of dirty, smelly washing up
- Do the laundry, whether that involves putting clothes on to wash, out to dry, or folding and putting away clothes that are already dry.
- Spend a few minutes picking up after yourself and decluttering. Put everything back after you’ve used it, and make sure things are in their dedicated place.
- Quickly sweep or vacuum high-traffic areas to remove dirt and debris from the floors.
Some cleaning tasks are more appropriate to tackle weekly. Considering your lifestyle, schedule, or your home’s unique needs, it’s important to identify weekly home maintenance strategies that work for you.
Designing an Efficient Weekly Cleaning Schedule
Some of the cleaning tasks your home will need each week include:
- Dusting shelves, high surfaces, and electronics
- Vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping
- Clean the bathroom and scrub sinks, toilets, bathtubs and showers
- Sanitise and clean the kitchen, appliances, and countertops
- Change and wash bed linens
- Loads of laundry including clothing, towels, and microfibre cleaning towels
- Empty the trash, recycling, and compost if necessary
- If you have a yard, mow the lawn and rake any leaves
Use your own judgement to decide if these need to be done just once a week, or maybe 2-3 times a week.
Addressing Monthly Cleaning Tasks
Your monthly cleaning is where things start to get really thorough. You could cycle tasks throughout the month, or tackle them all in one big go.
Tackling Cleaning Duties on a Monthly Basis
For an effective housekeeping routine, there are a few things that should be covered each month.
These include:
- Dusting and wiping light fixtures and ceiling fans
- Cleaning windows, both inside and outside
- Scrubbing bathroom tiles and grout
- Deep clean your refrigerator and freezer
- Clear out expired foods in your pantry
- Prune any hedges you have in your yard
- Carry out pool cleaning and maintenance
Tasks to Accomplish Every Three to Six Months
There are also a handful of household tasks that only need to be addressed every 3-6 months in your home cleaning schedule.
Addressing Home Cleaning Responsibilities Every 3-6 Months
This is the time to show some love to the items in your home that are too tricky to clean on a daily basis.
Here is where you should:
- Air out and clean your mattress
- Launder your curtains and other household upholstery
- Get carpets steam cleaned for stain removal if necessary
- Inspect the lint trap in your washer and dryer, to remove fire risks
- Thoroughly clean your oven and range hood
- Wipe and clear out extractor fans in your kitchen and bathroom
- Declutter household items such as clothes in your wardrobe – set a pile of things that you don’t need and can donate
Every home and lifestyle will require its own unique home cleaning schedule, but these are an excellent place to start.
By breaking your cleaning into daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly tasks, you’ll find it much easier to keep your home neat and tidy.
And if you find that cleaning isn’t your calling or you need some extra help with specific tasks, you can always book a professional domestic cleaner through Wecasa.
