The Ultimate House Cleaning Schedule and Checklist 

The Ultimate House Cleaning Schedule and Checklist 

Want a cleaner, tidier home and more time to enjoy it? Knowing how often to clean things in your home, and building those tasks into your schedule, will help you stay on top of housework without it becoming a begrudging full-time job. A clean and healthy home does take a bit more effort and diligence, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend hours a day doing housework. You just need to use your time strategically and stick to a realistic schedule. 

You should be aiming to clean things that frequently accumulate grit, grime, germs, and general untidiness on the daily. It should only take between 15 – 30 minutes to keep your house in order. Bacteria thrives in wet areas of your home, so places like your bathroom and kitchen should be wiped down each day. If you clean your home only once a week or biweekly, it will take longer to get the job done.

Based on the size of your household and the severity of the mess, it could be 2 – 3 hours out of your day that you need to dedicate to cleaning. That’s why most cleaning experts agree that 15 – 30 minutes spent cleaning and tidying your home each day is optimal. The more you get into this habit, the less time you will need to spend on a weekly or monthly basis.

In an effort to keep household chores at a reasonable level, here’s the lowdown on exactly how often you need to clean everything in your house:

Daily cleaning tasks 

These essential daily tasks cut down on future scrubbing and scouring, not to mention harmful germs and bacteria. If you have a busy schedule, a daily cleaning routine can keep your home clean and tidy without having your weekend swallowed whole by cleaning chores. 

Clean daily:

• Wipe kitchen table
• Wash dirty dishes
• Wipe kitchen counters
• Wash your coffee pot
• Disinfect kitchen sink
• Wipe fresh oven spills
• Clean frig door handle 
• Sanitize the kitchen sponge in the microwave
• Replace dishcloths and towels
• Empty kitchen trashcan
• Change bathroom hand towels
• Disinfect bathroom faucets
• Disinfect toilet handle & seat
• Make the bed
• Clean pet bowls
• Scoop out litterbox 

Bi-weekly cleaning tasks

Some tasks don’t need to be done daily, but your home will benefit if you do them more often than just once a week, especially if you have a busy household with kids and pets.

Clean two or three times a week:

• Change bath towels (they’re a breeding ground for bacteria)
• Dust mop hard floors
• Sweep or vacuum entry mats
• Mop high-traffic areas in the kitchen
• Vacuum high-traffic areas if you have pets or kids
• Wipe down dining chairs

Weekly cleaning tasks

Tackle one room or job each day so you’re not doing everything all at once. For example, devote Monday to cleaning kitchen messes, bring out the vacuum on Tuesday, make Wednesday the day for changing sheets, and so on.

Clean weekly:

• Clean kitchen counters
• Wipe kitchen cupboard fronts
• Purge expired food in the fridge
• Wipe kitchen appliances
• Clean inside of the microwave
• Clean dishwasher food filter
• Clean garbage disposal
• Sanitize bathroom surface
• Clean bathroom trashcan
• Clean mirrors
• Dust furniture
• Vacuum upholstered furniture
• Launder bed linens
• Vacuum or sweep & mop floors
• Wipe light switches & doorknobs
• Wipe stair rails & banisters
• Sweep front porch, patio, deck

Monthly cleaning tasks

Make time to do the tasks below at least once a month. Again, these don’t have to happen all on the same day, so split up your tasks and delegate jobs to family members.  Washing duvet covers, for example, is something that people with pets or allergies (or both) may wish to do every week or every other week.  If you don’t have pets or suffer from allergies, then once a month is enough.

Clean monthly:

• Dust baseboards
• Launder throw rugs and bath mats
• Dust blinds and window screens
• Wipe windowsills and doors
• Vacuum and wipe air vents
• Clean washing machine & dryer 
• Clean refrigerator & freezer
• Clean coffee maker
• Clean backsplash grout
• Clean inside the dishwasher
• Vacuum mattress
• Launder duvet covers
• Sweep garage floor
• Deodorize drains 
• Clean spots on the inside of windows
• Wash shower curtain liner
• Scrub shower grout
• Dust ceiling fans
• Clean computer keyboards and monitors
• Change AC filters 
• Clean AC vents
• Replace toothbrushes 
• Wash and sanitize litterbox 
• Wash pet bed and blankets
• Clean vacuum cleaner 
• Launder mattress covers
• Wash and disinfect kitchen trashcan

Seasonal cleaning tasks

The items below should be cleaned every 3 to 4 months. If you take care of them when the season changes, it will make it easier to say on schedule. It’s easy to forget about these tasks, so don’t let them sneak up on you. 

Clean every 3 to 4 months:

• Clean oven
• Clean dishwasher
• Clean dryer vent
• Wash duvet insert or comforter
• Launder bed pillows
• Wash range hood filters 
• Dust ceilings and walls
• Clean lampshades
• Vacuum under furniture
• Launder curtains and throw pillows
• Clean windows inside and out
• Clean light fixtures
• Clean the carpets 
• Deep clean pantry 
• Vacuum bathroom exhaust fans
• Clean refrigerator coils and drip pans
• Dump and clean freezer ice trays
• Clean behind appliances
• Swap and dry clean seasonal clothing– winter coats, linen dresses, etc.
• Clean garage
• Wash garbage cans
• Flip mattresses
• Clean showerheads 

Check maintenance issues

The change of seasons is an excellent time to do a walk around both the inside and outside your house and check for any maintenance issues. 

• Clutter control – Start by organizing and getting rid of items and clutter that’s no longer need or past its prime.  Be sure to check closets, food pantry, medicine cabinets, kid’s bedrooms, the garage, storage shed, etc.
• Misc. – Replace baking soda in the fridge and check batteries in smoke detectors.

Yearly cleaning tasks

Once you cross off these household tasks from your to-do list, you can forget about them until next year!

• Deep clean carpets: If your home has a lot of wall-to-wall carpeting, rent or invest in a good carpet cleaner to remove tracked-in dirt and stains or have them professionally cleaned.
• Deep clean windows: Remove dirt and dust first, then spray glass cleaner on the panes and wipe with a microfiber cloth.
• Clean behind appliances – Moving the fridge, stove, and laundry machines away from the wall takes a bit of muscle, but annual cleaning pays off in longer lives for these household workhorses.
• Clean walls and touch up paint – Give your walls a fresh look without the hassle of a full paint job—when you give them a once-a-year cleaning.
• Clean and store outdoor furniture, planters, and yard care items (lawnmowers, etc.) or seasonal toys that get stored away for the season (snow shovels, sleds, water toys, etc.).
• Clean basement and attic storage.
• Sort, organize and purge files and documents.
• Clean out Junk drawer – Every household needs a junk drawer, but it should be cleaned out once a year.

Clean Nation Company

Are you in need of professional house cleaning services in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, or Post Falls? Whether you are looking for cleaning help on a regular basis or just need a really good once-over, a cleaning service is not only practical, it can be a real game-changer – especially if you have a hectic schedule with little or no time leftover for tasks like house cleaning.

When you choose Clean Nation Company, your first cleaning will be a comprehensive deep clean. Our cleaning PROS will touch every inch of your home from top to bottom. After that, you can choose the frequency of maintenance cleanings – bi-weekly, weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly. In addition to tackling all visible dirt, grime, and dust in your home, we will clean the hidden areas that often get missed such as baseboards, underneath furniture, and those hard-to-reach spots like ceiling fans, behind the toilet, high furniture, and cabinet tops.

Our cleaners bring to the job whatever cleaning supplies are needed unless there is something specific you want us to use instead. When we are finished cleaning your home, you will have peace of mind knowing that it has received the highest level of care possible. Our consistently high standards and attention to detail are what our customers love most about our services, and why they recommend us to family and friends!

Worry-free services

You can be assured that each member of our cleaning crew undergoes extensive vetting and receives a background check before they are hired. We train our cleaners in all aspects of professional cleaning including the latest technologies, tools, products, equipment, safety, and quality standards. Cleanstart is a fully insured company and our cleaning PROS are bonded and covered by worker’s compensation insurance.

Our customer satisfaction guarantee

Simply put, we care about our customers and want to provide the best cleaning services possible. We offer a customer satisfaction guarantee. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our cleaning service, we want you to call us within 24 hours so we can promptly resolve the issue at no additional cost to you.

Whether you need a one-time clean when you need it or recurring house cleaning services on the regular, our cleaning PROS are standing by and ready to make your home sparkle and shine!

Clean Nation Company:

• Woman-owned and operated full-service cleaning company
• Over 50 years (three generations) of experience in the cleaning industry
• 24/7 cleaning options & support
• Emergency one-time cleanings
• Professionally-trained cleaning specialists
• Electrostatic spray technology
• Commitment to the highest quality of clean
• Licensed, bonded, and insured
• Customized cleaning solutions
• Quick response times
• 100% satisfaction guarantee
• OSHA, HIPAA, EPA, CDC, compliant
• BBB A+ Rating

For more information about our professional house cleaning services, or to schedule a cleaning visit, please give Clean Nation Company a call today at (509) 217-4729 or request a free online cleaning quote now!

We proudly service Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, and Post Falls