For many people, cleaning their house is always a big project. Oftentimes I see people spending Saturday or Sunday doing every single chore so that the house gets cleaned and they can relax.

The only problem with treating this like a big project once or twice a month is that after you’ve spent hours tidying every space and spent all of your energy scrubbing the floors that desperately needed your attention, you wind up burnt out and not in the mood to do ANY sort of cleaning for days afterward.

This leads to laundry piling up in every closet, dishes filling the sink until you have no forks left and unnecessary clutter throughout the whole house. And when this scenario happens, you’re left with an unharmonized feeling that subconsciously affects everyone involved. 

Not to mention, by doing it this way, you lose precious time with your family by filling your weekends with not-so-fun house chores.

But what if I told you that cleaning your house doesn’t have to be a big project every time you do it and you don’t have to sacrifice valuable time with those you love?!

There is a way you can implement a daily, weekly and monthly cleaning checklist so that you can enjoy a peaceful feeling in your home every time you walk into it AND still have the time to do the things you enjoy with those close to you.

As a professional organizer, here’s what I would recommend ⬇️

THE DAILY CLEANING CHECKLIST:

I know what you might be thinking – DAILY?! How can I possibly commit to cleaning and chores every single day on top of everything else I have going on?!

And I get it, friend. As a full time business owner and parent, I know what it’s like to have a lot on your plate. And I’d never suggest something that’s going to overwhelm you or stress you out even more.

The idea here is to carve out 15 extra minutes in your day to tidy up and clean your home in very small and simple ways. Trust me, committing to just 15 minutes per day can make a world of difference.

The reason you want to do a few chores daily is because it’s a small commitment that helps you go even longer between your deep cleaning sessions (we’ll cover those in the monthly checklist).

Before we get to your daily to-do’s, here’s a pro tip for you: make this a family affair! Assign daily chores to each person in your household so the responsibility doesn’t fall all on you.

For the kids this can be tidying up their own bedroom, cleaning counters in their bathroom, folding a load of towels, etc. You can decide what will be most helpful for you, but the key is to ask for help!

• Kitchen
  • Empty / load dishwasher or wash all dishes and put in their place
  • Wipe down all counter tops and dining tables
  • Wipe down stove top
  • Clean the sink and run the garbage disposal
  • Remove all trash
  • Sweep
  • As you cook meals, organize the fridge, freezer and pantry as you go – toss expired or spoiled food as you see it. This process will also set you up for successful grocery planning for weeks ahead.
  • Sort your mail – oftentimes the kitchen becomes the dumping ground for daily mail. Go through it, toss what isn’t needed and move other important paperwork to its proper place.

• Living Room / Bedrooms
  • Fold blankets
  • Straighten pillows and cushions 
  • Put remotes in correct spots
  • Make beds
  • Spray bedding with Febreze or other odor eliminator / bacteria killer

• Bathrooms
  • Wipe down sink, faucet and counter tops after brushing teeth and washing face
  • Hang towels for proper drying
  • While showering, use a daily shower spray to prevent build up
  • Toss empty or expired bathroom products

• Misc.
  • If you have small kids, pick up all toys in the areas that they play – this can become a daily activity for you to do with them and will become a habit as they get older
  • Put shoes, purses, bookbags and briefcases in the correct areas – it’s common for mudrooms or entry rooms to become cluttered with these items so making it a daily chore will help eliminate this
  • If you have pets, tidy the area where they sleep or play – clean out the litter box, dust, vacuum, etc.
  • Before bed, do a nighttime sweep through all common areas and put toys, loose papers, shoes and other objects in their correct spots

THE WEEKLY CLEANING CHECKLIST:

Next up, there will be some chores that are best to do once a week to prevent things from piling up and getting out of hand. These are the chores that don’t necessarily need to be done daily, but don’t need to be put off for once a month cleaning.

• Kitchen
  • Mop floors
  • Wipe down microwave inside and out

• Living Room / Bedrooms
  • Vacuum all carpeted floors
  • Take out all trash 
  • Dust nightstands and entertainment systems
  • Dust window sills, blinds, picture frames, lampshades and furniture
  • Wash sheets, pillow cases and blankets
  • Wash all clothes

• Bathrooms
  • Scrub and disinfect toilets 
  • Clean mirrors
  • Take out all trash
  • Mop floors
  • Wash towels and washcloths

• Misc.
  • Shake out throw rugs and wash/vacuum

The best way to fit these into your life is to develop a weekly cleaning and laundry schedule that pre-determines which day out of the week these will be taken care of.

A sample weekly cleaning schedule might look something like this:

THE MONTHLY CLEANING CHECKLIST:

Finally, we have your monthly to-do’s. These are the chores that can be done once a month to keep your home in tip top shape without having to do it all at once.

You can decide if you’ll do all of these on the same day of the month or if you’ll spread them out throughout the month. The key is that you schedule them so that you can rest easy knowing they will be accomplished. 

• Kitchen
  • Remove all items from fridge and wipe down
  • Wipe out and disinfect all trash cans
  • Wipe down cabinet fronts and appliances
  • Clean and descale coffee maker
  • Deep clean your oven

• Living Room / Bedrooms
  • Take comforters and bulk bedding to the cleaners
  • Dust ceiling fans and vents
  • Wipe down baseboards

• Bathrooms
  • Scrub showers and bathtubs
  • Organize under sinks – toss products that are expired and donate products that you no longer use
  • Refill or restock everyday bathroom necessities – toilet paper, qtips, cotton balls, etc.

• Misc.
  • Run a sanitize cycle in your dishwasher
  • Clean your washing machine

All of the things listed in the daily, weekly and monthly checklist are the most common household chores. With that said, every house has different needs so it’s up to you to determine what else needs to be included. 

To help you stay on top of these lists and customize them to fit your specific needs, we’ve created a daily, weekly and monthly downloadable checklist that you can print off and keep handy. To grab those, CLICK HERE!

Our hope is that these lists help you to create a simple, easy and doable cleaning schedule that creates continuous harmony in your home and prevents you from feeling like cleaning is a massive project.

Cleaning and organizing is an ongoing task that can be simplified when you have certain systems in place.

If you still struggle with creating a system that works for you, it may be time to consider assistance from a professional organizer to get you on track. Click here to connect and see how our team can serve you best!