Key Steps:
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Break up cleaning tasks into daily, weekly, and monthly events
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Daily tasks include quick tidy ups and dealing with dirty laundry and surfaces
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Weekly tasks mean thorough cleans of appliances, floors, and rooms like the bathroom
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Monthly tasks include time-intensive jobs like cleaning the windows, furniture, and decluttering
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Don’t work alone! Ask your family or housemates for help.
A personalised house cleaning schedule is essential if you want a clean and tidy home. A good schedule will ensure no areas are missed and that every area is well maintained, and it will make it easy for you to manage your time!
Remember you don’t have to tackle the cleaning by yourself! Get everyone in your household involved. If you work together, you can ensure your house is a hygienic and harmonious place for everyone to live in. Just remember to read the directions on the label of all cleaning products and to test them in a small area first.
Developing a House Cleaning Schedule
When you’re creating a house cleaning schedule, it’s important to remember that there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Your schedule should be customised to your needs and to your availability. Therefore, the first thing to do is to work out exactly what tasks need to be done, and when. Working on a room-by-room basis, jot down what you need to clean and tidy on a regular basis, the things that you normally undertake as part of your usual house cleaning chores.
Then consider your weekly social schedule. If you find that you spend Mondays doing the grocery shopping, and Wednesdays driving the kids between different after school clubs, then don’t try to pack even more into these days. Schedule cleaning activities on less busy days when you won’t be distracted, and on days where you won’t feel overwhelmed with too much to do.
Daily House Cleaning Activities
Some house cleaning activities should really be done on a daily basis – not just for reasons of hygiene and aesthetics, but also for maintenance reasons. It’s much better to spend five or ten minutes each day tackling some chores than to spend an hour or more once a week completing the same tasks. Here are some activities you’ll want to think about fitting into your daily house cleaning schedule:
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Make the beds. You don’t need to change the sheets every day, but just straightening out the bedding can transform a room almost instantly.
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Do the laundry. Depending on the size of your family, you may not need to do this every day, but for families with children who regularly stain their clothes with food and paints, it’s best to wash stains out immediately.
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Put away clean clothes. Clean clothes that sit in a laundry basket for a week are at risk of becoming dirty again due to spills, dust, and animal hair. Once your clothes are clean and dry, hang them in a closet or fold and place into drawers to keep all your garments looking their best.
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Wash the dishes. Whether you hand wash your dishes or load them into a dishwasher, you should try to clean all your plates, bowls, and cutlery on the day that you use them. Unclean plates can grow mould, creating potentially hazardous particles that can cause illness.
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Wipe kitchen surfaces. After any food preparation, it’s important to wipe down worktops with an antibacterial cleaner to prevent germs from multiplying. Good kitchen hygiene is one of the best ways to prevent picking up foodborne germs.
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Do a quick tidy. After the children have gone to bed, spend ten minutes simply cleaning up toys, hanging up coats, putting away shoes, and other related tasks. This will create a clean, safe floor space for the next morning.
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Give a quick vacuum. You don’t need to spend an hour taking the vacuum around the whole house, but just quickly sucking up all the dust, dirt, and germs that have accumulated throughout the day will make a big difference to the cleanliness of your home.
Safety Warning
Use biocides safely. Always read the label and product information before use.
Weekly Cleaning Tasks
Some house cleaning tasks do not need to be done so regularly – these can be done once a week rather than once a day. When you choose to do these chores is up to you – some people prefer to do a mid week clean and others prefer to do their chores on a Sunday. Here are some weekly tasks you may wish to add to your house cleaning schedule:
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Wipe down cupboards. If you’ve been busy in the kitchen during the week, you may notice some spots and spills from cooking that you’d missed when clearing up. Use a damp cloth or a dedicated kitchen cleaner to wipe down cupboard doors and drawer fronts.
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Clean the cooker top. It’s so easy to spill food onto the cooker top whilst cooking, and cleaning it up is often the last thing you want to do after a big meal. Choose a time once each week to remove the burners and clean off any oily residues.
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Throw out old food. Take a look through your refrigerator once a week. Anything that is beyond its use by date, throw out! You could get ill from eating out-of-date food, particularly meat, dairy, and eggs.
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Take out the bins. When you do this should really depend on when your waste collection is. You may find it easier to have separate bins, or boxes to make it easier when it comes to sorting your rubbish and recycling.
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Clean the bathroom. Use an antibacterial wipe for basin taps and flushes, use a disinfectant in the toilet pan, and wipe down the shower cubicle or curtain.
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Vacuum thoroughly. As you should be quickly vacuuming every day, this task shouldn’t take too long. It’s simply a chance to make sure your carpets and rugs are clean and fresh.
Weekend Garden Tending
If you regularly need to do any tidying up in the garden, add these tasks to your weekend house cleaning schedule. This way, you can include the rest of the family in these tasks, combining necessary chores with family bonding time and outdoor activities.
Monthly Tidying Chores
There are a few house cleaning activities that really don’t need to be done any more frequently than on a monthly basis, and some homeowners might not do them at all! When making your house cleaning schedule, consider adding these sporadic tasks:
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Wash the windows. Using a squeegee and either some warm soapy water, a mix of vinegar and water, or a glass cleaner, wipe down your windows and mirrors to keep them crystal clear.
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Declutter your home. If you find that you haven’t used any items in the past month – and you don’t anticipate using them in the near future – consider decluttering your home. You could throw them away, sell them, or give them to charity.
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Clean the furniture. Furniture like sofas and chairs can accumulate dust and dirt over time. Vacuum them each month, and air them by opening the windows and letting the breeze work its magic.
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Get rid of odours. With cooking smells and all the other smells of general living, your house can start to smell after a while. Try sprinkling carpets and furniture with some baking soda before vacuuming. The powder is great at absorbing smells.
Putting your House Cleaning Schedule into Action
Now that you have your house cleaning schedule, don’t panic! If you feel overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and give yourself some time off. If you’ve got children, ask them to tidy their own rooms and make their own beds to give you more spare time. And be sure to give yourself an entire day off from any chores once a week – a time to relax and to enjoy your clean and tidy home!
