Here's How Often You Should Clean Everything In Your House

Cleaning a living space is a big job. Whether it's an apartment, a shared space, or a home of your own, it can feel like you've just finished cleaning when suddenly, it's time to do it all over again.

The easiest way to make sure you're cleaning regularly (and prevent the burnout of trying to clean your entire house every few days) is to establish a schedule and stick to it. And if ever you feel overwhelmed, see if you can adjust your mindset: To have a place to live that's safe, warm, and dry is an immeasurable gift. Keeping it clean is a way to say "thank you" – to be a good steward of the lucky hand you were dealt!

Let's talk through the checklist: daily, weekly, and monthly/seasonal cleaning.

Daily Cleaning

Before you go to bed each night, take ten minutes and complete this checklist.

1. Dishes. If you're fortunate enough to have a dishwasher, start a nightly habit of running the it before you head to bed and unloading it first thing in the morning. Starting the day with clean dishes and nothing left over in the sink really does make a difference in how your morning begins. Pro tip: Don't over-rinse your dishes. Your dishwasher decides on the amount and pressure of the water it dispenses based on how dirty it senses that your dishes are. If you've rinsed your dishes so they're squeaky clean, your dishwasher will use light pressure and warm (not hot) water to clean them. That doesn't work for most of us, especially if the reason your dishes are food-free is because your dog finished off the leftovers!
2. Surfaces. Kitchen and bathroom countertops, dining room and coffee tables, whatever the surfaces in your home, give them a wipe down before you hit the sack using a Clorox wipe, damp rag, or other surface-appropriate cleaning supplies.
3. Handles. While you're wiping down countertops, don't miss the handles of things like your microwave, refrigerator, and dishwasher.
4. Carpets and floors. Call me old-fashioned, but I love to vacuum. There's a real feeling of instant gratification with vacuuming that you just don't get with any other method of tidying up. Don't worry about a deep-clean (we'll tackle that in another category) – just enough to make sure the pet hair, crumbs, and other messes have been lifted away.
5. Clutter and stray items. A place for everything, and everything in its place. Before bed, make sure there aren't toys or stacks of mail, books, or other things that will immediately make you feel like you're behind on cleaning when you wake up the next morning. Pro tip: In my house, I re-use paper grocery bags by assigning them to each member of my family. We set a five minute timer and they've got until the clock runs out to flit around the house and deposit anything that belongs in their rooms into the bag, then take the bag and unload it in their rooms. This method makes it fun and keeps the work light for each person!
   

Weekly Cleaning

1. Floors. Once a week, take everything off of the floors in high-traffic areas like your kitchen or entryway, sweep thoroughly, and use your favorite floor cleaner to scrub the marks and grime off your floors. Use this guide to help with hardwoods! Vacuum carpets and rugs and spot treat any stains.
2. Laundry. Start a wash cycle while you tackle another weekly cleaning task. I typically do all my laundry on Saturdays, returning to the laundry room whenever I have a spare few minutes. Since the dawn of podcasts, laundry (formerly my least favorite chore) has risen to the top of the pack as I can listen to my favorite audiobook or podcast episode while I fold! Don't forget your sheets and towels!
3. Dusting. Using a Swiffer or your favorite duster, tackle each and every surface in your home once a week – don't overlook the tops of doorframes, fan blades, picture frames, and any other spots that are easy to overlook but build up over time.
4. Bathrooms. If bathrooms aren't cleaned weekly, they start to show symptoms of neglect in a hurry. Use this guide for tips on the order of cleaning to save yourself a headache.
5. Windows. Gleaming glass awaits! Once a week, buff out any streaks or spatter marks for glistening views.
6. Spot check. Are there lightbulbs that have burned out? Dish soap gotten low? Need to grab more toilet paper? Use your weekly cleaning time to make notes about things that need replacing, updating, or discarding. These small things are so easy to wave away but equally as easy to knock out with just a little extra commitment.
   

Monthly/Seasonal Cleaning

1. Appliances. Maintain your appliances by checking in on them monthly. Allow excess water to flow from your washing machine's hose and clean out any debris; remove extra lint from your dryer filter; deep-clean your refrigerator. Keeping on top of this sort of thing extends the life of your large appliances, saves you money, and makes life so much simpler.
2. Air filters. An important and often neglected part of house maintenance, changing your air filters every 90 days is critical to your HVAC system working properly. When filters are clogged with dust, hair, and debris, your system has to work that much harder to heat and cool your home, shortening the lifespan of your unit.
3. Pillows and duvet covers. Sure, we know to change and wash our sheets weekly, but the other parts of the bed often get neglected. Make sure you're cleaning your pillows (think about how much oil, makeup, and dust must accumulate there after months of use!) and duvets to keep your bedding fresh and inviting – and, even more important, hygienic!
4. Baseboards. Scuff marks, pet hair, dust...regardless of whether your floors are clean, the baseboards take a lot of abuse and need specific attention. Vacuum away particulate and wipe them down with a damp cloth once a month or so.
5. Fireplaces. A fireplace in your home should be regularly maintained so that it works properly in cold weather. For wood burning, remove ash from the previous season and discard extra pieces of wood. Don't start the fall with a gunked up fireplace–start fresh by removing old cinders.
6. Grout. Scrubbing grout (using a chemical cleaner, a vinegar/baking soda paste, or any other method of your choice) is a big impact job. Once you're finished, your floors will shine!
7. Carpets, rugs, and furniture. Having a professional cleaning service come to deep-clean your carpets, upholstered furniture, and rugs is critical (and not as expensive as you might think!). For about $200, once or twice a year, you can have a service like Stanley Steemer come to your home and take care of this for you.
8. Closets. When the season turns over, go through your clothing and make sure it still works for you. Does it fit? Does it need mending? Or is it something that could be used by someone else? Sift, sort, and discard so you don't carry unwanted pieces from year to year.