A well-kept and organized home is an overlooked luxury. Walking into a clean house feels much more inviting and cozy than being greeted by a chaotic, cluttered mess. However, keeping up with household chores can feel overwhelming, intimidating, and let’s face it — boring. While we don’t expect you to love scrubbing your shower grout or taking out the trash, we can confirm that these pesky to-dos don’t have to feel so tedious. The trick is to break these chores up into different categories, from a nitty-gritty daily and weekly checklist to a monthly and occasional task list. This will help you prioritize exactly what needs to be done, and when.
Whether spring cleaning has you motivated or you’re preparing to host guests, try to run with any inkling you have to clean your house. These simple checklists will ensure that your space is always spic and span so you can truly enjoy your time spent at home.
Daily house cleaning checklist
Rather than wait for a big mess to accumulate, try tackling little cleaning to-dos throughout the day so they don’t compromise the comfort of your space. You’ll feel more at ease when you look around your apartment and everything is tidy. Aim to get these tasks done daily:
- Load and unload the dishwasher.
- Spray and wipe down countertops.
- Organize and put away any clutter that accumulated throughout the day.
- Scrub your sink before you go to bed so it’s fresh for the next day.
- Make your bed every morning after you wake up.
- Pick up and sort laundry.
- Fold, hang, and put away any clothing.
- Tidy your nightstand and dresser.
- Fluff couch cushions and pillows.
- Fold and put away throw blankets.
Weekly house cleaning checklist
You know the feeling: you’re looking for your favorite shirt or pair of jeans only to realize they’re buried in your laundry basket. Keeping up with laundry is a struggle but it’s crucial to keeping your space and life functioning properly. Household chores are no different. Stay on top of things with these weekly tasks, which are both impactful yet easy to incorporate into your routine.
- Vacuum, sweep, or mop floors.
- Dust furniture.
- Launder clothing, fold, then put away.
- Change and launder bath towels.
- Change and launder bed sheets.
- Toss anything that’s expired from your refrigerator.
- Clean the inside of your microwave with a multipurpose spray.
- Empty trash and recycling (frequency varies.)
- Clean toilets.
- Clean sinks.
- Disinfect doorknobs, handles, light switches, and remotes.
- Sweep the front porch or balcony.
Monthly house cleaning checklist
A deep monthly reset is perhaps the most impactful way you can keep your home sparkling. You can split these tasks up throughout the month to make them less intimidating or you can dedicate an afternoon to knock all of them out and brush up on your cleaning hack knowledge to speed up the process. Either way, you’ll be glad you made the time commitment, which should be shorter than you might think.
- Clean baseboards throughout your house.
- Scrub grime off the bathtub/shower.
- Clean oven and any other kitchen appliances.
- Wash windows and screens.
- Wipe the inside and outside of your refrigerator and freezer.
- Run the clean/sanitize cycle on your dishwasher and clean the filter.
- Run the clean cycle on your coffee machine.
- Clean and polish stove top burners.
- Clean window tracks.
- Dust the top of cabinets and refrigerator.
- Dust light fixtures and vents.
- Dust/clean blinds.
- Clean and disinfect trash bins.
- Wash any runners or rugs.
- Clean the inside of drawers and cabinets with a multipurpose cleaner.
Other important house cleaning tasks
We know that this house cleaning checklist already feels long, but there are still a handful of tasks that you need to consider when renting or owning your own place. These places are often forgotten, but cleaning them will help you maintain a healthy environment, so you and your friends can kick back in comfort.
- Clean behind and underneath furniture.
- Clean between couch and seat cushions.
- Wash comforters and mattress pads.
- Replace water filters in your fridge.
- Move your oven and refrigerator to vacuum any crumbs or debris.
- Clean the inside of your washing machine with vinegar.
- Promptly remove lint from the dryer.
- Discard any expired items in your pantry, fridge, or freezer (be sure to check condiments).
- Replace sponges or scrub brushes.
- Wash any bar cart glassware that may have become dusty.
- Take stock of your cleaning supplies, replace as needed.