Are you a list person? If not, these cleaning checklists may convert you. We love lists because they simplify life by organizing our thoughts, creating structure, and, most importantly, helping us get things done.
How to Use the Cleaning Checklists
Lists can help you prioritize and delegate tasks, and we’ve done the foundational work for your cleaning lists for you! Print this article and use it just as it is, add your own tasks, or remove those that aren’t relevant. Decide who can tackle which items and give them specific priorities to accomplish.
If desired, attach strategies for each, such as blocking the time, making it a contest or game, playing music, or paying out (with money, screen time, or other motivating rewards).
And, if you need help crossing some of these items off your list, contact us. A Cleaning Service is an award-winning residential and commercial cleaning company serving the Greater DC, Maryland, and Virginia area for over 20 years.
We want everyone to be able to spend their time on the tasks and relationships that are the most important to them and leave the rest to us.
Weekly Cleaning Checklist
The easiest strategies are to go room by room, or from highest priority to lowest, or both (highest priority per room). We chose to lay this out room by room, but feel free to recreate it with your preferences in mind.
Bathrooms
- Take out trash
- Clean toilet
- Clean bath and shower
- Clean sinks
- Wipe and disinfect counters
- Wipe baseboards and base of toilet and sink, etc.
- Clean floor
- Wash bathroom laundry (hand towels, etc.)
- Clean mirrors
Kitchen
- Wash and put away any dishes
- Clean the sink
- Wipe the counters
- Take out trash
- Sweep and mop
- Clean the stove
- Wipe the handles on any appliances such as fridge and microwave
- Clean the inside of the microwave
Living Room
- Throw away trash
- Sort and throw away clutter such as magazines, mail, or food wrappers
- Fold blankets and arrange pillows
- Dust electronics and shelving
- Wipe controllers and TV screen
- Vacuum or mop
Bedrooms
- Throw away trash
- Pick up clothes and do laundry, including sheets
- Fold and put away laundry
- Sort and organize any clutter
- Make the bed
- Dust electronics and shelves
- Vacuum or mop
Laundry Room
- Sweep, mop, and vacuum
- Wipe the tops of the washer and dryer
- Clean lint filter if needed
- Tidy supplies
Office
- File papers
- Dust desk and shelves
- Wipe keyboard, phone, and any other high-touch areas
- Vacuum and mop
- Take out the trash
- Tidy supplies
- Wipe handles of chair and dust chair
Seasonal Cleaning Checklist
Seasonal cleaning tends to address tasks that fall on the deep cleaning checklist in a cyclical way. Look it over and determine what items can happen as part of a season change to help chunk up the tasks over the year.
Spring
Spring is a great time to work on deep cleaning tasks that allow for opening windows and outdoor tasks. Clean chimneys and stoves; deep clean carpets and furniture; wash bedding, especially heavier blankets that can now be stored.
Outdoors, focus on cleaning off patios, garages, and other outdoor spaces, including grills, patio furniture, and the like. Service your air-conditioning unit before the summer comes.
Summer
Summer heat can make outdoor tasks difficult, so if you do them, plan them early in the morning before the sun’s heat makes it uncomfortable or unsafe. If you have others to recruit to help you, consider taking on a bigger deep cleaning project and reward everyone with root beer floats or another fun experience.
Fall
Fall is a great time to sort and organize. Determine what will be needed for winter and the new year, and let the rest go. Donate or throw away items that are broken or haven’t been used.
Take advantage of the cooler weather and clean the attic or crawlspace, prepare the yard for the dormant winter, service your furnace and change the filter, and clean your air ducts to ready your home for sealed windows.
Winter
Winter cleaning will likely involve extra attention to entryways where dirt and snow are tracked in. It’s also a good time for detail cleaning like working on grout and baseboards, cupboards, or sorting of indoor spaces.
Deep Cleaning Checklist
When deep cleaning, the first step is determining the frequency you desire for each task. For example, there may be items in the weekly cleaning that don’t need attention that often. For example, the main bathroom may need weekly cleaning, but the guest bath only needs cleaning as required, or only once a month.
Consider what and how often you want to perform specific cleaning responsibilities and go from there. Set an appointment in your calendar to help you stay on top of the tasks so they take less time and don’t build into massive projects.
General Cleaning
- Dust and wipe down vents
- Dust and wipe window sills
- Dust, wipe, and wash window coverings such as blinds and curtains
- Wipe door frames and handles and doorknobs
- Clean mirrors and wipe glass on tables, windows, etc.
- Stay on top of sorting and organizing
- Get rid of unwanted or unnecessary items
Bathrooms
- Wash bathroom laundry (bathmats, shower curtain, etc.)
- Wipe baseboards
- Clean grout
- Descale the shower head
- Wipe cabinets
- Clean bathtub or shower stall, glass, and tiles
- Dust, vacuum, wipe vents and shelves
Kitchen
- Wipe cupboards (inside and out)
- Throw away expired food from the fridge, freezer, and pantry
- Clean baseboards
- Dust and wipe shelving and top of the fridge
- Clean the oven
- Detail clean appliances such as blender, toaster, etc.
Living Room
- Dust for cobwebs
- Clean area rugs
- Deep clean the furniture
- Clean the fireplace
Bedrooms
- Wash pillows and blankets
- Sort clothing for donation or storage at season change
- Dust and wipe vents, fans, heating units, etc.
Laundry Room
- Clean dryer vent to outdoors
- Clean behind and under your washer and dryer
- Discard empty bottles and other trash
Other Areas
- Sweep, vacuum, and mop floors
- Dust corners and get all cobwebs
- Remove trash
- Wipe high-touch surfaces
- Wipe flat surfaces, including cabinet doors
- Move items to clean under and behind them
- Inspect areas for evidence of pests, weather, or wear-and-tear damage
Have suggestions for improvement? Leave us a comment – we’d love to hear from you!
And thank you from A Cleaning Service