Show of hands: who loves a clean home? Another show of hands now: Who loves to keep their house clean by doing the necessary chores?
While we love a tidy home, the actual work (read: house chores) to achieve that is another story. Doing house chores can be manageable. You’ll be surprised at how little time you need to clean your home once you divide the tasks into daily, weekly, and monthly lists. You can use a list of household chores to determine what you need to clean and how often.
If you constantly climb Mount Laundry or find a sink full of dishes in the morning, try this method and see if that helps streamline your cleaning process. You can hire a cleaning service for the more complicated projects.
List of daily household chores
You can always stay organized and have your home ready for guests by doing daily chores. Share the daily chore list with family members to avoid being left out.
You can add these daily chores to your list.
Kitchen
After every meal, wash your dishes. Once the words are dry or done with the dishwasher, please remove them and put them away.
All kitchen counters should be cleaned. Include your stovetop in this. Place things away and clean them.
Wipe the outside of appliances. Examples include the microwave, dishwashers, coffee makers, refrigerators, etc.
Vacuum areas with high traffic.
Remove spills, dirt, and other messes as needed.
Sort things out. For instance, you can put away all the food, ingredients, and dishes used.
Main living spaces (e.g., living room, TV room, dining room, office, etc.)
Sort your mail. Keep your clutter in check by doing this every day. Sort the bills and important documents. Sort out the bills and important papers.
Vacuum areas with high traffic. Pay special attention to the main entrances.
Remove spills, dirt, and other messes as needed.
Sort things out. For instance, stack books and fold blankets.
Remove the garbage, compost, and recycle (as necessary).
Weekly housework list
Assigning each weekly chore to a specific day is a great way to get things done. For example, Sunday could be the best day to do laundry so everyone has clean clothes in time for next week. You can assign a minor task to a usually busy day.
You should add these weekly chores to your list.
Kitchen
All floors should be vacuumed or swept. Include all hard surfaces throughout your home.
Mop all floors. Included in this is any base that has a hard surface. Dust mop your hardwood floors first.
Give your fridge and freezer a little love. Toss out any spoiled food, and give the interior a quick clean.
Wipe the rest of your kitchen. Pay special attention to the handles on kitchen appliances and cabinets.
Dust surfaces. Daily dusting will reduce allergens and protect surfaces from wear and scratches.
Living spaces
Vacuum areas with high traffic. Pay special attention to the main entrances.
Sort things out. For instance, stack books and fold blankets.
Remove the garbage, compost, and recycle (as necessary).
Bathroom
Clean your bathroom thoroughly. Clean all bathroom surfaces, including the mirror, toilet, and shower.
Wash and replace bathroom towels and rugs.
Clean the drain and scrub the sink.
Clean the toilet seat and toilet bowl.
Clean tub and shower walls.
List of monthly household chores
Add these monthly chores to your weekly list. Spread them out so that you only add one per week. This will keep the additional work manageable. You can divide them into weeks – for instance, cleaning your furniture in the first week of each month. Wash the mattress covers in the second week.
You can add these monthly chores to your list.
Clean and organize your closet and drawers. Fold and reorganize clothes.
Vacuum and sweep. Clean under your furniture, especially your bed. Also, clean any other hard-to-reach places.
Kitchen
How to clean the interior of your oven.
Cleaning the insides of your recycle bins and trash cans is essential.
Cleaning your dishwasher is a good idea. Use a dishwasher cleaner recommended by the manufacturer.
Living spaces
Vacuum your furniture—vacuum furniture made of cloth, like sofas. Cleanse wood furniture. Leather furniture should be treated with leather conditioner.
It would be best if you washed your bedding. This includes duvets and comforters.
Wipe down ceiling light fixtures and fan blades.
Wipe light switches, door handles, and the surrounding wall areas.
How to clean the inside of your washing machine and dryer.
Remember to clean your windows. Window coverings should be cleaned, dusted, vacuumed, or washed.
Wipe baseboards and moldings.
Vacuum under furniture.
List of seasonal household chores
Spring has always been an excellent time to remove all the dust and soot accumulating during winter. Your house and your sanity will still benefit from a thorough seasonal cleaning. Spring and fall are the best times to perform seasonal tasks.
You can add some seasonal chores to your list.
Bedrooms
Cleaning out your closet is a good idea. Donate items that you don’t wear to help organize your closets. When not in season, store winter and summer clothing in bins.
Clean pillows and some stuffed animals.
Clean toy bins. Sort out your children’s toys and school supplies by donating items you no longer need.
Living spaces
Vacuum Window Screens.
Wash your windows from the inside out. This job is made easy by cleaner bottles attached to your garden hose. It’s also fun for the kids.
Clean your rugs with a carpet cleaning machine. Also, clean the floor underneath the mats.
Remove gutters.
Clean the fireplace and chimney.
Clean under furniture. Use an attachment to vacuum underneath heavier pieces.
Clean and vacuum the air vents, including their covers.
How to clean wood furniture Better Homes and Gardens provides tips on what products you can use.
