House Cleaning

Lists And

Schedules For

Your Home

By Taylor Flanery

Household-Management-101.com

and

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3

Daily Cleaning Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8

Weekly Cleaning Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9

Kitchen Cleaning Checklist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14

Fall Cleaning Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 31

Cleaning Supply Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 34

My Daily Cleaning Schedule (Blank). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 36

My Weekly House Cleaning Schedule (Blank) . . . . . . . . . . . Page 38

My Weekly Laundry Schedule (Blank) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 39

We all want our homes to be clean, for many reasons, including

for enjoyment, pride, and safety, among others. However, it often

happens that we forget all about a task that needs to be done

until all of a sudden it has to be done right then.

Some examples include washing pots and pans so you can cook

tonight’s dinner, or needing to run a load of laundry because

everyone is out of clean underwear. It can happen to the best of

us when life happens, but it should be the exception, not the rule,

dry them, and then wear and dirty them again. There is also a

cleaning cycle, such as with dishes, with clean ones getting used

and becoming dirty, and then getting cleaned again.

What we want to achieve is a home where this cycle doesn’t get

stalled at a single point – dirty. It is when the cycle stops spinning

and points only to dirty that we are uncomfortable and unhappy

because we cannot do what we want or need to do as conveniently

as possible.

Cleaning schedules, when actually used, are the best and easiest

way to live comfortably most of the time. That is because good

schedules anticipate the cycle various things in our home move to,

and help us keep the cycle moving, where it doesn’t stop at dirty

and fester there.

Of course, everything in our homes don’t need to be cleaned with

the same frequency. That is why you really need several cleaning

schedules, including a daily, weekly, and seasonal schedule.

you do these tasks, consistently, then the most important cycles

in your home will continue moving as expected, and you will be

comfortable most of the time.

Therefore, if your eyes start to glaze over with all the tasks I’ve

listed, especially for quarterly, biannual or annual cleaning, just

ignore them, at least for now. Instead, focus on the daily and

weekly tasks, which will yield the most satisfying results for

yourself and your home.

I’ve been asked many times to create a one size fits all schedule,

but honestly it will just not work because we all know that

everyone is not the same. Therefore, I’ve done the next best

thing. I’ve created house cleaning checklists showing common and

almost universal tasks that need to be done daily, weekly, and less

frequently around your home for some of the most used areas of

your home, like your kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms.

After reviewing these checklists you can use them as a memory

jogger to create your own schedules. The lists can be used to

For even more help in creating your personalized schedules, and

to see examples of other people’s schedules, check out these

resources on Household Management 101, all of which contain

both my schedule for my own home, and also other people’s

schedules that they’ve shared.

the process.

Also, know that as things change in your home and life you will

need to change your cleaning schedules to accommodate those

life changes. When you feel like your schedule isn’t working for

you anymore go back to the checklists again to brainstorm and

create a new schedule that works with the new circumstances in

your life and home.

Once you’ve made your schedules I’d love it if you would share

them with me at the links above. This is really a resource for all

of us, to see some examples to give us ideas, by seeing what

with your family.

Cleaning schedules are meant to help you "get it done, and have

more fun," not to become a means unto themselves. So what if

there is an emergency or your sweet little child wants to cuddle

It also means that if your cleaning schedule is 10 pages long you

are not focusing on the priorities. Make sure your housekeeping

schedule is short enough to actually get done on a regular basis.

Save the big cleaning for quarterly or seasonal work, when you

devote a day or more to some big projects. Your daily and weekly

house cleaning schedules, and your laundry schedule, should only

checklists I’ve created for you as a reference so you can fill out

your own unique cleaning schedules that fit your life, family and

home.

 Clean up kitchen after meals, including both dishes, pots and

 Deal with spills immediately

 Sort the mail

 Put things back in their proper place (also known as neatening

 _______________________________________________

 _______________________________________________

Weekly Cleaning Checklist

 Change towels (some people do this more often than once a

 Clean toilet, sink, tub, shower, toothbrush holders, and mirror

 Empty trash cans

 Wipe down any spills or splatters on the bathroom garbage

 Wash windows and window screens

 Quickly wipe out sink and tubs after each use

 Hang towels to dry

 Wipe up spills immediately

 Change hand towels

 Sweep and mop floor

 Empty trash can and recycling

 Change out and wash towels and wash cloths (or twice a week if

 Vacuum rugs

 Check and restock toiletries and cleaning supplies

 Flush drains in sink and bathtub/shower with boiling water

 Wipe down and disinfect handles, door knobs, etc.

 _______________________________________________

 _______________________________________________

 Dispose of old medication, makeup, lotions, etc.

 Wash shower curtain

 Wash rugs

 Clean and organize cabinets and drawers (and declutter)

 _______________________________________________

 Clean window treatments (either at home or dry clean

 Clean and dust light fixtures

 Dust and/or wash mini blinds and other blinds and shades

 Dust blades of ceiling fans and other hard to reach areas, such

 Put dirty laundry in laundry baskets

 Put things back in their proper place

 _______________________________________________

 _______________________________________________

 Dust

 Wipe down and disinfect handles, door knobs, etc.

 _______________________________________________

 _______________________________________________

 Clean window treatments (either at home or dry clean

 Clean lampshades

 Dust and vacuum books and bookshelves

 Clean and dust light fixtures

 Wash windows and window screens

 _______________________________________________

 _______________________________________________

 _______________________________________________

 Dust cloths and dusters

 Rags, towels and soft cloths

 Indoor broom

 Outdoor broom

 Dust pan

 Vacuum

 Wet mop

 Toilet brush (and brush caddy)

 Plunger

 Spray bottles

 Buckets

 Rubber gloves

 Cleaning apron

 Cleaning caddy

 Disinfectant cleaner

 Glass cleaner

 Abrasive cleaner

 Mild detergent

 Household ammonia

 White vinegar

 Baking soda

 Chlorine bleach

Morning Routine: _______________

____________________________

____________________________

Afternoon Routine: _____________

____________________________

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____________________________

____________________________

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My Weekly Laundry Schedule