How Often Do You Need to Clean Things? (with chart)

Ever wonder how often you should clean everything in your home? Use this chart to stay on track and keep your home tidy year-round.

Clean homes don’t just happen — they take ongoing care and effort. That’s not to say you need to clean around the clock to be tidy. It’s more a matter of knowing how often to clean everything in your home, so you can stay ahead of the dirt. When you clean on a schedule, rather than waiting until something looks dirty or is falling apart, it’s easier to do. So, read on to learn what you need to clean every day, week, or month and what only needs attention once a season or even just twice a year.

Daily Cleaning Tasks

Some things require daily cleaning because any neglect can lead to household pests or health issues. That’s why you should clean the kitchen and bathrooms regularly. But, don’t make these tasks harder than they are. Wiping surfaces each day does not mean clearing everything off, then spraying and scrubbing. It simply means using warm, soapy water or a disinfecting wipe to go over the free space.

• Make bed
• Wipe kitchen table
• Wash dirty dishes
• Wipe kitchen counters
• Wash your coffee pot
• Disinfect kitchen sink
• Wipe fresh oven spills
• Sanitize the kitchen sponge in the microwave
• Open windows to air house (5 minutes is enough)
• Change dishcloths and towels
• Empty kitchen trashcan
• Change bathroom hand towels
• Disinfect bathroom faucets
• Disinfect toilet handle & seat
• Squeegee shower walls
• Wipe cellphone screen
• Clean pet bowls
• Scoop litterboxes

Bi-Weekly

Some tasks don’t need to be done daily, but your home will benefit if you do them more often than once a week. In a small household, you may only need to clean the kitchen floor on the weekend, for example. Busier homes will find that cleaning high-traffic areas mid-week helps keep dust under control. (Here are more ways to reduce household dust.)

• Change bath towels (they’re a breeding ground for bacteria)
• Dust mop hard floors
• Sweep or vacuum entry mats
• Mop high-traffic areas in the kitchen
• Vacuum high-traffic areas if you have pets or kids
• Wipe dining chairs

Weekly

Wiping counters and faucets every day keeps your home tidy and deters pests, but it isn’t a substitute for more intensive weekly cleaning. Kitchen and bathroom surfaces need weekly cleaning to control bacteria. You should change bed linens weekly to reduce dust mites and wash makeup brushes every week to eliminate dead skin cells, bacteria, and oils.

Your weekly cleaning schedule is the time to move things off surfaces before spraying and scrubbing or dusting and polishing. If you’re confident in your cleaning skills, follow the list below. For step-by-step directions, try one of my free weekly cleaning checklists.

• Clean kitchen counters
• Wipe kitchen cupboard fronts
• Purge expired food in the fridge
• Wipe kitchen appliances
• Clean inside of the microwave
• Clean dishwasher food filter
• Clean garbage disposal
• Sanitize bathroom surfaces
• Clean jets in whirlpool tubs
• Clean bathroom trashcan
• Clean mirrors
• Dust furniture
• Vacuum upholstered furniture
• Launder sheets & pillowcases
• Vacuum or sweep & mop floors
• Wipe light switches & doorknobs
• Wipe stair rails & banisters
• Sweep front porch, patio, deck
• Clean makeup brushes
• Clean toothbrushes in a cup of white vinegar and hot water

Monthly

Make time to do the tasks below at least once a month, although there’s no reason you can’t do them more often. If you have pets or allergies (or both), there are some tasks you might want to do more than once a month, like washing your duvet cover.

• Clean baseboards
• Launder throw rugs and bath mats
• Dust blinds and window screens
• Wipe windowsills and doors
• Vacuum and wipe air vents
• Clean your washing machine & dryer
• Clean your refrigerator & freezer
• Descale your coffee maker or clean your Keurig
• Clean backsplash grout
• Clean inside the dishwasher
• Vacuum mattress
• Launder duvet covers
• Sweep garage floor
• Deodorize drains
• Clean spots on the inside of windows
• Wash shower curtain liner
• Scrub shower grout
• Dust ceiling fans
• Clean computer keyboards and monitors
• Change furnace filters (if you have allergies)
• Replace toothbrush heads
• Wash and sanitize litterboxes
• Wash pet bedding
• Clean vacuum cleaner
• Launder mattress covers
• Wash kitchen trash can

Seasonal (Every 3-4 months)

The seasons change every 3 months, so that’s an easy way to keep track of chores that don’t require more frequent attention. Do them all at once, or spread them through the season by doing a couple each weekend.

• Clean your oven
• Clean your dishwasher
• Clean dryer vent
• Wash duvet insert or comforter
• Launder bed pillows
• Wash range hood filters
• Dust ceilings and walls
• Clean lampshades
• Vacuum under heavy furniture
• Launder curtains and throw pillows
• Clean outdoor furniture
• Clean windows inside and out
• Clean light fixtures
• Deep clean pantry
• Vacuum bathroom exhaust fans
• Change furnace filters (if you don’t have allergies)
• Clean refrigerator coils and drip pans
• Dump and clean freezer ice trays
• Clean behind appliances
• Swap seasonal clothing
• Clean garage
• Wash garbage cans
• Clean BBQ grills
• Rotate mattresses
• Clean shower heads (Here’s how and why you should.)

Bi-Annually

Cleaning often leads to the discovery of problems in less-visible areas of your home, like leaks under sinks or cracks in walls. And many times, cleaning overlaps with home maintenance tasks. Cleaning the gutters, for instance, lets you see loose flashings or shingles on the roof. Washing walls sometimes leads to discovering potential foundation problems or humidity issues, like small cracks or peeling paint.

• Clean gutters (spring and fall)
• Have HVAC serviced (summer and winter)
• Deep clean closets
• Launder furniture slipcovers
• Dust books and deep-clean bookcases
• Wash walls

Yearly

The list of annual tasks is short and straightforward but shouldn’t be skipped – especially the chimney inspection if you have a fireplace! You can certainly clean your upholstered furniture more often, but remember that doing so may make it wear out faster, too.

• Clean fireplace (Spring)
• Have the chimney inspected (Fall)
• Drain sediment from water heater
• Steam clean or shampoo carpets and furniture