Most people set aside one day a week to deep clean their home. When I was single I saved my big cleaning projects for Saturday morning. These days my schedule is less predictable, so I pencil in weekly cleanings on a day that I have the least amount of running around to do.
I work well with lists, so when it came time to create a comprehensive cleaning schedule I grabbed a notebook and toured my home room by room to determine what tasks needed to be accomplished in each on a weekly basis. I divided my notebook pages into fourths and titled each column with the following: DAILY, WEEKLY, SEASONAL, and LESS OFTEN. Once the sections were created all I needed to do was fill in the blanks.
Depending on the number of people in your house, how much help you have cleaning and how messy your home gets, your schedule may look like this:
DAILY: Make beds, do dishes, run laundry, wipe down countertops, vacuum high traffic areas.
WEEKLY: Dust windowsills, bookshelves, lamps, and electronics. Clean sink and appliances. Take out the garbage and the recycling. Wash bed sheets and changing linens. Vacuum carpet and furniture upholstery. Scrub bathroom toilets, bathtubs, sinks and showers.
MONTHLY: Dust ceiling fans and picture frames. Remove old food from the refrigerator. Wash throw rugs. Clean windows and mirrors. Disinfect light switches and door handles.
After you compile your list you can assign different tasks to members of your household, or if you live alone, you can determine whether you want to tackle all of the jobs in a single day or whether you want to spread them out evenly during the course of the week. Keep in mind that rooms such as the attic and garage typically don’t need to be included on a daily list unless you spend a lot of time gardening and take out a bunch of tools on a regular basis.