Free House Cleaning Checklists – Editable – Word

Most people dread the idea of household cleaning. It is a tedious, painstaking, and time-consuming task. Yet, this does not always have to be the case. Cleaning can be much easier and more enjoyable with a little planning and organization. You only need to plan your cleaning schedule and create a checklist for your household.

To help you understand how to create a checklist that will be useful for your household cleaning chores, this article discusses some insightful pointers and tips to make cleaning more manageable and efficient.

Why Should You Use a House Cleaning Checklist?

A house cleaning checklist can be an invaluable tool in your cleaning collection. It can help you maintain a clean home, particularly if you have kids or are a pet owner. A checklist can also benefit you if you have a busy schedule. It can remind you of everything you need to do around the house regularly to protect your family against disease-causing germs, allergies, or asthma attacks.

Given below are house cleaning checklist templates:

With an effectively-written checklist, you can do things systematically and efficiently. Since all the housework is outlined and organized in list form, you will not have to waste time wondering what and when to do it. This will leave more time for actual cleaning and less time for procrastination. Besides, you are less likely to forget important tasks and details because you have everything in one place. Similarly, you can record the tasks that you have completed on your checklist, enabling you to track your progress and experience a sense of fulfillment.

A checklist also allows you to establish accountability and responsibility. For example, if any items in your cleaning schedule require regular cleaning, such as the benches, you will feel compelled to do them as indicated on your checklist. In addition,  you can delegate chores to different family members and track their progress over time. Ultimately, this can help you save a significant amount of time and energy as you will not have to do all the work by yourself.

When it comes to household cleaning, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all checklist. The checklist you need to create will typically vary based on the size of your home and the specific type of cleaning you want to execute.

If you need a simple yet effective way to create a cleaning checklist for your home, consider the following two approaches:

By time 

House cleaning checklists are organized according to time and are usually easy to understand and follow. To create a checklist using this approach, consider identifying all the chores that must be done regularly (e.g., washing the dishes) and those that can be done daily, week-by-week, and after a month or year. Afterward, divide the tasks into manageable portions and set a specific time for completing them. Make sure to record all your tasks once you complete them.

Room-by-room

If you have a big home, it may be a good idea to create a checklist that encompasses all the house’s areas and all the tasks that need to be done in each room simultaneously. This is a great way to avoid wasting time running back and forth or darting from place to place. However, to eliminate the possibility of redundant work, consider cleaning from top to bottom and left to right.

After deciding on the format you want to follow, you can develop a comprehensive cleaning routine that works for your household. You can create your checklist from scratch or use readily available templates to make your work easier. Regardless of the method you choose to create your cleaning checklist, make sure it is concise, accurate, flexible, and unifies all your household chores into a single, easily manageable routine.

How often you clean your home will significantly vary depending on your household size, how messy the inhabitants are, and your ability to tolerate a messy house. If you are a germaphobe (a person who feels strongly compelled to clean excessively), you will want to clean your home regularly, probably after specific time intervals or daily. However, if you are the average person, who would instead focus on other things than cleaning excessively, you will probably clean a few times a week or a month.

Despite your unique preference, creating a complete checklist for cleaning the house will allow you to execute most tasks more efficiently. Moreover, knowing the right cleaning supplies to use will even make your work easier.

Below are some suggestions on the essential cleaning products you should purchase, along with a list of chores you should do daily, weekly, or every month:

Cleaning products

It is important to note that you do not have to spend so much money buying expensive cleaning products to make your home clean. You also don’t have to stock several cleaning supplies to have a well-maintained and tidy home. The most commonly used household items, such as white vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, olive oil, lemon peels, and other natural ingredients, can be effective in housekeeping.

Additional must-have cleaning products that you should consider purchasing include:

• A multi-purpose cleaner for general cleaning
• Disinfecting spray or anti-bacterial wipes
• A powdered cleanser for cleaning the toilets, sinks, showers, and bathtubs
• Laundry detergent and fabric softener
• Dishwashing liquid or paste concentrate
• A concentrated floor cleanser

Cleaning tools

Cleaning tools play a pivotal role in effectively cleaning your home as they help remove grime and dirt buildup from your household’s surfaces, furniture, and fixtures. However, if you want value for your money in terms of the durability and longevity of these tools, you will need to invest in good-quality cleaning tools.

Standard cleaning tools that you will need to buy include:

• Scouring pads and sponges
• A vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter
• House-keeping gloves
• A broom and dustpan
• Microfiber cloth
• Mop buckets and mop heads
• Toilet bowl brushes and toilet cleaning brush attachments
• Glass cleaners, including window glass spray, glass scraper, and glass cleaner paper towels
• Dust cloths or feather duster with an extendable handle to quickly dust hard-to-reach surfaces like ceiling panels, vents, fans, window sills, etc.

Daily

Besides the kitchen and washrooms, other rooms that need regular cleaning are the bedrooms, living room, and dining room. These areas of your home are often most frequently used by your household members, so they tend to get dirty quickly. You can tackle most of these chores flawlessly if you follow a thorough daily cleaning checklist.

Household chores that you should incorporate into your daily cleaning checklist include:

The kitchen/dining room

• Clean and organize the utensils/dishes
• Clean the stovetop, kitchen countertops, and the sink
• Wipe the backsplash
• Spot-clean any food splashes and stains
• Wipe your dining room tabletop and chairs if necessary
• Store any food leftovers in the fridge or, where necessary
• Microwave your kitchen sponge
• Wash and replace dirty kitchen towels
• Remove the trash

In the bedroom

• Remove sheets that need to be changed or laundered
• Make the beds
• Collect any clothing from the floor and store them in your laundry hamper or arrange them neatly in the closet or storage spaces
• Sweep  or vacuum the floor
• Open all the bedroom windows and wipe any condensation on windows in the morning

Living room/lounge area

• Wipe the coffee tables and wood furniture
• Dust your living room décor pieces and shelves
• Remove all newspapers, magazines, and books from your coffee/side tables and clear off any surfaces or spaces
• Straighten the seat pillows and throw pillows
• Sweep or vacuum the carpet and the floor

The bathrooms/washrooms

• Clean the bathroom sinks, countertops, and sink basin
• Wipe any water and toothpaste marks from the mirror and faucets
• Change hand and face towels if needed
• Check the toilet bowl and wash it if there are any noticeable marks
• Collect and neatly store any wet towels and dirty clothes in the laundry hamper
• Fill the toilet paper roll and clear the trash can
• Mop the floors to prevent dirt and grime from building and causing possible slip hazards

Weekly

Depending on your schedule or household size, you may want to deep-clean your home once a week to ensure that all the rooms are free of dust, grime, and dirt buildup. These tasks can be completed in a few hours and will help you maintain a tidy and sanitized household and set the mood for the coming week. Regularly doing these tasks will prevent you from having to do any central cleaning during the week.

Various chores that you can do once every other week include:

All around the house

• Vacuuming all carpets
• Clean any carpet or upholstery stains
• Dusting surfaces such as furniture, shelves, window sills, tabletops, picture frames, other decorative items, ceiling fan blades, blinds, etc
• Sweeping and mopping the floors
• Dust  all the doorknobs, light switches, and door handles
• Washing and airing pet bedding
• Cleaning mirrors and all the windows
• Remove any cobwebs
• Remove all loose items, such as shoes, toys, papers, throw blankets, etc., from the floors and neatly organize them in their respective storage spaces
• Remove lint from the dryer filter
• Clean pets bowls and pet spaces

In the kitchen

• Deep-cleaning the microwave and toaster, and spot-clean any spills inside the refrigerator or oven
• Wipe all the surfaces of small kitchen appliances and movable objects
• Clean stainless steel sinks
• Throw any overdue foods, snacks, and spices
• Clean and organize the pantry
• Dust baseboards

Around the bedroom area

• Strip the bed and replace all the dirty sheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases with clean bedding
• Do all your laundry
• Fold and neatly organize the closet spaces and other storage areas

In the bathrooms

• Clean the bathroom and make sure there is no mildew buildup on shower curtains, bath mats, or other accessories like soap holders
• Clean the bathroom drains
• Clean and disinfect all the bathtubs, sinks, and faucets
• Thorough clean and disinfect the toilet bowls and refill the air-fresheners
• Clean and squeegee shower doors

Monthly

Deep-cleaning and maintaining your home once every other month will allow you to keep most of the spaces in your home clean and tidy. This will help you maintain a clean and organized lifestyle and contribute positively to your family’s overall health.

Home maintenance chores you can perform once a month include:

Around the house

• Clean and disinfect all the trash cans
• Dust the window sills  and blinds or replace them with new/clean ones if needed
• Clear cobwebs from corners, behind doors, ceiling panels, vents, and fans.
• Carpet or area cleaning and shampooing
• Do a thorough mop of all the floors
• Remove all pictures and any decorative frames and shelves from your walls and wipe them
• Clean and disinfect all the wooden furniture, including beds, side tables, coffee tables, etc
• Clean and organize the storage spaces in the living room, pantry, dresser, shelves, and cabinets.
• Change air filters of AC units.

In the kitchen and dining room

• Spot-clean any food splashes and stains
• Deep-clean the oven, refrigerator, microwave, and dishwasher
• Defrost the freezer
• Dust all the cabinets and small kitchen appliances to remove any smudges or fingerprints
• Thorough clean and disinfect all the countertops and sinks
• Dust all furniture and surfaces in your dining room
• Empty the pantry, kitchen drawers, and cupboards, and wipe all surfaces
• Sort expired foodstuffs and discard them
• Wipe the outer surfaces of the range hood

In the bathroom and laundry area

• Spot clean the shower stalls, mirrors, and faucets, dryer lint trap
• Clean bathtubs,  showerheads, and wash basins to remove soap scum buildup
• Clean drains
• Wash the bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths
• Replace expired items such as cleaning, makeup, soap, etc.
• Scrub the tile grout
• Clean the dryer lint trap
• Thoroughly scrub the laundry tub

In the bedrooms

• Spot-clean bedroom rugs, throw blankets, pillows, comforters, and bedspreads
• Flip mattresses and vacuum-clean them
• Mop/vacuum underneath the bed
• Clean nightstands and dressers
• Declutter and organize your closet spaces and make sure all shoes, clothes, accessories, and other miscellaneous items are neatly arranged in their proper places

The lounge/living room area

• Spot-clean all the sofas, pillows, and cushions
• Remove any old magazines or newspapers
• Wipe all the surfaces in your living room, including tables, desks, chairs, and lampshades
• Deep-clean your TV set

Outdoors

• Sweep cobwebs off the ceiling and walls
• Thoroughly scrub the patio, sidewalks, and driveway to remove grime and dirt
• Dust all outdoor furniture, window sills, and light fixtures
• Scrub the decks
• Mow the lawns
• Clean the garage and shed
• Sweep leafy debris in the garden or lawn

Maintaining the condition of your home is a worthwhile investment of both time and money, as it is likely the most significant purchase you will make in your life. If you want your home to look great, cleaning can maintain and improve its condition, making it a place you want to spend most of your time. Therefore, it is best to capitalize on all the essentials for cleaning as part of your home maintenance plan and discover which cleaning tools and products are the most effective in keeping your home clean. 

Once you have acquired the right tools and products, do your best to stick to a cleaning schedule. An effectively-drafted house cleaning checklist will prove beneficial to you as it will help you organize and schedule all your home maintenance chores systematically. It will also play a pivotal role in ensuring you achieve more from your domestic cleaning plan. If you experience difficulty creating your home cleaning checklist from scratch, consider using the pre-made templates attached herein to enable you to get started the right way.