The Complete Home Cleaning Checklist

Keeping your house clean seems like such a huge task. And it’s a task that is hard (nearing impossible!) to keep up with sometimes! Little things get forgotten and bigger tasks get put on the list for “when there’s time…” and it goes on and on. Until you have a heaping mess and you don’t even know where to start. That was where I was for a LONG TIME. But don’t worry! I’ve got your solution! I’ve made a complete home cleaning checklist for myself and now I’m sharing it with you!! And it will help you keep track of all the things you need to do each day, week and month to keep your house running smoothly, stay organized and most importantly, stay CLEAN! The complete home cleaning checklist printable that’s included will help you track your progress and see what tasks remain to be completed.

Where Did I get This?

This checklist was actually born from another article I did called “How to Have a Clean House by Lunchtime Today.” That post is my guide to get the house back under control in a single morning. And the response to that post was so, so great. Everyone loves it! But nearly everyone comes back with the same question. They all say “Ok! The house is clean! Now… how do I keep it that way?”

So this is my answer! I use a checklist to stay on track each day to keep the house managed. That way little cleaning tasks don’t turn into hideously huge and overwhelming cleaning projects that no one has time to complete.

I’m a pretty absent-minded person and I need reminders all over to help me take care of things. If it’s out of sight, it’s simply out of mind for me. I don’t mean to do that, it’s just my nature. And knowing that, I created a checklist so I don’t forget things around the house.

Structure of the Checklist

The checklist is broken down into 3 distinct sections. I’ve got the daily tasks, weekly tasks, and monthly tasks. And it’s all on one page! WHOOHOO! Certainly, it’s a lot of information on one page, but I like being able to have the entire month’s plan in front of me at once. I don’t want to have to print a new list out every day or even each week and then have to update where I am on my progress every time I print a new sheet. I print out this checklist each month, put it on a clipboard or in my calendar/planner and keep it handy wherever I’m going to be. If I have a ten-minute block of time open up, I can knock a few things off the list for the day.

Momentum

I find when I have a list and begin to check things off that list, I build momentum. And I want to keep going. The more I accomplish, the more I’m motivated to keep going and accomplish more and more tasks. That’s why I make sure to have this list handy at any point in my day so that I can always be productive if I have a few minutes. Also, here’s an article from The Huffington Post about how important it is to make your bed each day for your daily momentum and success!

Personalize It!

My exact list may not be exactly what your list is, and I totally get that. I’ve also included a blank page in case you want to create your own task list. I realize mine might not fit everyone’s needs. So, if the blank page works better, more power to you! Make it work for you! Add in whatever you want! This is all about making your life a little easier and more organized.

Daily Tasks

For the daily tasks section, I’ve further broken the list down into a morning section and an evening section. This division is what works for me. But feel free to do whatever works for you! I’ve also left blank lines for you to add in your own tasks to the list as well. I like to make sure I get a few quick wins under my belt in the mornings. I feel accomplished right away and it just helps me stay productive all day long.

Morning Daily Tasks:

In the mornings, first thing, I like to make the bed. When I make it downstairs, I like to immediately unload the dishwasher (it’s my most dreaded chore and best done first thing to get it out of the way!). I throw in a load of laundry to wash. I’ll sweep and vacuum the living areas if needed. I like to spot clean the bathrooms and make sure they look nice for the day. I can do all that while coffee is brewing! And then later in the mornings I’ll water my flowers outside if they need it and pull any weeds I see. That way it’s not a huge bed of weeds that needs attending for hours later on. When the washing machine is done, later in the morning I’ll switch the laundry and when it’s dry, I’ll fold it and put it up. And that’s the morning tasks!

Evening Daily Tasks:

In the evenings, my tasks are more oriented towards getting my family ready for the coming day ahead. I like to leave the kitchen clean and nice so that when I walk in the next morning, it is a bright and cheery experience, not one of dread and despair. And I’m not crunching cheerios with every single step I take.

I like to leave the counters and sink empty, so that means I load up the dishwasher, wash any additional dishes, clear off the counter and take out the trash. And boom! My kitchen is ready for me the next day.

I get all our bags ready for the next day for school or work or whatever we have coming. I tidy up the bedrooms as I put kids to bed and when we go to bed at night. And the bedroom tidy-up is just a quick sweep if things are out of place. I make sure the stairs are cleaned off (I’m a stuff on the stairs person!) so that if we get up in the middle of the night, we don’t go tumbling down the stairs.

And lastly, I do a quick pick-up for about 5 minutes. I have the kids help with this before bedtime. They can help clean up their toys and we put up any big things we played with all day up for the night.

Weekly Tasks

There are plenty of to-do’s each day to keep a home running smoothly. That part of the checklist is covered and ready to go. Now, we are moving on to weekly tasks! These are all things that need to be taken care of each week, whenever you choose, to keep on top of keeping the house clean.

These are not tasks that need doing every day, but you don’t want to let them get too far out of hand either! You can have a big cleaning day and easily do them all in a day. Or if you are like me and cleaning is NOT your thing, then you can knock one or two out each day and it’s not so intimidating.

Make It Work For YOU:

Go ahead and make the schedule work for you and do items on the list when they are timely and also when YOU have time. For example, I clean out the refrigerator on Tuesdays. Because Wednesday morning is garbage day and I don’t want stinky garbage with bad food in it for days.

Another example is cleaning off your desk area. I like to do that on Sundays to make sure that I know what’s coming up for the week, and so that I start my week with a nice, clean, and organized desk to work and create.

The great thing about my checklist is that you can make it work for you when you have time. I tried to design it so that it is easy to keep track of exactly where you are and what still needs to be tackled.

Monthly Tasks:

I think monthly tasks might be the most important on this list. I get that daily and weekly stuff needs to happen to keep things rolling along. But the monthly list? If you stay on top of that, you aren’t going to have to every worry about your house being yucky and gross. And finding dust bunnies everywhere. We’ve all been there. We’ve all looked up the ceiling fans and discovered we are growing a dust bunny colony. And then we try to figure out the last time we dusted anything. Or the last time we changed the air filters. Or rinsed out the garbage cans.

The monthly tasks on the list are all the little things that keep the house running smoothly and keep everything neat and tidy. And small effort each month means there won’t be a massive effort to try to regain control later.

Inventory/Food Management

For this section, I wanted to explain in a little more detail. I like to go through the freezer, fridge, and pantry and make sure I don’t have anything expired that needs to be thrown away. Then, I’ll make notes of what kind of things we have in the freezer so that when I am making a meal plan each week, I can use one or two things from the freezer for easy meals during the week. That way it keeps food fresh, and you aren’t wasting food that’s just going bad sitting in the pantry or fridge either. Your biggest food expense is the food you end up throwing away. Don’t do it!

Recommended Items:

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These are all of my favorite things to help me keep the house clean and tidy. I use these all with my cleaning list to help me stay on top of cleaning and organizing!

• CleverMade Collapsible Laundry Tote, Large Foldable Clothes Hamper Bag – This is a laundry bag with handles that holds it’s shape. This is SO much easier to carry up and down the stairs than laundry baskets! I couldn’t do it without these!
• Broom and Dustpan Tiumso Dust pan Broom Set – No bending over. And the dustpan has a comb for the broom so your broom doesn’t get clogged up with hair and dust!
• Lavo Home Bath Caddies – I keep the cleaning supplies in a little caddy I can carry around to wherever I need them! That way they are always put up where the kids can’t get to them also!
• Earthwise Deluxe Collapsible Reusable Shopping Box Grocery Bag Set – These are great for groceries. But I keep one on the top of the stairs and at the bottom of the stairs. Anything that goes up the stairs goes in the basket, then I carry it up at the end of the day. And vice versa for the one at the top of the stairs.
• Universal Vacuum Attachment Tool, Tiny Tubes Cleaner – This duster attachment is fantastic. It will get all the dust and debris, it’s great for keyboards, drawers, fans, ceiling fans, blinds, etc. You name it, it’ll clean it!
• DII Non Adhesive Cut to Fit Machine Washable Fridge Liner For Drawers, Bins, Trays – I use these in the fridge. I line the drawers with them. That way, when the inevitable veggie goes bad, you can just pull this liner out, toss it in the washing machine and no scrubbing the fridge! Or other fruits and veggies!

Wrap Up – The Complete Home Cleaning Checklist

I love a clean house. With 2 boys under 6-years-old, that’s not always a reality. But I like to try to stay on top of the house cleaning. I always felt like I was doing a little here, and a little there and forgetting bigger stuff until it was so messy it would take hours to clean up. I’ve finally found a solution for myself and our house. I hope this complete home cleaning checklist helps you keep your house clean and more organized too! Give it a try today and let me know how it goes! And as always mamas… just keep shuffling!

Related Posts:

• Spring Outdoor Home Maintenance Guide
• Successful Mommy Time Management
• How To Have A Clean House By Lunchtime TODAY

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