House Cleaning Checklist – The Best Free Checklist
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
This is the ultimate house cleaning checklist. Whether you need a quick or deep cleaning you need this guide today!
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Table of contents
Welcome! If you’re here you’re definitely wondering how to keep your home clean, decluttered, and relaxing!
Whether you feel like you’re fighting the mess every day, or never know where to start, this guide is going to help you make cleaning:
- Simpler
- Easier
- Faster
Plus I’ve included a FREE Basic House Cleaning Checklist below!
Let’s get into it …
How To Deep-Clean Any Room – House Cleaning Checklist
Basic House Cleaning Checklist | 10 Ways To Keep Your House Clean
Did you know that there are different types of cleaning?
Maybe you understood it conceptually — like sometimes you need to tidy up and bit and sometimes you need to deep-clean.
Well, there are actually TONS of different cleaning methods.
I have compiled a list of 10 cleaning methods so you can:
- Understand the differences between each cleaning method.
- Understand when to use each cleaning method.
- Understand how much time you should spend on each cleaning method
- Know what products you might need for each cleaning method
The “Quick Clean” or “Nightly Reset”
Define This Method: A quick cleaning to tidy up during the week to prevent a mess build-up.
When To Use: Right before bed, usually during the weekdays.
How Much Time: 10 – 20 min
Products You May Need: Dishwasher Fluid, All-Purpose Spray
The “Focus Clean”
Define This Method: This method can be used at any point and is used to stay focused, by only working on one room at a time. This is the most straightforward house cleaning checklist type.
When To Use: Anytime, depending on the level of cleaning needed for each room
How Much Time: Anywhere from 5 min per room to 30 min per room
Products You May Need: All-Purpose Spray, Vacuum, Mop or Swiffer, Bathroom cleaning products (if a focus room), Broom
The “Deep Clean”
Define This Method: This method is the longest and most detail-oriented cleaning style. It focuses on cleaning out everything in a space – whether that be deep cleaning the whole house or deep cleaning the garage.
When To Use: When you have a large chunk of time
How Much Time: Anywhere from 1 hour to a whole day
Products You May Need: All-Purpose Spray, Vacuum, Mop or Swiffer, Bathroom cleaning products (Toilet Cleaner, Bathroom Scum Cleaner, Disinfectant-Spray), Broom, Disinfectant, Glass Cleaner, Magic Erasers, Duster, Product specific cleaner (Ex. Oven Cleaner)
The “Reset Clean”
Define This Method: While similar to the quick clean, the reset is more like a fast-deep clean. The quick clean focuses on basic clean up such as wiping the counter and loading the dishwasher. The reset clean is much longer such as a Sunday cleaning for the week, but not as intensive as a deep cleaning.
When To Use: When you have a few hours and need to refresh your space. You don’t have enough time to do a deep cleaning, but you need to get a lot of cleaning done fast. Oftentimes this is done on a weekend.
How Much Time: About an hour, no more than 2
Products You May Need: You might need the same products as a deep clean, but likely not all:
All-Purpose Spray, Vacuum, Mop or Swiffer, Bathroom cleaning products (Toilet Cleaner, Bathroom Scum Cleaner, Disinfectant-Spray), Broom, Disinfectant, Glass Cleaner, Magic Erasers, Duster, Product specific cleaner (Ex. Oven Cleaner)
The “Seasonal Maintenance Clean”
Define This Method: People typically see this as “Spring Cleaning” — however, this can be done and should be done at each time of the year. The purpose is to deep clean a whole space, not necessarily a whole home, especially in preparation for something such as the warmer months or a heavy snowfall. For example, cleaning out the garage in the spring or cleaning out the shed after the summer months.
When To Use: When you have a lot of time, ideally a whole day — use especially if you have to prepare for something like a seasonal change or heavy upcoming use.
How Much Time: Several hours, potentially a whole day or weekend.
Products You May Need: You will likely need project-specific items.
- For example, if you are cleaning out a garage you likely need a large outdoor brush and other outdoor-specific cleaning tools.
The “Restock”
Define This Method: The restock is a combo of cleaning and organizing. This method is focused on specific items — such as cleaning out the fridge and restocking it with groceries or cleaning out and restocking soap containers in the bathroom.
When To Use: When you have a bit of time, and have the items you need to restock such as groceries and soaps.
How Much Time: Anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or so.
Products You May Need: You will likely need project-specific items. For example, if you are cleaning out the fridge and you want to organize it and refill it with groceries you would get a disinfectant, maybe some containers for organization, and of course the restock items – which in this case are groceries.
The “Challenge Clean”
Define This Method: This method is great for when you have some new motivation or want to gain more motivation to clean. Maybe you haven’t been motivated to clean in a long time. This can be anything, but typically it involves following some sort of procedure or setting your own such as “I want to challenge myself to do a 10-minute quick cleaning every day for 30 days”.
When To Use: Whenever you decide to challenge yourself or need a challenge. Try to set realistic goals.
How Much Time: Whatever time you have allotted to complete your challenge on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. period. Try to be realistic.
Products You May Need: You will likely need challenge-specific items. For example, if you plan to challenge yourself to 30 days of quick cleaning, make sure to have those supplies on hand and fully restocked so you don’t run out.
The “Spot Check”
Define This Method: This method is similar to the quick clean but is even more bare-bones and specific. The purpose of the spot checker is to handle things as you go throughout your day. This might be noticing a lot of laundry piled up and loading it in the washing machine or cleaning up your mess after making lunch.
When To Use: Whenever you have a few minutes, typically right after you do something such as bringing in everything from your car after each use to prevent a build-up.
How Much Time: Anywhere from a few minutes to 30 minutes.
Products You May Need: You will likely need spot-specific items.
- For example, after each shower, you use a bathroom spray in it to prevent soap scum residue, wipe down any water on the floor, leave on the fan to let it air out, and close the curtain so the dog doesn’t try to jump in 🙂
The “Purge” or “Declutter”
Define This Method: This method is less focused on cleaning with products, and more focused on sorting through your things and getting rid of things that you don’t use, need, are empty, are broken, etc.
When To Use: When you have a long period.
How Much Time: Project-specific timeframe — for example, you might need 10 minutes to clean out a junk drawer or 2 hours to purge your closet.
Products You May Need: You will likely not need a lot, just a few project-specific items such as a garbage bag for clothing donations.
The “Disinfect”
Define This Method: This method is focused on cleaning for the purpose of disinfecting — especially if you have been sick. This can be a reset, a quick clean, a deep clean — whatever you require, but with an emphasis on getting rid of germs.
When To Use: After a period of you or someone you live with being sick.
How Much Time: Anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple of hours.
Products You May Need: Disinfectant spray or wipes, All-Purpose Spray, Vacuum, Mop or Swiffer, Bathroom cleaning products (Toilet Cleaner, Bathroom Scum Cleaner, Disinfectant-Spray), Broom, Glass Cleaner, etc.
This post was all about the top house cleaning checklist types.
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