With the world still recovering from the pandemic, cleanliness and hygiene continues to be at the forefront of everybody’s minds. We’ve all made a conscious effort to clean our hands more regularly, but what about our homes?
With people spending more time at home than ever across the past 18 months, the cleaning to-do list may at times seem overwhelming. However, not all jobs around the house need to be carried out on a daily or even weekly basis.
Cleaning responsibilities can be broken up depending on how frequently they need to be completed. Below we highlight some common cleaning tasks, ranging from ones that should be done every single day, all the way through to those seasonal cleaning jobs you’re forever putting off.
Daily
To keep on top of your house cleaning to-do list, some tasks should be completed on a daily basis. The vast majority of these are kitchen-based chores, since this is one of the rooms where bacteria can most quickly build up. According to the NHS, the average kitchen sink contains 100,000 more germs than a bathroom or toilet, highlighting just how important it is to regularly clean this area of your home. Daily cleaning tasks include, but are not limited to:
- Clean dirty dishes
- Sweep the kitchen floor
- Disinfect worktops, table and sink
- Do laundry as required
Not only will completing these tasks every day reduce harmful germs in your household, it will also cut out the need for more strenuous scouring or cleaning further down the line.
Weekly
Whilst the following tasks need to be completed on a weekly basis, you might choose to divide them up into daily jobs. This method makes the workload more manageable, and means you can avoid spending one entire day tackling the whole house. Here are some of your weekly cleaning jobs:
- Change the bedding
- Vacuum through the house
- Disinfect kitchen appliances
- Dust furniture
- Clean bathroom surfaces and toilets
Dusting is one of the most important weekly cleaning tasks as it avoids the build up of potentially harmful allergens which can cause illnesses.
Related Blog: Tips To Keep or Make Your House More “Green”
Monthly
The monthly to-do list consists of some of the more arduous jobs around the house, but by spreading them out across the month they needn’t be as daunting as they first appear. These are likely to be the tasks you’ve had in the back of your mind to complete, but have been putting off for a later date. Similar to other more frequent tasks, the longer you put off your monthly cleaning responsibilities, the more difficult they will be to complete.
- Clean the washing machine
- Dust light fixtures and blinds
- Wash the windows
Depending on the size of your home, and perhaps the occupancy, you may decide to outsource some of these tasks, particularly window cleaning, to professionals. Whether you choose to do them yourself or delegate to someone else, try to complete these jobs every month to avoid a potentially damaging build up of grime.
For deeper cleans, you might decide you want to hire a cleaner. It’s advised that you check out any testimonials or reviews as proof of their work, but a cleaner every month can tackle those jobs you hate doing.
Seasonally
Due to the infrequency with which these tasks need completing, it is easy to forget about them, or forgo them altogether. However, three to four months worth of use equates to a significant build up of dirt and germs in each of the following areas:
- Clean the dishwasher
- Clean the oven
- Clean the fridge
- Wash pillows and comforters
As our habits change throughout the year and we spend more time in different areas of the house, some people like to reflect this in their cleaning schedule. For instance, you might focus on the fireplace as part of your spring cleaning as it likely won’t be used during that part of the year.
Related Blog: Decluttering Your home: A Room By Room Guide
To sum up
There is no getting around the fact that undertaking cleaning tasks is a time-consuming process. On average, Americans spend around six hours every week cleaning their homes. As a result, more people than ever are turning to housekeeping and maid services to help lighten the burden and free up more valuable time.
