Regular house cleaning can help you avoid being overwhelmed by the mess. It’s also a good idea to clean regularly to keep germs, pet dander and dust mites at bay.
But how often should you clean your house? And is there such a thing as too frequent cleaning?
When it comes to getting on a cleaning schedule, there are certain things that should be done on a daily basis. Other cleaning chores can be done every couple of days. And some of the items on your cleaning checklist can be done weekly, monthly or quarterly.
In other words, there’s no single answer to the question of how often should you clean your house. Instead, the best way to approach keeping a clean home is to come up with a busy mom cleaning schedule that works with your life and routine.
The good news is that getting on a daily or weekly cleaning schedule doesn’t have to be a hassle. Keep reading to learn how often you should be doing different cleaning tasks in every part of the house.
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How Much Time Does the Average Person Spend Cleaning House?
Prior to the pandemic, the average American spent 5.61 hours per week cleaning house. These days, they’re spending 8.81 hours per week on average cleaning house, according to a OnePoll survey conducted on behalf of Bounty.
That’s more than 450 hours a year people spend trying to keep a clean house.
When you’re a busy mom, there’s a good chance that you don’t have that kind of time to dedicate to cleaning every square inch of your home.
The good news is that even if you don’t have a lot of time, you can still keep up with household chores without having to clean every minute of the day.
How Often Should You Clean Your House?
Cleaning your home on a regular basis is important as a dirty house can be a breeding ground for germs. And when there are multiple family members living in the same space, the mess can pile up fast!
So how often should you clean your house? The answer can depend on:
- How much time you have for cleaning tasks each day and each week
- Your home’s size and how many family members you’re trying to pick up after
- Whether you have pets
- How much of a neat freak you are
A good cleaning schedule covers every room and living area in your home but is flexible enough to allow you to knock out tasks at a pace that works for you. And it focuses first on the areas that need the most attention, like the kitchen or living room, which is where household members might spend the most time.
Breaking down your cleaning schedule into daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly chores can help you create a workable blueprint for deciding how often should you clean your house.
Daily cleaning tasks
Certain areas in your home require daily maintenance to keep them clean. You might need to do a deeper clean of those areas once a week or once a month but cleaning up daily is the easiest way to avoid dirty buildup.
Here are some of the things you’ll want to do each day to keep your home in good shape:
- Sanitize and wipe down kitchen counters
- Wipe down bathroom sinks and the toilet seat
- Squeegee shower doors to prevent soap scum buildup (or use a spray on bathroom cleaner)
- Sweep the kitchen floor
- Wash dirty dishes and wipe down the kitchen sink
- Do one load of laundry
- Pick up and put away clutter
Most of these daily cleaning tasks are things you can do in 15 minutes or less. For example, a quick wipe with a damp cloth can keep kitchen countertops clean.
And some of these things you might only do every couple of days. For example, you might wipe down bathroom sinks every other day. Or do laundry twice a week instead of daily.
What to clean on a weekly basis
Your weekly cleaning schedule can include things that need special attention or a little more elbow grease to get clean.
Some things you’ll do every week; others you might do every couple of weeks. Keeping your cleaning supplies organized and ready to go can help you knock these regular cleaning duties out faster.
- Use a wet mop to clean kitchen and bathroom floors
- Wipe down kitchen appliances
- Wipe down the microwave inside and out
- Dust the furniture (a damp rag works great for this!)
- Clean out any expired food from your fridge, pantry or cabinets
- Declutter the coffee table and sanitize the remote control
- Change out bath towels and hand towels
- Wipe down kitchen cabinets
- Sanitize or replace kitchen sponges
- Thoroughly clean bathroom surfaces, including scrubbing the toilet
- Wash bath mats
- Put clean sheets on all the beds ( get rid of those dead skin cells!)
- Sort out paper clutter that’s piled up during the week
- Wipe down and sanitize high chairs or booster seats
- Vacuum your living space (and don’t forget to empty out the vacuum cleaner once you’re done)
- Take out kitchen trash and sanitize the can
Again, you might not do all of this in one week. For example, you might change out bed sheets every two weeks instead. But you probably don’t want to skip some things, like weekly vacuuming, especially if you have cats or dogs running around.
Monthly cleaning tasks
Some cleaning tasks you can save for once a month. The list of items requiring monthly cleanings can include:
- Use a dry cloth to dust and wipe down air vents
- Change out air filters
- Dust and wipe down ceiling fans and light fixtures
- Wipe down doorknobs and drawer handles
- Dust ceiling molding and wipe down baseboards
- Clean inside the washing machine (you can sanitize it with a little hot water and a cup of white vinegar)
- Go through the fridge and get rid of expired food
- Sanitizer the dishwasher
- Wipe hard to reach kitchen surfaces like the wall behind the stove or kitchen sink backsplash
- Clean out the pantry
- Vacuum the mattress
- Deep clean the vacuum cleaner
- Use a steam cleaner to clean stains in upholstery
- Sanitizer your outdoor garbage cans
If you don’t want to do all these things at once each month, try assigning a few cleaning tasks to your weekly cleaning schedule. That can make what might otherwise seem like a daunting task easier to handle.
Quarterly or yearly cleaning chores
Some cleaning chores only need to be done every few months or at specific times of the year.
For example, you might start your spring cleaning tasks in March or April or change out bed linens or duvet covers with the change of seasons as part of your fall cleaning. And some of your less regular cleaning items may include big projects, like decluttering.
Here are some of the other cleaning chores that you might do quarterly, biannually or yearly:
- Clean or replace shower curtains
- Wash or replace mattress pads
- Organize the laundry room
- Clean out the freezer
- Deep clean the fridge and get rid of stuck-on food particles
- Deep clean the inside of the oven
- Replace bedroom pillows
- Vacuum your mattress
- Clean the chimney and fireplace (or have professional cleaners do so)
- Consider deep carpet cleaning to get stains out
- Clean interior and exterior windows
- Take care of outdoor maintenance, including cleaning gutters
- Wash drapes and curtains
- Clean out the garage
Delegating tasks can make all of these deep cleaning chores easier. For example, you might get your spouse or partner to handle outdoor cleaning or decluttering the garage. And kids can help with wiping down windows or organizing laundry.
Related post: Spring Clean Challenge [Deep Clean Your Entire House in 7 Days!]
FAQs
How often should you clean your house if you have kids?
Keeping a clean house with messy kids is challenging even the most organized mom. When you have kids, there are certain things you’ll want to clean every day, like kitchen counters and bathrooms. You might want to clean kids’ rooms once a week or once a month, depending on how messy they get. Starting a toy rotation and assigning age-appropriate chores is a great way to get your kids involved in the cleaning so that you’re not doing it all yourself.
How often should you clean your house if you have pets?
Pet hair and pet dander can be a neat freak’s nightmare. You’d be surprised at how easily pet hair gets into everything. If you have pets, there are certain things you’ll want to add to your daily task list, including:
- Sweeping floors
- Vacuuming carpets (and furniture if your pets get on the couch)
- Scooping the litter box
- Wiping down food and water bowls
Once a week you can wash pet bedding. And if your pets have toys they play with, it’s a good idea to go through them regularly and toss out anything that’s worn or can’t be cleaned properly.
If you have cats that use a litter box indoors, you’ll want to empty out all the litter and replace it at least once a month. While the box is empty, you can use soapy water to clean it. Bathroom cleaner might not be safe to use but if you’d like to find something to get rid of lingering smells, there are plenty of pet-friendly cleaners you can try.
And if your pets ride in the car with you, you might want to go through and vacuum out dog hair once a week. You can also clean the interior windows and door panels if your dogs have a habit of drooling while they ride.
How often should you clean your house for deep cleaning?
Deep cleaning tasks are usually things you do less often, like scrubbing the fridge inside and out or sanitizing the washing machine. How often you do these things can depend on what needs to be deep cleaned in your home and what areas tend to accumulate dirt the fastest. So again, you might do certain deep cleaning routines monthly while others can wait every three to six months.
Should you hire a house cleaning service?
Paying for cleaning services could save you time, since someone else is doing the work. And hiring detail-oriented professionals can be a great way to ensure that your home is actually getting clean. That being said, routine cleanings are something you can likely handle yourself if you’re able to nail down a cleaning schedule. But you may want to look into paying for deep cleaning services once or twice a year if you don’t have time to clean the house yourself from top to bottom.
Need more help getting your cleaning tasks organized? Check out the Busy Mom’s Cleaning Planner!
This printable cleaning planner includes everything you need to create a cleaning system that saves time and keeps you sane!
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Final thoughts on how often should you clean your house
A clean, organized home is the dream of many a busy mom. And you can get a little closer to making it a reality by following a cleaning schedule. If you’re worried about how often you should clean your house, the best answer is ultimately going to be as often as you need to in order for it to feel livable. And remember the busy mom’s code: done is better than perfect!
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