Do you ever wonder how some people manage to maintain an absolutely flawless house, yet you never see them cleaning? This is because they do not attack the house in one sitting. Most of the time, they have a home cleaning checklist. 

A cleaning checklist gives you a system that enables you to continually keep your house in tip-top shape without feeling like you are running around like a headless chicken.

Four Reasons to Maintain a Home Cleaning Checklist

1. When you have a house cleaning checklist, you can prioritize what needs to be cleaned, and when you need to clean it. This makes it easier to handle different tasks. By breaking down your cleaning chores, you accomplish more than trying to tackle everything at once. 
2. Sometimes, the people living with you may not ‘see’ what needs to be cleaned. Having a cleaning to-do list also helps you to delegate duties as everyone will know what is expected of them. 
3. Consistent cleaning will prevent clutter and make your house safer. Routine house sanitization and disinfection prevents the spread of germs. Dust is less likely to build up, reducing the chances of allergic reactions and respiratory diseases.
4. A home cleaning schedule can save you from the embarrassment of a messy house, especially when you have unexpected visitors. It is not a nice feeling to apologize for the ‘state of the house’ when company just drops in. 

Basic Cleaning Equipment

Before you begin spring cleaning your home, you will need some products and equipment to help you get the job done right. No, you don’t require a hotel housekeeping trolley, but there are some necessary cleaning supplies you would need to stock up on if you don’t already have them. These include:

• Microfiber cloths or disposable rags
• Scrub brush, scrub sponges and abrasive scrub pads
• Mop and bucket
• Extendable duster
• Toilet brush 
• Grout brush or an old toothbrush
• Lightweight vacuum 
• Rubber gloves
• Indoor broom (if you have a balcony or patio, have a separate broom for that area)
• Dustpan 
• Squeegee 
• Plunger
• Stovetop scraper – only for flat-glass ceramic cooktops

Cleaning Products You Can Purchase for Your Home:

• All-purpose cleaner – these are generally mild solutions used to remove grease and dirt. They can be used on a variety of surfaces such as stovetops, countertops, and sinks. It is good to note that all-purpose cleaners are not disinfectants. 
• Disinfectant – This is essential for the kitchen and bathrooms. These should be left on the surfaces for at least 5 minutes before wiping them off to kill germs.
• Tile and grout cleaners – Scrub free solutions are the better option for shower tiles and bathtubs as they will not eat through the enamel. 
• Wood cleaner – This should match the type of wood you have in your house to maintain its appearance. 
• Glass cleaner – A no-streak or streak-free glass cleaner will give you the best results.

If you are not a big believer in commercial cleaning products, there are several things around the house that can be substituted for cleaning supplies. 

The Best Way to Maintain a Clean House

It may sound like a daunting task, but a daily home cleaning routine will ensure that you are not living in a never-ending mess. This little known secret to keeping a clean home goes a long way. When you get into a daily cleaning routine, you will find that it takes just about 15 minutes a day to get your house in order. 

Before we get into the daily cleaning checklist, there are a few tidy habits you could start on:

• Make your bed as soon as you get out of it.
• When you take off your clothes, either hang them if they are still clean or drop them in a laundry hamper.
• Try your best not to leave dirty dishes in the sink before you go to bed.
• Use wet wipes to clean bathroom counters and sinks after use.
• Keep kitchen counters free from appliances to make wiping down easy.
• Teach kids to put away their toys before they go to bed.
• Squeegee the glass walls after a shower to prevent stains.

Daily cleaning checklist

Your daily cleaning schedule should tackle the areas in your home with the most traffic. This includes the living room, kitchen, and bathrooms. 

Kitchen:

• After your last meal, load dirty dishes into the dishwasher.
• Use an all-purpose cleaner to wipe down kitchen counters, dining table, and food preparation surfaces.
• Sweep and mop dirty floors.
• Clean the coffee maker.

Rooms: 

• Straighten up the living room – fold blankets, tidy up remotes, magazines, or paperwork.
• Wipe down tables in the living room, playroom, or home office.
• Make beds and collect dirty laundry.

Bathrooms: 

• Wipe down the exterior toilet, sink, and bathroom surfaces.
• Squeegee shower walls.
• Fold or hang towels.

Weekly cleaning checklist:

Having a weekly home cleaning checklist can help you knock down one household task every day. This way, you do not get overwhelmed by a load of laundry or a messy kitchen. 

Mop up Mondays

After all the weekend activities, you would like to start the week with a clean home. Dedicate Mondays to moping and vacuuming:

• the entrance hallway 
• family room
• stairs
• corridors 
• bedrooms 
• bathrooms 
• kitchen

Be sure to go under the dining table to collect any crumbs that may have fallen there. Keep this weekly mop up to areas that can be easily accessed. 

Scrub down Tuesdays

A day of pulling out those gloves and dealing with the bathrooms. 

• Scrub and sanitize the toilets, bathtubs, showers, sinks, and counters. 
• Plastic shower curtains and bathmats can be sprayed with disinfectant. 
• Change towels and do an inventory of toiletries. You do not want to run out of toilet paper. 

Wipe away Wednesdays

• Using an all-purpose cleaner and microfiber cloth, wipe away any dirt or smudge from the kitchen sink, stovetops, faucets, counters, and backsplash. 
• Wipe down the exterior surfaces of the microwave, oven, coffee maker, toaster, fridge, blender, mixer, and other kitchen appliances.
• Dust and wipe furniture; lamps and lampshades, picture frames, windowsills, doorknobs, light fixtures, ceiling fans, and vents. 
• Wipe the TV, entertainment system, and remote controls. 
• Dust off cobwebs and clean mirrors. 

Throw out Thursdays

Organize your home by getting rid of unwanted, outdated, or expired items. You can start with the fridge and move on to the medicine cabinet. Throw away junk mail, newspapers, old make-up, and lotions. Chuck out clothes with holes that you know you will not mend or craft projects from 10 years ago. 

If you have not used something in your house for the past two years, then there is the likelihood that you will not use it this year. Ridding your house of old, unused items every week will not only create space for other important things, but decluttering also gives you peace of mind. 

Fold it up Fridays

As the week comes to an end, the laundry basket should have filled up pretty well. Friday is a good laundry day. 

• Soak your whites separately as well as clothes with tough stains. 
• Strip the sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, kitchen, hand, and bath towels and throw them in the washing machine. 
• Fold, iron, and put away clean laundry.

Pet-friendly Saturdays

If you have furry friends in your household, you can make use of Saturday mornings to show their living spaces some love. Empty the kitty litter box and scrub it with soap and water. Do not use any chemical cleaners such as bleach or ammonia because certain chemicals can be harmful to cats. Felines are also very picky and sensitive to smells. Any chemical odor may make a fussy cat have a bathroom break on your freshly cleaned carpet.

Saturday’s are also a great day to change the bedding for dogs and caged animals. If you have fish, doing a partial water change for the aquarium will keep them swimming happily.  

By following this weekly home cleaning checklist, your weekend should be free to enjoy with friends and family in a squeaky-clean home.

Three Months Spring-Cleaning Checklist

Every three months, we recommend that you set some time aside for a thorough, top to bottom, house spring cleaning. Understanding that not everyone can spring-clean like maid service, we suggest that you dedicate a specific section of the house for this particular task. You can work through the kitchen at one time, the living room, and bedrooms the next time and attack the bathroom last, then rotate. This way, you will not get tied down cleaning up for hours, and you can concentrate your effort on one cleaning duty.

Kitchen checklist

Refrigerator

Clear out your kitchen area because you will need space. 

• Take out everything from the fridge first. This includes the shelves and drawers and wash them in dishwashing liquid and warm water. Rinse and wipe dry. 
• Using a microfiber cloth dipped in warm water and baking soda, wipe inside the walls and floor of the refrigerator, as well as the top and outside. You can use a stainless-steel cleaner if that is what your fridge door is made of. 

Food inventory

• Take an inventory of items that need to be eaten soon, thrown out, or restocked before putting things back in the fridge. Do this with food in the freezer as well as the pantry.

Oven

• Using an oven cleaner and a cloth, wipe away any grease, grime, residue, or crusts from the door and inside the oven. 
• Clean the rangehood to remove any grease as this can be a fire hazard. 
• Clean the oven racks in dishwashing soap and hot water. 

It is good to note that oven cleaners contain harsh chemicals that can irritate. You should protect your hands with a pair of gloves and safety glasses for your eyes.

Microwave

• Clean the inside of the microwave by mixing a quarter cup of vinegar with one cup of water and boiling it in the microwave for 3 minutes. When the walls are all steamed up, wipe them with a clean cloth. 

Dishwasher

• If you start to smell something foul coming from the dishwasher, put one cup of vinegar and another bowl with baking soda on the top rack, and run a normal cycle.

Living room and bedroom checklist

Check out the recent Redfin article we were featured in: 

The Complete Living Room Cleaning Checklist

The living room is one of the most important rooms in the house. It’s where you relax, entertain guests, and spend time with your family. However, because people use it so much, it can be one of the most challenging rooms to keep clean. This is especially true if space is limited, like in a small apartment in San Francisco, CA, or a condo in Seattle, WA. From dusting to vacuuming to deep cleaning, there’s a lot to do to keep your living room looking its best. 

• Vacuum all carpeting, upholstery, and area rugs. Don’t forget to get behind large pieces of furniture and under couch cushions.
• Take down and wash curtains, drapes, duvets, comforters, pillows, and cushion cover
• Dust and wipe down window blinds, windowsills, air vents, doors, walls, and molding
• Use a glass cleaner on the windows and glass cabinets
• Dust the smoke alarm and check the batteries
• Change your air conditioning and vacuum filters

Sparkling bathroom cleaning checklist

If not well looked after, your bathroom can become a good host for nasty fungi. Mildew and mold thrive in dark and damp environments. Discourage unwanted bathroom guests with these bathroom cleaning hacks. 

• Clean and disinfect the trash can with a cleaner that can kill bacteria and neutralize odors. Rinse it and let it air dry in the sun to prevent mold.
• Disinfect the toothbrush holder – most of them are dishwasher friendly. 
• Check the label on your shower curtain or liner and see if it can be run in the washing machine. For plastic shower curtains, you can soak them in water and vinegar and hang them out to dry. If the time has taken its toll, replace your shower curtain. 
• Wipe or vacuum the inside of drawers and cupboards. Put new lining in drawers.

Shine your porcelain throne both inside and out

Using a disinfecting spray, spritz the entire toilet, inside, outside, at the back of the base, under the seat, and the wall behind. Let the cleaner do its magic for at least 5 minutes. Wipe the exterior of the toilet from top to bottom with a paper towel. Use a stiff-bristled toilet brush to scrub under the rim and inside the toilet. Flush to rinse.

Annual house cleaning checklist

Good news – there are some areas of the house that can remain overlooked for a year. Having said this, you still need to have a go at them as they are essential for the overall upkeep of your home. 

• Clean and organize the garage and basement.
• Clear out gutters.
• Clear out chimney and fireplace.
• Special projects – Declutter, donate or sell any clothes, shoes, toys, sporting equipment, gadgets, or things you have stored in the house that you have not used in the past year.

When to call the experts

Starting a home cleaning routine when your house is already ‘too far gone’ can seem hopeless. Spekless House Cleaning is here to help. In just 60 seconds, you can book a quality cleaning appointment through our online and digital communication platform. 

You can choose whether you would like a standard cleaning to get you started on your way to maintaining a home cleaning checklist, or you prefer a deep cleaning where we get under every nook and cranny. We can help you create a house cleaning schedule and checklist that will work around your needs. 

We’ve got your back, so you don’t break yours while trying to keep a clean home.

Hiring help for your house can be a daunting and complicated task. It means inviting a complete stranger into your home and trusting them with your belongings. As overwhelming as that may seem, sometimes you just need the help. So what do you do? You find a good housekeeper to help you keep your home in order.

But before you go out and hire just anyone to clean your house, there are a few things you should do first. 

Define your needs

Before you go out and look for a housekeeper start by defining the needs of your household. What kind of things do you need help with? Which rooms need more attention than others? How often do you need someone to come and help you? These are all things you need to sit down and ask yourself before you find a housekeeper.

Do your due diligence 

Whether you choose to use a cleaning company to find your housekeeper or find one that’s independent, you need to do your due diligence. It’s always a good idea, no matter where you find your housekeeper to check their references and reviews before you decided to hire them.

Another thing you’ll want to look for is insurance and background checks. Are they bonded and insured? While most cleaning companies do have insurance, this isn’t always the case for independent house cleaners. It’s important that you have a background check and that the cleaner is insured in the unlikely event that something valuable breaks or something were to go missing. 

So in order to find a good housekeeper for your house, these are things that you need to take into consideration before you hire. It could make all the difference.

Ask and compare rates

Once you’ve narrowed in on a few prospective housekeepers go ahead and compare all their rates. Find out what’s included their services and what’s not based on your needs. Then take a look at your budget and see what works for you and what doesn’t. 

This is also the time for you to ask about any other requests you may have when deciding if it’s a right fit or not. Do you require them to bring their own supplies? What about cleaner, does it have to be all-natural? Find out if these are an option for your housekeeper and if there’s any extra cost that may be associated with extra services. 

Find someone that works with your schedule

Professional cleaning services often offer flexibility with their cleaning schedules. They typically have one-time, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, and bi-monthly cleanings. This is something you need to be aware of when searching for a good housekeeper.

Although they might have the perfect rate and fit within your budget, they may not be flexible enough to work with your schedule. You should find a housekeeper who is willing to shuffle things around when you need them too, even if it’s not very often. 

Qualities of a good housekeeper

Now that we understand what it takes to find a good housekeeper, let’s talk about some of the qualities they should possess.

Loyalty

A good housekeeper will be able to stay an extra 20 or 30 minutes (or maybe even an hour) to help you out with some unexpected tasks. You want to find a cleaner who is willing to do that from time to time and who doesn’t cancel on you at the last minute. Loyalty is a key quality to a good housekeeper.

Honesty

Since you’re allowing this person into your home it’s important that you know you can trust them. There could be times where you can’t or won’t be home during your cleaning. So you need to know that you have an honest and trustworthy person inside of your home.

Flexibility

We touched on this briefly, but a friendly reminder never hurts. When looking for a good housekeeper for your home, you need to find someone that’s flexible. Things happen and so you need to be sure that you can count on your housekeeper to shift things around if need be.

Empathy

Since the job of a housekeeper is to clean and organize the house, this means they will have access to your most valuable and personal items. A good housekeeper will be able to take care of these things for you as if they were there own. They won’t be careless but caring with your items.

Need help finding a good housekeeper for your home?

It’s flu season which means that at one point or another you may just catch yourself lying in bed snuggled up with a cold. You’ve got a ton of work to and a family to take care of though, you don’t have time to be sick let alone clean up after it. 

You probably know that it’s important to clean your home after being sick, but you might not know that it’s also important to clean in when you’re sick. This is to help prevent the spread of germs around your home. And it’s especially important if you have a household with children. 

When bacteria and germs spread from one surface to another, one thing can lead to another and then you might just find yourself in the emergency room before you know it. If you’re having trouble keeping the house clean don’t worry, we’re here to help through that by discussing ways you can start cleaning the house while you’re sick.

Using the right cleaning products

Before you find the motivation you need for cleaning the house when you’re sick, you need to make sure that you’re using cleaning products that aren’t harmful to you and your family. Certain cleaning products can be really harmful, not only to certain surfaces in your home but to the air that you breathe in.

The last thing you want is to start cleaning with a chemical that only enhances your illness and sends you to the hospital. Consider making the switch to all natural cleaning products to help protect you and your family from ingesting toxic chemicals.

Finding the motivation to clean the house when you’re sick

It can be hard to get up and clean when you don’t even feel like getting out of bed. But just like money is your motivation to get up and go to work, you can find the motivation to get up and clean the house. 

Now we’re not saying that you have to get on your hands and knees and scrub the entire house, but keeping it organized and free from germs is crucial during this time. Not only will you stop the spread of germs in their track, but you’ll also benefit mentally from having a clean house. And the better you are mentally, the better you’ll be physically. 

Maybe your motivation is music. Maybe it’s germs. Or maybe it’s knowing that you’ll feel better once you do it. No matter what it is, there’s a motive behind every household cleaning routine (sick or not) and it’s time for you to find yours. Below we’ve lined out some tips to help you.

Tips to help you succeed in cleaning the house when you’re sick

Have a cleaning basket on hand

Having a cleaning basket in your house introduces a whole new level of motivation into the equation. There’s just something about having a nice little basket with all of your supplies together in one place that just makes you want to get up and start cleaning the entire house. And it’s super helpful when you don’t feel like looking all over the place for that bottle of Windex you could’ve sworn you left under the bathroom sink.

Make sure you have disinfectant wipes ready

When it comes to cleaning the house when you’re sick, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to make sure that you have disinfectant wipes in every room of the house. This way, if you touch anything or start to sneeze all over the remote, you can simply grab a wipe and stop the spread of germs.

Run a diffuser with essential oils

Having a diffuser in your home is great for many reasons. One of them being that you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil in it and it will help clean the air around you while strengthening your immune system. So not only are you cleaning the air, you are actually helping cure your sickness in the process.

Delegate the weekly chore list

If you’re still having trouble finding the motivation to get up and start cleaning when you’re sick, consider delegating the weekly chore list to others in your home. If you have kids or a partner, this is perfect – just give them a list of things to do while you sit back and relax.

But what do I do if I don’t have children or a spouse?

Maybe you don’t have kids or a partner to help you when things get tough around the house. Not everyone does. Maybe you have a roommate though. And if you do, it’s perfectly reasonable to ask them to pick up some of the slack. After all, you are sick. 

But if that’s not the case, the last thing you can do is…

Hire a professional house cleaning service

Sometimes we just can’t clean the house when we’re sick. But don’t worry we’re here for you! Our professional house cleaners will help you get your house back on the right track. Contact us today for a free estimate.

Are you someone who works a lot but dreads coming home to a messy house? Do you periodically waste your hard-earned money eating out because you can’t face your kitchen long enough to cook? If this is you, you’re not alone. Many people feel this way but think they can’t afford to hire a cleaning professional to help.

So the question remains…

Can I really afford to hire a cleaning professional?

Let’s get real here, sometimes cleaning your home is hard. So hard in fact that the only option you have left is to hire help. But can you really afford it? Would hiring help cost you more than you can chew? 

The cost of a professional cleaner isn’t as expensive as you think. Especially when you step back and look at how the on-demand economy has revitalized the service industry. But if dollar equations don’t do it for you, taking the time to learn that your time is sometimes more valuable than money should.

Sometimes trading a few bucks for more time at work (with friends or family) could be just the thing you need. Hiring a professional house cleaner is more about prioritizing your busy on-demand life and less about the cost effects. 

You can read some of the benefits of a cleaning service here.

Things to consider

When it comes time to hire help for your house, consider asking yourself the following questions:

• Do I enjoy this task or is in fundamental to my household chores? If not you should consider hiring help.
• What else could I do with the time that I spend cleaning each week? Could I be exercising, making more money or enjoying time with friends or family?
• Am I using the time I should be using to focus on my health and well being? 
• Does the cost of a professional cleaner really compare to what I could be doing?

Spekless Professional House Cleaners

Many homeowners aren’t aware of the benefits that a professional house cleaning service can provide to them. They spend a lot of time stressing out about their dirty homes and trying to clean it themselves only to fail in the end. So they hire an individual cleaner to help them and end up unhappy with the results.

Here’s why a professional house cleaner could make a world of difference in your home:

Professional house cleaners have been trained

Having a professional house cleaner come to your house is better than paying an individual housekeeper. This is for the simple fact that professional cleaners have been fully-trained to do the job. Now we’re not saying all individual housekeepers don’t know what they’re doing. But instead what we are saying is that professional house cleaners have been taught how to clean your house from top to bottom. It can make a huge difference in the outcome of the service.

Most of the time they’re bonded & insured

If you’ve properly done your due diligence on a cleaning company before hiring them, the company you hire should be bonded and insured. Professional house cleaning companies are often structured to protect both the employees and the clients. Which means if personal possessions are damaged or the cleaner is injured on the job, the company is liable and not you.

Taxes can be a pain

Paying an individual house cleaner can often times be a pain when tax season comes. If you hire outside help, you may be considered an employer by the IRS. That means that you’ll need to file an I-9 for your cleaner and submit information yearly. You can easily avoid this mess by utilizing the help of a local cleaning company.

Spekless professional house cleaning

Want to hire a professional cleaner for your household? If you’re looking for help you with your home, look no further. We can help. Fill out the form on our website today to get a free service estimate.