House Cleaning Checklists

• Bathrooms
  • Sink cleaned, disinfected and rinsed
  • Tub and/or shower tiles cleaned, disinfected and rinsed
  • Chrome fixtures shined and cleaned
  • Toilet base, rim, inside and outside disinfected and wiped
  • Vanity top cleaned and items organized and put away
  • Towels changed
  • Mirrors cleaned
  • Window sills wiped down
  • Trash emptied
  • Baseboards dusted and/or wiped
  • Vacuum and mop and dry floor
  • Spot wipe walls and switch plates
  • Dust air vents, window sills, chair rails and baseboards
• Kitchen
  • Countertops and backsplash cleaned
  • Cabinet fronts washed and wiped
  • Sinks scrubbed and disinfected
  • Floor vacuumed and mopped and dried
  • Outside of appliances (oven, microwave, refrigerator, dishwasher, stovetop)
  • Small appliances wiped
  • Window sills cleaned
  • Baseboards dusted or wiped
  • Spot wipe walls and switch plates
  • Trash emptied
  • Dishes washed
  • Wash or dust table and chairs
• Bedrooms
  • Carpets vacuumed
  • Beds made
  • Linens changed
  • All areas dusted – on top, on front and underneath
  • Picture frames dusted
  • Mirrors cleaned
  • Window sills cleaned
  • Spot wipe walls and switch plates
  • Trash emptied
  • Baseboards wiped and dusted
  • Lampshades dusted
• Other Living Areas, Hallways and Stairs
  • All areas dusted
  • Furniture vacuumed
  • Hardwood or tile floors damp mopped and dried
  • Carpeted floors vacuumed
  • Baseboards dusted and cobwebs removed
  • Window sills wiped down
  • Spot wipe walls and switch plates
  • Glass tables cleaned
  • Picture frames dusted
  • Lamp shades dusted

House Cleaning Tips

House cleaning is not at the top of most peoples list of fine things to do, but if you let your mind wander too much, you'll spend even more time cleaning. Focus on what you're doing, make every move count, and you'll finish more quickly. Clean top to bottom, back to front, right to left and work your way around the room, cleaning as you go, just one area at a time. Carry your cleaning supplies with you in a basket or cleaning bucket so you don't waste time having to go back to retrieve them.

Dust First, Vacuum Last. Start dusting from the top of the highest shelves, the tops of cabinets. These tend to be less dusty than lower shelves. Even if you dust quickly, you'll be moving the dust down to a lower level, usually the floor, where it is easily vacuumed away.

Keep all your cleaning supplies in a tray you can easily carry from room to room. Cleaning your microwave is easy peasy. Put a bowl of vinegar and water in the microwave, and cook on high for 3 minutes. Then just wipe out the microwave with a rag. The vinegar will take care of that funky popcorn/bacon smell combo most everyone's microwave has, and the steam will soften even the most funky funk that's in your microwave.