Daily, weekly, monthly cleaning schedule

How often should you clean your home? With our busy lives, sometimes it’s difficult to do more than running the dishwasher and wiping down the kitchen countertops on a daily basis. But what about your fridge? How about the floors? If you don’t plan for them, house cleaning chores can build up and take over your Saturday. But by doing a little each day, and spacing out those tasks into a daily, weekly and monthly schedule, you can save your weekends for family activities, enjoying the outdoors or just curling up with a good book in your clean house.

Here’s a handy cleaning schedule to get you started. Remember: Doing a little each day saves you from doing a lot later.

Daily

These are quick tasks you can dash off in a few minutes that will help you stay ahead of the game.

Make your bed. Doing this every morning starts your day off with one thing accomplished, setting the tone for the day. It also makes your bedroom look neat and clean.

Declutter and put things away. As the day is winding down, look around the house. Take a moment to hang up that jacket you’ve thrown over a dining room chair. Put toys away. Fold the blankets that are strewn on the couch. Toss dirty clothes in the hamper. Create a place for your important letters and bills, and open them each day. Recycle the junk and newspapers.

“Close” your kitchen. Each night after dinner, close up your kitchen by giving it a quick cleaning. Load and run the dishwasher. Wipe down your countertops, backsplash and stovetop. Do a quick rinse of your sink. Sweep the floor. Bonus task: Get your coffee set to go for the next day. Your morning self will thank you for a clean kitchen!

Wipe down your bathroom countertops, sinks and mirrors. A quick wipe down will take care of any water splatters, toothpaste in the sink and spots on the faucets. Tip: Keep your bathroom cleaner and a roll of paper towels or a reusable cloth under the sink.

For pet owners: Tackle dog hair by giving all of your floors a quick sweep or vac.

Weekly

These tasks don’t need to be handled every day — they take a bit more time than daily tasks — but you should tend to them once a week. Hint: Do one of them every day to avoid that dreaded weekend buildup.

Do laundry. Depending on how many people are in your household, this can be a daunting task. You can break it up by doing whites one day, colors the next, towels and sheets the next, and so on. And get those teenagers up close and personal with how to use a washing machine.

Change sheets. The great sheet-changing debate! While many people change their sheets every other week, and nobody on the planet likes putting a fitted sheet on a bed, experts tell us to do that task once a week.

Dust. Do this throughout the home. Pay special attention to blinds, blades of ceiling fans and glass surfaces where dust collects the most.

Give special attention to your floors. Vacuum the carpets, mop your wood and tile floors, and don’t forget your stairs. You’ll remove dust, pet dander, dirt your kids dragged in, allergens and any kitchen spills.

Clean bathrooms. This is a deeper cleaning than you do daily. Clean your toilets with bathroom cleaner and a stiff brush. Mop the floors. Scrub down your tub and shower. That way, you’ll stay ahead of grime, mold and other stains.

Take out garbage and recycling. You may find yourself doing this more than once a week, but most areas have weekly garbage and recycling services so make sure to have it out by your pick-up date. Hint: This is a great time to take a look into your fridge and discard any leftovers that have been sitting there since the Bush administration, expired dairy products, cheese you forgot about in the back of the cheese drawer, and any other foods that are turning into science experiments.

Clean the front of your appliances. A quick spritz of glass or kitchen cleaner is great for this job.

Monthly

These are larger tasks that will take awhile. But you don’t have to do them in one day.

Clean the fridge. Take everything out and clean the shelves. Wipe everything down, washing the shelves and drawers in the sink or dishwasher if necessary. Ditto for your freezer. If you can’t remember when you froze that bag of undetermined origin, toss it.

Clean the oven. If you have a self-cleaning mode, use it. If not, you can mix baking soda and vinegar to scrub out any of that pizza cheese that has hardened in the bottom off your oven.

Clean your dishwasher and washing machine. Like your oven, if your appliances have self-sanitizing modes, run that cycle. If not, running a load of vinegar and water in your washer is a great alternative. This removes any bacteria that has built up.

Wash windows. You don’t need to do the whole house at once. Do one room a day. A natural glass cleaner does this job without creating unpleasant odors.

And there you have it! A cleaning checklist that will keep you on track. At Nature Lake, we’re committed to helping you keep your home sparkling clean without harming the environment or your family with harsh chemicals. Our kitchen, bathroom and glass cleaners are your housekeeping allies!