Here’s an Easy House Cleaning Schedule You’ll Actually Stick To

Clean homes. We all like them, but sometimes keeping things tidy feels like rolling a boulder up a hill. You work and work and work, and then — bam — one week off, and your lovely living room looks like a pack of wild animals moved in and made themselves comfortable. But like every great infomercial says: “It doesn’t have to be this way!” All you need is our easy house cleaning schedule.

Cleaning every nook and cranny of your home may seem daunting, especially if you have a large family or some shaggy four-legged friends. But the secret to keeping things spotless (or at least orderly) is working smarter, not harder. Don’t try to tackle every room at once. Take things bit by bit and watch your space regain its zen. 

What is a Normal House Cleaning Schedule?

It’s not only physically tough to clean your entire house in a day; it’s time-consuming. Divide your house cleaning tasks between days of the week instead of blocking out a six-hour window in one day.

For example, clean the kitchen every Monday, choose a few bedrooms on Tuesday, save all the bathrooms for Wednesday, tackle living areas on Thursday, and use Friday to catch the spaces that still require attention once all is said and done.

A daily house cleaning schedule will be maintainable if created around your needs instead of being overly rigid. For example, if your Monday is filled with meetings and a much-needed evening yoga class, make this a day for shorter to-dos like wiping down appliances or sorting through your fridge and tossing out expired foods. If you have a partner, children, or roommates, figure out how to divvy up the line items so it’s equitable. Now that’ll help you namaste on track.

Q: How do I plan a cleaning schedule? A: To make an easy house cleaning schedule, list all house cleaning tasks by room, decide how often the tasks need to be done (daily, weekly, or monthly), and estimate how much time you need to complete each task. If you’re a spreadsheet enthusiast, this will be fun! After you finish your list, choose how much time you’d like to devote to house cleaning per day (this will likely shift based on your schedule). Finally, match the tasks to the day based on availability and urgency.

So how often should a house be cleaned? Some parts of your home do benefit from daily attention (dishes, bed making, laundry, etc.), but other house cleaning tasks can be done weekly or monthly.

Here are some helpful guidelines on what should be done when, but ultimately, your house cleaning schedule should be tailor-made for your situation. Use these as suggestions to guide your personal house cleaning schedule.

What House Cleaning Should Be Done Daily?

Don’t be overwhelmed by a daily house cleaning schedule. All you need to do is set aside about 10 to 15 minutes a day for these simple tasks. This is a perfect way to get kids involved in daily housekeeping duties, too. Studies have shown that children who do chores may have higher self-esteem, be more responsible, and be better able to handle delayed frustration, delayed gratification, and adversity. Now that’s a win for everyone!

While reviewing these daily cleaning tasks, ask yourself which ones your children or loved ones can help you handle. Make a family chore chart, so everyone can keep up with their assigned duties. Taking care of these things early and often will help you avoid overwhelming messes.

Pro Tip: You’ll notice that most daily cleaning needs to be done in the kitchen. When you’ve got a lot of activity — and eating — happening in one place, it needs some extra attention. Leaving crumbs and other food residue unchecked can spread bacteria and germs and may even attract rodents, insects, and other pests.

• Wash dishes (load the dishwasher, if applicable, and empty it when the dishes are clean)
• Wipe down kitchen counters and eating surfaces
• Clean your coffeemaker
• Vacuum or sweep up the kitchen floor (and spot check other floors)
• Make your bed(s)
• Wipe down bathroom counters
• Pick up clothing and toys
• Tidy up clutter throughout the house
• Do a load of laundry (for larger households)

What House Cleaning Should Be Done Weekly?

We’re inching closer to deeper cleaning with our weekly house cleaning schedule. Here’s a list of some things you should stay on top of weekly.

• Strip beds and wash sheets
• Establish a weekly laundry day (or add washing a load to your daily schedule)
• Clean kitchen appliances with a disinfectant
• Mop the kitchen floor and any other hard floor surfaces throughout
• Vacuum throughout
• Scrub toilets, tubs, and showers
• Clean mirrors
• Dust furniture
• Check your fridge and pantry for expired foods
• Go through mail, magazines, and other papers to see what needs to be filed away and what can be discarded
• Gather items that need to go to the dry cleaner 

If you have an off week or two and can’t follow your house cleaning schedule, don’t worry about it. The important thing is to keep going, even if you fall behind. If you want to play catch-up, you can keep things running smoothly by using our fast-track cleaning checklist.

What House Cleaning Should Be Done Monthly?

Once a month, it’s time to get your hands dirty. Perhaps literally. These are some bigger jobs, so set aside the time you need to tackle your monthly house cleaning schedule. Keep in mind that some house cleaning tasks change based on the season, like cleaning your gutters or sweeping your chimney. The PODS Blog has more specific details on autumnal recommendations and sunny summer makeovers.

• Wash your bedding: Pillows, mattress covers, and duvets
• Dust baseboards, ceiling fans, blinds, and shelves
• Clean out your closets and dresser drawers
• Vacuum underneath furniture
• Wash the windows
• Clean the oven
• Wash area rugs
• Sort through junk drawers and discard anything that’s no longer needed
• Tidy bookshelves
• Organize your kitchen pantry, fridge, cabinets, and drawers
• Wash ventilation hood filters
• Clean doormats and bath mats 

Once you get to these weekly and monthly cleaning tasks, it may be difficult to remember what you’ve done, what’s still on the list, and what’s being handled by someone else in your family. Keep things straight (pun intended) with a house cleaning schedule app.

• Spotless is a task manager that lets you set up your to-do list by room and then check off a box for each completed item.
• Sweepy lets you gamify the housekeeping experience by tracking cleanliness, distributing workload, and fighting for the top spot of the house cleaning leaderboard.
• Tody lets you control your cleaning schedule by offering flexible task options and customized cleaning plans.

How Can I Clean My Whole Home Quickly?

Sometimes life gets in the way of your cleaning schedule (as it should), you’re behind on cleaning, and the in-laws are hours from arriving at your door. How can you clean your entire home as quickly as possible? Here’s a super speedy whole-home cleaning plan:

• Gather supplies: Grab cleaning products, cloths, a vacuum, and garbage bags. You don’t want to spend lots of time going back and forth to your supply closet. 
• Start with high-traffic areas: Chances are, your kitchen, den, and bathrooms need the most attention. Begin your cleaning efforts here, just in case you need to stop before you get to the tidier areas of your home.
• Do some light dusting/counter wiping: Go over shelves, surfaces, and furniture with a microfiber cloth. Wipe down tile, stone, and other hard surfaces with a multipurpose cleaner.
• Vacuum: Forget the broom, you haven’t got time! Go over high-traffic areas to pick up dirt and debris. 
• Mop the floors: For tile and hardwood floors, use a mopper like this one from Swiffer or a cleaner like this one from Bona. It’ll be faster than the traditional mop and bucket.
• Clean the mirrors: Give mirrored surfaces a wipe down with a soft cloth and glass cleaner.
• Clean the toilets: This cleaning wand will make quick work of the job. 
• Make the beds: It instantly makes a room look 100% cleaner. Don’t check the math on that one; it’s more of a feeling.
• Empty trash cans: Nothing screams unclean like lingering garbage.
• Keep an eye on time: Don’t spend too much time on any one task. If you’re under a deadline, set a timer for the whole job or per room.

How Can I Help My House Stay Cleaner Longer?

If you’re wondering how to keep your home clean for the long haul, we suggest fostering a “cleaning mindset” in your home. These actions may seem simple, but they’ll make tidying up a part of your everyday routine.

• Keep a toilet cleaning wand in each bathroom for daily scrubbing.
• Ask family members and friends to remove shoes while inside your home.
• Cover couches in blankets if you have shedding pets.
• Put hampers in your main bedrooms to prevent clothing being thrown on the floor or furniture.
• After your shower, wipe down surfaces immediately. There are even some no-wipe sprays on the market that make the process quick and effortless.
• Change your HVAC filter regularly, so you have less dust floating around.

If your house is still messy despite your best efforts, the problem might not be your house cleaning schedule but your house clutter. If you’re doing a lot of dusting, straightening, or paper pile sorting, it might be time to purge your home. The PODS blog has some great recommendations for making fast work of the job.

A great way to work through the mess is to have a PODS portable storage container delivered right to your driveway. Use it as a sorting station while you go through those old Halloween costumes, books, shoes, yard tools, etc. If you find there are things you’re not using anymore, but you just can’t part with, load ’em up and we’ll keep your container in one of our secure Storage Centers for as long as you need. You might be surprised how much easier cleaning your house will become!

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LB Gabriel is a freelance writer who lives with her husband, daughter, and Golden Retriever in Memphis, TN. A frequent PODS blog contributor, she's a sucker for any tip she can find on downsizing, cutting clutter, or minimalist living. When she's not on a deadline, you can find her on a tennis court or golf course.