This Weekly Cleaning Schedule Will Keep Your Home Consistently Tidy

First, Why Is Having a Weekly House Cleaning Routine Important?

Surveys have found that people who clean regularly are happier, more relaxed and more productive. Clutter can lead to procrastination and even poor diet decisions, so keeping a clean space is about more than just a squeaky clean sink. Science aside, having a weekly cleaning routine will help you keep the mess in your house controlled. Granted, that’s nearly impossible in homes with toddlers, but that’s something you can factor in as you’re making your schedule.

4 Tips for Making a Weekly Cleaning Schedule

1. Keep Cleaning Supplies Very Close

Honestly, the biggest trick to maintaining a consistent weekly cleaning schedule is having the right supplies in an organized spot. When it’s time to mop the kitchen floor, it’s much easier if the mop, bucket and soap are easy to find and a cinch to put away. If you spend too much time searching for the gear you need, it’ll create frustration and likely discourage you from cleaning in the future. Make sure you invest in high-quality items, too. No use in buying a vacuum that isn’t equipped to handle your rugs or that will break down after a few months.

2. Plan Strategically to Save Time

According to Rescue My Time Cleaning Service, some tasks should happen every day if you want to maintain a clean home. These shouldn’t take more than a few minutes each. We like to call them “As You Go” tasks, because they can pretty much be completed as you move through your normal routine. For instance, in the mornings, toss dirty clothes into a hamper and make your bed. Wipe down the bathroom sink and hang wet towels. Put any dirty breakfast dishes into the dishwasher. Take out the trash on your way out the door. Wipe down counters and load the dishwasher as you cook dinner (this is a big one!).

Spending ten minutes to remove clutter when you get home from work (or any outing) can dramatically improve your home’s cleanliness (and your mood). Just like cleaning supplies, have designated spots for items like toys, shoes, gloves, keys, blankets and others that are often tossed on a chair and forgotten about. When you know where everything goes, it makes clearing up clutter infinitely more doable and less time-consuming.

3. Keep Yourself Accountable

The first step to keeping yourself beholden to your weekly cleaning schedule is to make a schedule that is actually practical for you. An over-the-top, demanding schedule that you nabbed from a TikTok influencer may have some pitfalls if it doesn’t match your lifestyle needs. Sure, you can slug it out the first few days, but if you’re extremely busy, it won’t last long. Create a manageable schedule that you know even on your busiest, most hectic day, you can complete those tasks without overexerting yourself.

4. You don’t have to be too thorough

Keep in mind that your schedule is there to help you maintain a clean house, not to put pressure on you to become homemaker of the year. So, whether it’s running a quick vacuum over the living room carpet so you can pick up those Doritos crumbs or sprucing up your WFH nook for the next day, you don’t have to be supremely thorough. Just clean and move things enough so there isn’t too much clutter.

Monday
Focus on the dining room

Ryan Kahn, a career coach, told Forbes it’s best to keep Mondays light when it comes to workload. We think that sounds like a good idea when it comes to housework, too!

• Remove clutter in the dining room
• Wipe down dining room furniture with a microfiber cloth and/or a vinegar cleansing solution
• Vacuum upholstery
• Lightly dust china cabinets, hutches, etc.

Tuesday
Focus on shared living spaces

Go wild on dusting, vacuuming and Windex-ing shared living spaces. This is also a good opportunity to clean small bathrooms (powder rooms) or guest bedrooms that rarely get used.

• Vacuum shared living spaces (living room, dining room, kitchen, hallways, mudroom)
• Dust knick-knacks and books on shelves
• If you have a powder room, wipe down the sink, toilet and other surfaces
• Vacuum guest bedroom and dust as needed
• Use Windex or vinegar and newspaper on mirrors and glass*

*You don’t have to go wild on windows all over the house. However, wiping down windows in doors or above sinks is a good idea.

Wednesday
Focus on high-traffic areas

Mid-week is a great time to tackle high-traffic areas or zones that have a tendency to accumulate lots of… stuff. We’ll split this up over the course of two days so it’s not overwhelming.

• Clear living room of clutter
• Dust television, console, gaming systems, baseboards, etc.
• Wipe down coffee table and side tables
• Fold blankets and stack them in a basket or drape them on a blanket ladder
• Fluff pillows
• Vacuum living room again if needed, especially under and behind large furniture
• Do a load of laundry
• Wipe down surfaces in the laundry room as the cycle runs
• Fold clean laundry
• Distribute clean laundry to its rightful home
• Clean lint traps after every dryer cycle

Thursday
Focus on high-traffic areas

Day Two of tackling high traffic areas! This time, you’ll want to focus on hallways, entryways, mudrooms and bedrooms. According to Merry Maids, these are the spaces that have probably taken the biggest hit over the course of the week. If you’ve got kiddos, make it a bedroom cleaning party night and blast music!

• Do a load (or two) of laundry with bedding and other linens
• Change bedding in all bedrooms
• Vacuum floors, including the areas behind bedside tables, behind dressers, halls between bedrooms
• Remove items on bedside tables and dressers, wipe down everything, put everything back
• Declutter entryway tables, coat racks and shoe racks
• Mop entryway (especially in winter, when salt stains accumulate)

Friday
Focus on home office

Friday is a great day to give yourself some time off from bigger cleaning endeavors. It’s the end of a week you’ve got a fun weekend ahead of you, and you might want to ignore the clutter for a few hours.

If you want to tackle something on Friday, make it your home office. Kahn told Forbes preparing your office for Monday on Friday will make life a whole lot easier when you return to the office (or your work-from-home nook) the following week.

• Remove everything from your desk and wipe it down
• Dust your monitor, keyboard and desk lamps
• File papers appropriately (To Do, Completed, etc.)
• Vacuum floors, upholstery, chairs
• Detangle cords
• Plug in any devices you’ll need fully charged come Monday

Saturday
Focus on deep cleaning the bathroom

Even though the weekend is all about deep cleaning, once you’ve got a system down, these rooms fly by. Plus, if you’ve been keeping up with those simple, daily cleaning tasks, a more intense scrubbing won’t require as much elbow grease.

• Disinfect bathroom sinks, shower curtains, counters, knobs, cabinets and toilets
• Remove soap scum from bathtubs and showers
• Use toilet bowl cleaner on all toilets
• Take out bathroom trash
• Sweep and mop floors
• Clean your showerhead with baking soda

Sunday
Focus on the kitchen

Meal prep is often reserved for Sundays, so why not tackle the kitchen at the same time? Remember to clean as you go!

• Wipe down counters, cabinets, stove top and all other surfaces
• Clean inside and outside of the microwave
• Wipe down all handles (cabinets, fridge, microwave, oven, sink nozzle)
• Polish appliances
• Clean coffee maker and/or Keurig
• Mop floor
• Clean interior of oven and dishwasher (Note: you can get away with doing this four times a year, rather than every week, but it’s good to have on your radar!)
• Toss old, expired food

Again, if this schedule doesn’t suit your lifestyle, home or family, adjust it! Weekly cleaning schedules work best when they take your unique needs into account.