Maintaining a Pristine Home: A Complete Guide to Cleaning Frequency for Different Areas
Ever wondered how often certain areas of your home should be cleaned? Keep on top of cleaning your home with this list.
Daily
Kitchen countertop & splashbacks - countertops are dirtiest near the sink area because people tend to use sponges contaminated with food. It’s also important to swap out your kitchen sponges and washcloths every week.
Kitchen Floors - Sweep kitchen floors and spot-mop any spills when cooking is done for the day
Every few days
Bath Towels - hang to dry properly after your bath or shower and wash in the machine after every four to five times of being used.
Hand Towels - machine wash every two days.
Floors - spot clean floors by sweeping or vacuuming every few days
Weekly
Frequently touched areas - including coffee tables, remote controls, light switches and door handles.
Toilet - You may think your toilet is the dirtiest thing in your home, but you’d be wrong.
Chopping boards and dishcloths are more likely to harbour harmful bacteria than your toilet!. For that reason, you can get away with cleaning the bowl properly once a week – although we would recommend giving the seat a daily going over with a soapy cloth or sanitised wipe. Your toilet brush should be cleaned with bleach once a month and replaced every six months.
Toaster - remove and empty the crumb drawer each week - tip it upside-down and shake out any crumbs then wipe down with a cloth soaked in warm, soapy water.
Keyboard, Mouse Laptop/ Computer - computer keyboards are a breeding ground for bacteria. We suggest wiping down with a sanitising wipe, weekly.
Microwave - microwaving food doesn’t kill bacteria. Keep your microwave splash-free and wipe down once a week, then do a deep clean twice a month.
Bathtub & Shower Walls - the toilet has a reputation for being one of the dirtiest areas of a bathroom, but new research suggests otherwise. Believe it or not, your bathtub is officially grubbier than the garbage bin! So, we recommend cleaning your bathtub as often as your toilet—ideally every week.
Ceiling Fan - dust and wipe weekly
Stairs & Landing - Vacuum steps and landing and wipe down handrails and in-between bannisters with a damp cloth.
Bed Sheets - wash weekly in the machine
Floor mats & rugs - even if you have a ‘no shoe’ policy in your home, dirt builds up in your entranceways. Generally, you should vacuum floor mats and rugs weekly
Throws - machine washable throws and runners should be washed with your weekly load of laundry
Lampshades and light fixtures - dust weekly
Floors - we recommend mopping floors every 1 - 2 weeks (after giving them a good vacuum first!)
Every month
Fan and air vents - dust, pollen and other allergens can clog air vents so it’s best to clean these every month to avoid air pollution in the home
Fridge - remove any expired or spoiled food and wipe down shelves and drawers every 1 - 3 months
Plants - wipe down large, flat leaves of indoor plants to remove any dirt or dust. It’s a good idea to wipe down plant pots at this time.
Every 3 - 6 months
Oven - deep clean your oven every 3 to 6 months depending on how often you use it.
Kitchen Pantry - it’s a good idea to go through your pantry every season to get rid of expired food and take stock of what you have so you don’t overbuy.
Pillows - pillowcase protectors can help shield your bed from dust mites and daily grime but don’t forget to wash the pillow itself. Most pillows are machine washable and should be washed at the beginning of each season.
Skirting boards, architraves & door frames - keep dust at bay by dusting and wiping skirting boards, architraves, doors and frames every three months.
Windows - interior and exterior windows should be cleaned two to three times each year. Generally, this is enough to keep your windows sparkling clean year-round and avoid any preventable deterioration of the glass.
Lampshades - Use hot water if the material allows. Otherwise, remove any dust with a lint roller. Ideally, you should also dust them twice a week.
Books - dust spines and tops of books every season and give the pages a flip through. It’s also a good idea to rotate any stacked books to avoid warping
Every 12 months
Carpet - vacuuming doesn’t count as carpet cleaning. We suggest you opt for a professional steam cleaning of your carpet 12 months, or more frequently if you have a pet.
Curtains - Check the washing instructions on the curtains to see if they’ll need to be dry cleaned or if you can put them in the washing machine.
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Sistability offers regular maintenance cleaning to keep on top of your weekly and fortnightly cleaning tasks, as well as seasonal services including dusting and wiping skirting boards, architraves, doors & frames, internal oven and fridge cleaning, kitchen pantry clean out and internal and external window cleaning. For more information on these services and more, click on the link below.
