• Cleaning is a necessary household task that can take up a lot of valuable time.
• Knowing that it hasn’t been addressed can lead to unwelcome and unnecessary stress.
• A logical approach to cleaning tasks can help them remain easily manageable.

Daily life can be very busy and when we’re juggling work life, family life, and hopefully a social life, cleaning the house can be pushed down the agenda and have the potential to cause far more anxiety than it should.

Many of us are familiar with the feeling of tension we get when an unexpected visitor turns up and instead of just enjoying their company, all we can see is how much the kitchen floor needs cleaning and the work surface round the toaster is covered in crumbs. Or the frantic dash to clean the entire house before expected guests arrive.

But there are ways to mitigate this.

Instead of leaving the cleaning until it becomes overwhelming which can leave us resentful, irritable, and running out of time, having a process and a logical approach can really help. By knowing what to do and when to do it, cleaning can easily be dispatched quickly and efficiently if we split it into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks.

So, what should we do daily?

Evening:

• Put dirty washing into the laundry basket and other things back in their proper place so you’re not faced with them in the morning.
• Wash up or load the dishwasher.
• Sweep the kitchen floor.
• Wipe down the shower if you have one before bed.

Daytime:

• Wipe down the shower if you have one in the morning.
• Make the bed when it has aired.
• Clean the toilet.
• Wipe the hob and surfaces after use.

What should we do weekly?

• Wipe down kitchen appliances and other surfaces not cleaned daily.
• Dust and vacuum carpets.
• Wash and dry towels and bedding.
• Mop kitchen/utility floors.
• Wipe out the microwave interior.
• Clean bathrooms and wipe mirrors.

What should we do monthly?

• Besides the carpets, vacuum under furniture and the gaps in between. Empty the vacuum cleaner and check its filters.
• Vacuum curtains or wipe blinds.
• Clean the windows.
• Clean out the fridge and the inside of the dishwasher – including the filter.
• Take doormats outside and beat or brush them.

After all that, if you feel like it, every 3 to 6 months you could wash pillows and duvets and wipe down the window frames.

Obviously, these timings are a suggestion as your individual circumstances will dictate how you adapt the schedule to suit yourself by swapping things round and being flexible. Nevertheless, through a logical, process-driven approach, cleaning can be dispatched quickly and easily so that when those guests arrive, all you’ve got to worry about is enjoying yourself.