What It Means
A cleaning checklist is a list of the cleaning jobs a home needs, grouped by how often they happen or by room, with a box to tick for each. It turns "clean the house" into specific tasks, so the same jobs get done every week no matter who does them. A shared checklist also makes it easier to split the work fairly among the people who live there.
Try It: Tick Off This Week's Cleaning
This week's list, from American Cleaning Institute guidance. Tick each job as it's done.
Everything on this week's list is done.
Leave the floors for last, so dust from higher up lands on them before you vacuum.
How It Sounds at Home
- "It's on the list for Saturday."
- "Did anyone do the bathroom this week?"
- "I stuck the checklist on the fridge."
The Breakdown
Weekly, per the American Cleaning Institute
- Dust surfaces, including shelves and furniture
- Clean kitchen appliances and cabinet fronts
- Clean the bathroom: bath or shower, sink, counters, mirrors and toilet
- Wipe or disinfect bathroom touch points: door handles, light switches, the toilet flush lever and seat, and faucet controls
- Change bed linens and towels
- Vacuum or mopMoppingWashing a hard floor with a damp mop and a cleaner mixed in water, after the loose dirt has been swept or vacuumed up. See more the floors in every room
Daily, Buhata's suggestion
- Wash or load the dishes
- Wipe kitchen counters after cooking
- Put away things left out in shared rooms
- Take out the trash when it's full
How to work through it. The ACI suggests doing the kitchen and bathroom first, since they take the most time, and cleaning each room top to bottom so you don't re-clean a spot you've already done: dust before you vacuum, and mop from the far corner back toward the door.
Try it today. Copy the weekly list onto one page, put a name beside each line, and tape it where everyone will see it.
Good to Know
Follow each product's label for how to use it and how long to leave it on, and use one product at a time. The American Cleaning Institute warns that products safe on their own can give off dangerous fumes when mixed. Store supplies in their original containers, away from food and out of reach of young children and pets.
FAQ
What should be on a weekly cleaning checklist?
The American Cleaning Institute's weekly list covers dusting shelves and furniture, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen appliances, changing bed linens and towels, and vacuuming or mopping every room.
What order should I clean in?
Kitchen and bathroom first, since they take the longest, then each room from top to bottom, with floors last. The ACI says dusting before vacuuming saves going back over a spot.
How often should bathroom touch points be cleaned?
Weekly, as part of the bathroom clean, according to the ACI. That includes door handles, light switches, the toilet flush lever and seat, faucet controls and the countertop.
Do It in Buhata
Tasks with a repeat, Duty Rotation
Add each weekly job as a repeating task in Buhata's Tasks, and share them out in Duty Rotation (Premium) so the list moves between people.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Top-down cleaning
Cleaning a room from its highest surfaces down to the floor, so dust and crumbs knocked loose land on areas you haven't cleaned yet.
- Cleaning caddy
A portable tote that holds your everyday cleaning supplies, so you can carry them from room to room and store them safely in one place.
Sources
American Cleaning Institute, "Fast and Efficient Home Cleaning Guide"; American Cleaning Institute, "Room by Room Cleaning Guide"; American Cleaning Institute, "Home Cleaning Routine"
- www.cleaninginstitute.org/cleaning-tips/clean-home/fast-and-efficient-home-cleaning-guide
- www.cleaninginstitute.org/cleaning-tips/home/room-guide
- www.cleaninginstitute.org/cleaning-tips/clean-home/home-cleaning-routine
Last updated .