Over the past few days, oddly enough, I’ve noticed one of my posts from October 2009 making the rounds all over Tumblr…so I figured it was worth revisiting here. The post (after the jump) is a whittled-down version of Martha Stewart’s Weekly Cleaning Checklist, but is still fairly comprehensive – so it’s perhaps best approached in small bites. At least that’s what I do.
There are six rooms in my apartment (kitchen, water closet, living room, office/music room, bathroom, and bedroom), so I’ve assigned each of these rooms to a day of the week on my iPhone, and I tackle one a day, no excuses (with a No Cleaning Day built in somewhere in there). I find that handling chores in miniature portions makes me dread them less…and makes me do a better job. I actually do hit all of the below bullet-points over the course of a week.
Except for vent-vaccuming.
I mean, really: who does that?
Bathrooms:
– Change and launder bath mats, towels, and washcloths
– Clean toilets, bathtubs, showers, and sinks (I also spray the shower area with Tilex to prevent mold)
– Empty trash bins and wipe down outside and inside
– Wipe down mirrors
Bedrooms:
– Change and launder sheets and pillowcases
– Discard magazines that you’re done reading and reorganize bedside table area
– Empty trash bins
Dining Room:
– Change and launder tablecloth and cloth napkins, if you use them
– Wipe down table and chairs
Home Office:
– Sort through in-box; pay bills and file paperwork
– Empty trash bin
Kitchen:
– Discard old food, beverages, and takeout containers
– Flush drain with boiling water
– Wipe down all surfaces, including refrigerator, sink, and cupboard doors
– Wipe inside of oven, microwave and toaster oven
– Wipe down inside and outside of trash bins
Living Room:
– Sort through magazines and catalogs; discard those you’re done with and store the rest
– Fluff and rotate sofa cushions
Throughout Home:
– Dust all surfaces, including light fixtures and tops of books (don’t forget to dust on top of and behind your wall hangings)
– Vacuum and mop floors (I have wooden floors and use no-rinse floor cleaner, which simplifies the process greatly)
– Vacuum vents
– Wipe down all glass surfaces
Do I do all this on a weekly basis? Nope. But I aspire to.
