Room-by-room cleaning checklist: what to clean and how often
Every cleaning chore for the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room and entryway, split into daily, weekly and monthly tasks, plus the order to do them in.
When you clean without a list, one of two things happens: you forget something (the range hood filter, the microwave, under the bed) or you keep cleaning the same spots while other areas quietly get dirty. A room-by-room checklist fixes both: you know what needs doing in each place and how often.
Here’s the full list, room by room, split into daily, weekly and monthly chores. Use it as is or drop whatever doesn’t apply to your home.
Before you start: order matters
In any room, clean in this order:
- Tidy up. Put away anything out of place and clear the surfaces.
- Dust, top to bottom: shelves, furniture and, last, anything near the floor.
- Wipe surfaces: counters, sinks, tables.
- Finish with the floor: vacuum or sweep, then mop.
That way you pick up whatever dust falls while cleaning at the end and don’t clean twice. In the bathroom and kitchen, apply cleaner to the toilet, shower or sink first and let it sit while you do something else.
Kitchen
The kitchen gets dirty fastest and shows it most when it’s neglected.
| How often | Chores |
|---|---|
| Every day | Wash the dishes or load the dishwasher. Wipe the counters and stovetop after cooking. |
| Every week | Clean the sink and faucet. Sweep and mop the floor. Clean the microwave. Check the fridge and toss expired food. |
| Every 2 weeks | Wipe cabinet fronts and appliances. |
| Every month | Clean inside the fridge. Clean the oven. Clean the range hood filter. |
A microwave trick: heat a bowl of water with a few lemon slices for three minutes and leave the door closed for another five. The steam loosens the grime and it wipes right off.
Bathroom
The bathroom gets dirty little by little and then all at once. A full clean once a week and a quick wipe in between keeps it under control with little effort.
| How often | Chores |
|---|---|
| Twice a week | Quick wipe of the sink and faucets. |
| Every week | Clean the toilet. Clean the sink and mirror. Clean the shower or tub. Mop the floor. Change the towels. |
| Every month | Scrub tiles and grout. Tidy the cabinet and toss anything expired. |
If you run a squeegee over the shower glass after each shower, the weekly shower clean takes half the time.
Bedroom
| How often | Chores |
|---|---|
| Every day | Make the bed. Put clothes away. |
| Every week | Change the sheets. Dust. Vacuum or sweep the floor, under the bed too. |
| Every month | Vacuum and flip the mattress. Organize the closet. |
Making the bed as soon as you get up takes two minutes and changes how the whole room looks. If you only adopt one daily chore, make it this one.
Living room
| How often | Chores |
|---|---|
| Every day | Tidy up: blankets, cushions, remotes, mugs and whatever got left out. |
| Every week | Dust furniture and shelves. Vacuum the floor and rug. Mop the floor. |
| Every 2 weeks | Vacuum the couch and fluff the cushions. Wipe the TV and remotes. |
| Every month | Clean the windows. |
For the TV screen, use a dry or slightly damp microfiber cloth. Never spray cleaner directly on the screen.
Entryway and the rest of the house
| Area | How often | Chores |
|---|---|---|
| Entryway | Every week | Tidy shoes and coats. Sweep and shake out the doormat. |
| Entryway | Every month | Wipe the front door and doorbell. |
| Whole house | Every day | Take out trash and recycling. |
| Whole house | Twice a week | Run and hang laundry. Fold and put it away. |
| Whole house | Every week | Water the plants. |
| Whole house | Every month | Wipe light switches and door handles. |
If your home has a dining room, home office, balcony or kids’ room, the room-by-room cleaning checklist includes those too. Check the rooms you have, remove what you don’t need, add your own chores and download it as a PDF to print.
How to use the checklist without getting overwhelmed
A full checklist has more than forty chores. Seeing them all at once can kill the urge to start. Two ways to avoid that:
For a deep clean, spread it over several days. For example, one day the kitchen with oven and fridge, another the bathroom with tiles, another the bedroom with the closet. Trying to do it all in one day usually ends half-finished.
For everyday cleaning, don’t work through the whole list each week. Use it to know what needs doing, then turn it into a schedule that says which day each thing happens. The weekly cleaning routine guide has a five-day example.
From checklist to phone
With Tidily you have this same checklist on your iPhone: each room with its chores and how often they repeat (daily, weekly, monthly, every few days or on the weekdays you pick). The difference is you don’t have to look at the whole list: the app shows you only what’s due each day.
When you finish a chore, check it off and the app schedules it for next time. If you miss a day, it stays in your Today list until you do it, without piling up a copy for every day that went by.
Frequently asked questions
How often should you change your sheets?
Once a week is typical. If you sweat a lot, sleep with pets or someone is sick, more often is a good idea.
How often should you clean the oven?
Once a month if you use it a lot; every two or three months if you don’t. Wiping spills while the oven is warm, not hot, stops them from baking on.
What should you clean first in a house?
Tidy first, then clean. Within each room, top to bottom and dry to wet, leaving the floor for last.
How long does it take to clean a whole house?
A full weekly clean of an apartment with a kitchen, one bathroom, a bedroom and a living room takes about three to four hours. Spread over several days, that’s 35 to 50 minutes a day.
