Cleaning and Organizing Checklist

Kitchen

Daily Cleaning

• Wipe down the sink after doing the dishes or loading the dishwasher
• Wipe down the stove top
• Wipe down the counters
• Sweep, Swiffer, or vacuum the floor

Daily Organizing

• Put everything back that is out of its location
• Wash the dishes
• Set the breakfast table/area
• Take out what doesn't belong in the kitchen out of the kitchen, or at least corral odds-and-ends in a basket which is emptied at the end of the week

Weekly Cleaning

• Mop the floor
• Wipe the cabinets, backsplashes, and appliances
• Wash the dish rack
• Wipe the inside of the garbage can

Weekly Organizing

• Create a meal plan
• Grocery shop
• Throw away excess plastic bags
• Fill up the trash can with a stack of garbage bags at the bottom
• Refill napkins, placemats, and kitchen towels
• Empty the odds and ends basket
• Go through coupons and paperclip them to your calendar by expiration date

Biweekly Cleaning

• Wipe the switch plates and phone
• Wipe down the baseboards with a microfiber dust cloth or wet wipe
• Empty and scrub down the inside of the refrigerator

Biweekly Organizing

• De-clutter your cleaning supplies
• Reorganize your pots and pans with a pot lid sliding drawer or just by putting paper towels between each pot to protect them from damage
• Clean and organize your pet food areas
• Organize your junk drawer by taking everything out and organizing odds and ends in small dishes, flower pots, or plastic bags

Monthly Cleaning

• Clean your freezer
• Run these through the dishwasher: burner grids and knobs, brushes and combs, toothbrushes, plastic utensil organizer, refrigerator drawers, drain catch, sponges, dish rack, plastic toys, glassware

Monthly Organizing

• Rotate the food in your freezer, use it up, and check to see what you need in terms of bulk food
• Go through your plastic containers and weed out ones you don't use. Take them all out of the cabinets and put them somewhere that makes sense- perhaps in a covered wicker basket or on a lazy susan

Seasonal Cleaning

• Empty and clean the insides of the utensil drawers
• Scrub down the cupboard exteriors
• Clean the stove-hood filter
• Wipe down your pantry

Seasonal Organizing

• Organize your tools that are kept in the kitchen
• Reorganize your dishes, tablecloths, mugs, bowls, glassware, plates in your kitchen cabinets and shelves by sorting them and saying goodbye to what you don't use, what's missing, and what's unnecessary
• Go through your spices, making sure they still are fresh
• Go bulk shopping and organize your bulk storage
• Organize your recipes by laminating or storing in binders, purge recipes/cookbooks

Living Rooms

Daily Cleaning

• Vacuum with an electric broom
• Fluff the cushions and fold throws after use
• Wipe tabletops and spot-clean cabinets when you see fingerprints
• Straighten coffee-table books and magazines, throw out newspapers, put away CDs and videos

Daily Organizing

• Pick up stray items off of the floor and put them in their proper place, or in a wicker basket that gets emptied weekly.
• Put remotes back in the basket
• Straighten up your pile of books and magazines
• Fold your blankets and throws
• Write down messages and go through the family's schedule with the family
• Open up mail and discard junk, put either in action files for papers requiring action or "to-file"

Weekly Cleaning

• Dust all surfaces — including electronics, books, blinds, picture frames, windowsills and ledges, and tops of door frames — and remove all cobwebs
• Dust-mop the floors with a microfiber cloth or a Swiffer, or vacuum the rugs and carpeting
• Throw out old magazines
• Wipe and disinfect the telephone
• Shake out or vacuum the doormat

Weekly Organizing

• Sort through the toys to put in their correct locations

Biweekly Cleaning

• Vacuum the heating and air-conditioning vents
• Wipe the switch plates, doorknobs, and doorjambs
• Vacuum the upholstery
• Wipe down the baseboards with a microfiber dust cloth or wet wipe
• Lift big pieces of furniture and vacuum or mop underneath

Biweekly Organizing

• Throw away old magazines when the new ones come in
• Cut out pictures you want to save from a magazine and store in a binder

Seasonal Cleaning

• Wash the insides of the windows
• Take down curtains and drapes and dry clean them
• Take down vertical blinds and wash them in the bathtub

Seasonal Organizing

• Rearrange your books
• File and organize your hard copies of pictures or your digital pictures
• Go through CDs and videos you no longer use

Bathrooms

Daily Cleaning

• Wipe out the sink
• Swoosh the toilet bowl with a brush
• Wipe the mirror and faucet
• Squeegee the shower door
• Spray the entire shower and the curtain liner with shower mist after every use
• Wipe around the tub
• Sweep the floor (keep a broom in the bathroom)

Daily Organizing

• Put items back where they belong - toothpaste, brushes, makeup
• Take items out of bathroom that don't belong in there

Weekly Cleaning

• Scrub the tub
• Scrub the tiles
• Mop the Floor
• Empty the trashcan and wash out bin
• Wipe down light-switches and doorknobs
• Change towels

Weekly Organizing

• Organize your bathroom cabinets, folding towels, putting away toiletries

Seasonal Cleaning

• Take down the shower curtain, then launder it according to the care instructions

Seasonal Organizing

• Go through your medicine chest and weed out medicines

Bedrooms

Daily Cleaning

• Pick up all dirty clothes and put into hampers

Daily Organizing

• Hang up clothes-decide what needs to be washed or hung
• Make beds
• Straighten up nightstands and tabletops
• Put away jewelry

Weekly Cleaning

• Change the sheets
• Dust all surfaces — including electronics, books, picture frames, windowsills and ledges, and tops of door frames
• Dust or mop the floors or vacuum the carpeting, under the bed
• Throw out old magazines
• Wipe and disinfect the telephone
• Empty the wastebasket

Weekly Organizing

• Hang up all laundry
• Go through closet and purge what you no longer wear

Biweekly Cleaning

• Wipe the switch plates, doorknobs, and doorjambs
• Wipe down the baseboards with a microfiber dust cloth or wet wipe

Biweekly Organizing

• Keep a "to donate" pile and fill it up every time you notice something from your drawers or closets that needs to be donated

Seasonal Cleaning

• Vacuum the heating and air-conditioning vents and the inside of the closet
• Wash the insides of the windows
• Strip the bed and flip the mattress
• Launder the mattress pad and dust ruffle

Seasonal Organizing

• Go through out of season clothing and store in bins or under bed