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
Join the Discussion