As the holidays approach, I know you have a lot on your plate, and this easy-to-follow deep cleaning checklist will help you tackle some items on your never-ending to-do list!
Keeping up with all the responsibilities of running a household can be overwhelming. While I manage the daily cleaning tasks fairly well, I often struggle to remember the less frequent but still important cleaning jobs. If you’re finding it challenging to keep track of everything you need to do, this deep cleaning checklist can help eliminate some of the uncertainty about what to focus on. Finding the time to complete these tasks can be another challenge, but at least you’ll have a clear plan to guide you!
Now is the perfect time to tackle those deep cleaning tasks and get your home ready for the holidays. A thorough cleaning will help you clear out clutter, create a cozy atmosphere, and prepare your space for more time spent indoors with family and friends. To help you get started, use my simple and effective, free deep cleaning checklist. Whether you tackle it all in one weekend or spread it out over a few weeks, this room-by-room guide will ensure your home is ready for any holiday occasion or just more time at home with family.
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How Often Should You Deep Clean
The frequency of deep cleaning your house largely depends on your lifestyle, including whether you have pets or children, as well as your personal standards for cleanliness. Generally, I recommend doing less-common tasks on this deep cleaning checklist about 3-4 times a year. Most people only need to do tasks like cleaning their oven, flipping their mattress, cleaning the upholstery on their couch, and other similar tasks every couple of months. This aligns well with the seasonal changes and helps me physically and mentally prepare for changes in the way we spend time in our home, based on the season.
I tend to follow this routine seasonally, as it makes sense for me to switch out decor, bedding, rugs, and curtains with each new season. In my household, which has three kids and three dogs, some deep cleaning tasks, like shampooing carpets, need to be done more frequently. But for most people, a thorough deep clean every 2-3 months, following a deep cleaning checklist, should be sufficient to maintain a healthy and tidy environment.
1. Bedroom: Create a Cozy Retreat
The bedroom is where we rest and recharge, so keeping it clean and clutter-free makes a big difference. Here’s your checklist for a refresh:
- Wash all bedding: Strip your bed and wash everything, including the mattress cover, pillows, and comforter. Switch out lighter bedding for warmer blankets if needed.
- Rotate or flip your mattress and clean the headboard: Give your mattress some love by rotating or flipping it to prevent uneven wear. Then vacuum your mattress to pull up dust mites and allergens. This will help your mattress smell better and can improve your sleep. I use my handheld Bissel Pet Hair Eraser to clean our mattress and headboard.
- Declutter nightstands: Remove unnecessary items and tidy up your reading material.
- Declutter and organize clothing: Hang or fold any left-out clothing. This might be a good time to go through your clothing and declutter or at least put away items that are no longer seasonally appropriate to visually declutter your closet and dresser.
- Clean under the bed: Dust and vacuum this often-neglected area.
- Dust and wipe down surfaces: Clean dressers, shelves, and baseboards.
- Wash curtains or wipe blinds: Remove dust from window treatments.
- Clean light fixtures and ceiling fans: Dust off these often-overlooked areas.
- Swap bedding, rugs, and/ or curtains: I like to swap my bedding seasonally because I like to change things up, but this is just a personal preference. I used to swap my curtains seasonally as well, using darker blackout curtains in the summer and fall and lighter, white curtains in winter and spring. Now I have pretty, light oatmeal-colored curtains that are also blackout out, but the backing is white so they feel light and airy. So far, I have had these up for over a year.
- Clean the floors: Sweep, mop, vacuum, and shampoo the carpet.
Refresh Your Space
I love going to bed early to read, especially during the winter. While I live in Northern California and our fall and winter are relatively mild, it is starting to get a little chillier here. That means means more time spent inside. I recently refreshed our bedroom for winter with a simple deep cleaning and new bedding. If you want to see my simple bedroom refresh, check out this article.
2. Bathroom: Fresh and Functional
A deep clean will keep your bathroom sanitary and fresh. Here’s what to do:
- Scrub the shower and tub: Remove soap scum and mildew from walls and fixtures.
- Clean grout: Use a grout cleaner or a baking soda and vinegar solution. Save your wrists and back and get an electric scrubber!
- Wipe down mirrors and glass: Remove smudges and toothpaste splatters. Don’t forget to wipe down your light fixtures too.
- Deep clean the toilet: Scrub around the base, seat hinges, and hard-to-reach areas.
- Clean sink and faucet: Remove grime and wipe down the countertop.
- Clean baseboards, doors, light switch covers, etc: clean and sanitize places people touch often.
- Wash bath mats and shower curtains: Launder to eliminate dirt and mildew.
- Organize cabinets and drawers: Toss expired toiletries and group essentials using in-drawer organizers.
- Sweep and mop floors: I like to start by vacuuming up the hair, then clean the rest of the bathroom, then mop.
I hate cleaning showers and grout. Truly. So much so I am considering covering the tile in our shower with micro cement so I never have to clean the grout lines and cracks in the tile again. But in the meantime, I use an electric scrubber to make this horrible task much easier. My first job as a teenager was as a maid at a hotel, so I’ve cleaned plenty of showers in my life. This sounds so cliche, but honestly, I can’t imagine having to scrub grout by hand after using this device for the last year. I firmly believe in investing in simple tools that make the mundane and physically demanding tasks of life easier. This product is definitely in my top 5 “cleaning made easier” products.
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3. Kitchen: Prep for Cooking and Hosting
Everyone always ends up in the kitchen at parties, so get yours ready! As the heart of the home, a clean kitchen is essential for everyday meal prep. Here’s your checklist:
- Deep clean the fridge and freezer: Empty out food, wipe shelves, and eliminate expired items.
- Clean the oven and stove: Use an oven cleaner or run the self-cleaning function.
- Clean small appliances: Wipe down the microwave, toaster, blender, coffee pot, and more.
- Run a cleaning cycle on your dishwasher and garbage disposal: Get rid of odors by cleaning the machines we use daily with cleaning and deodorizing tabs.
- Wipe down cabinets and backsplash: Remove accumulated grease and grime.
- Clean doors, handles, and windows: clean off all those pawprints and fingerprints
- Scrub the sink and faucet: Shine your sink and run baking soda and vinegar down the drain.
- Organize the pantry: Toss expired items and reorganize them for easy access. Use pantry organizers if you feel your pantry needs it. You can also thrift baskets or repurpose boxes, and other storage containers.
- Clean trashcan, light switch covers, doors, windows, etc: Clean frequently touched surfaces
- Sweep and mop floors: Use your electric scrubber to tackle grout in the kitchen too!
pantry organizers I love
If want to keep things even more organized, I highly suggest a label maker. I am more than in love with my Brother Label Maker. In the two years I have owned it, I have used it to label everything in our pantry, our spice jars, cleaning supplies, freezer meals, our kid’s lunch accessories, water bottles, and more.
4. Laundry Room: Keep It Functional
Deep cleaning your laundry room can enhance efficiency. Here’s how:
- Wipe down the washer and dryer: Clean the exterior and check the lint trap.
- Run a cleaning cycle on the washer: Get rid of any mold or odors.
- Clean vents and filters according to your machine’s instructions: Clean your filters and vents to keep your machine running efficiently.
- Clean behind and under appliances: Vacuum and dust these areas.
- Organize laundry supplies: Dispose of empty detergent bottles and streamline access.
- Clean the floors: Sweep, mop, or vacuum.
This is a great time to clean your vents and filters on your washer and dryer! I just learned about that you should clean the filter of your front loading machine monthly. Apparently, cleaning filters and vents is should be done regularly. Who knew? Not me clearly, but now I do.
5. Living Room: Create a Cozy Gathering Space
Your living room deserves a deep clean to stay comfortable and welcoming. Here’s what to do:
- Vacuum upholstery and cushions: Remove cushions and vacuum thoroughly. Be sure to vacuum between cushions and underneath to get all the sticks and crumbs left behind by dogs and kids!
- Upholstery deep clean: you can do this by hand with a mild cleaner (test on a small area first), or you can you an upholstery cleaning machine like my favorite Bissel Little Green.
- Clean or rotate rugs: Wash rugs or vacuum and rotate them.
- Deep clean carpets and rugs: I love my Bissel Pet Carpet Shampooer
- Dust electronics and entertainment center: Wipe down with a microfiber cloth.
- Wipe down shelves and decor: Dust books and decorative objects.
- Seal wooden furniture if necessary: Use a wood salve to seal and polish wood furniture. I grew up with my mom using Old English wood polish, but like most things from the 90s, I’m sure that is full of things that aren’t so great to breathe in or touch. Now there are much gentler options. I have this gorgeous lavender-scented salve recommended to me by a furniture flipper, whom I purchased our dining room hutch from. It’s locally made so I don’t have a link, but I am sure there are many natural wood polish options out there.
- Clean windows and curtains: Wash windows and launder or vacuum curtains.
- Tidy up clutter: Organize remotes, books, and miscellaneous items. I like to use a basket to catch all the clutter that gets left behind!
- Clean the floors: Sweep, mop, vacuum, and shampoo the carpet.
Keeping it Clean
To keep your living room feeling clean after all this cleaning, air purifiers are a must. We have three dogs so we have one in almost every room, but judging by how quickly dust and dander accumulate in our home with three dogs, we could probably use one in every room. If you also share a home with adorable and disgusting four-legged beasts who by nature of their very existence leave a fine mist of dust on every surface of your home, maybe you do too.
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6. Dining Room: Ready for Gatherings
Prepare your dining room for any occasion with this checklist:
- Dust and polish the dining table: Wipe down and restore its shine.
- Clean chairs and upholstery: Vacuum or wipe down seating.
- Clean and polish silverware: If you have special pieces, polish them up.
- Wipe down light fixtures and chandeliers: Dust and clean overhead lighting.
- Organize linens and tableware: Ensure tablecloths and napkins are clean and ready.
- Wash or deep clean the dining room rug: with kids, this might need to be done more often than seasonally. I generally wash our rug every two months.
7. Porch: Enhance Curb Appeal
Your porch sets the stage for your home’s entrance. Here’s how to spruce it up:
- Sweep and clean floors: Clear away dirt and debris.
- Clean outdoor furniture: Wipe down chairs and tables.
- Clean windows and doors: Remove cobwebs and debris.
- Add seasonal decor: Decorate with plants, flowers, wreaths, or other seasonal items.
8. Yard: Maintain Outdoor Spaces
Get your yard ready for the changing seasons with this checklist:
- Prune bushes and trees: Trim overgrown branches, especially near the home.
- Rake leaves: Keep your lawn healthy by clearing fallen leaves.
- Clean gutters: Remove debris to prevent blockages.
- Store outdoor tools: Clean and store gardening equipment.
- Put away seasonal items: Clean and store summer gear.
Get Your Deep Cleaning Checklist Here
Using Your Deep Cleaning Checklist
Download and print your PDF, put on your favorite music, or podcast, pick a weekend, and just start ticking off tasks, room by room. For this project, an audiobook might be what you need. You can get a free one-month subscription to Audible Premium using this link. I just purchased Atomic Habits by James Clear. I know I am late to the game with this book, but it’s so good! This book is great for mindset and motivation while cleaning!
By tackling one room at a time using this deep cleaning checklist, you can create a cozy, organized, and welcoming space for your family to enjoy. Whether you’re preparing for guests over the holidays or simply want a fresh start, this guide will help you stay on top of everything. So grab your cleaning supplies and start making your home feel its best!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) for qualifying purchases on items purchased through the links in this post.
