You’re a busy person. You know you need to change your bed sheets weekly and remove pet hair and lint from your clothing before you go out in public. In between work, family, friends and all of your other responsibilities, do you really have time to clean the grout on your kitchen floor tiles? You may not be able to polish the staircase all the time, but here’s how often you should really clean everything in your home.
- Wash Dishes Daily — If you’re not already washing your dishes daily, now is a great time to start and get into the habit of doing your dishes daily. There are different methods to help make this become a part of your daily routine. Every time you use any dishes or utensils, you can wash them and put them on the rack immediately after. If you’d rather let the dishes pile up all at once and take care of it at the end of the day, let everything pile up in the sink and then run a load in the dishwasher before you go to bed.
- Wipe Kitchen Countertops Daily — In between getting your morning cup of coffee to cooking dinner, it’s easy for spills and stains to add up in just a day. That’s why you want to wipe your kitchen countertops daily. Spills can also end up on kitchen chairs or stools. If you have any pets at home or people with long hair, chances are hair, fur or everyday lint end up in places you least expect. Use a lint remover to help remove lint and hair, both human and furry friend hair, from your kitchen chairs or really anywhere else at home, including your own clothing.
- Remove Pet Hair and Lint As You Go — On that note, you don’t necessarily need to wait for a specific day or week to remove pet hair or lint. You can make it a regular habit the same way you periodically wash your hands throughout the day. If you’re putting on your clothes in the morning and see pet hair on your shirt or at the end of your bed, use the best pet hair remover to get rid of fur. This kind of cleaning is known as micro-cleaning because it happens naturally in quick spurts of 30 seconds here or a minute there. These are the kinds of tasks that can be done when you’re waiting for someone else in your home to finish using the bathroom or the last thing you do before you head out the door.
- Clean Bathroom Surfaces Daily — Be sure to clean bathroom surfaces daily. You can wipe down your sinks or countertops while you’re waiting for the shower to warm up. When you’re brushing your teeth and toothpaste ends up in your sink, you can wipe that up or let it go down the drain with water while you finish brushing your teeth. Wipe down your mirrors after you finish your shower.
- Make Your Bed Every Day — Making the bed every day really does set the tone for the day. You don’t need to make it taut and neat enough to bounce a quarter off of it. Make your bed presentable. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Fluff your pillows and pull the blanket over your bed. Make your bed look the way that you’ll look forward to crawling back into it after a long day.
- Dust Your Home Weekly — Make a habit of dusting around your home every week. Dusting can include dusting the stairs, furniture, vents and other parts of your home you tend to neglect. When dusting, you can use a duster or a microfiber cloth. This will help refresh your home and allow you to breathe easily. Dusting isn’t just for the aesthetic of your home. According to Johns Hopkins hospital lung expert Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, too much dust can build up and cause health problems in the long run.
- Vacuum and Mop Your Home Weekly — Vacuum your carpets and mop your floors every week. Many people don’t have time to do all of these chores every week. If you enjoy working out or want to build in time to work out and clean the house all at once, vacuuming for about half an hour can burn about 100 calories if you’re around 120 pounds, according to WebMD. Use your weekly cleaning routine to double as a workout for the day.
- Assess Your Fridge and Pantry Weekly — No one wants to crave that classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich only to find that their favorite jar of PB&J expired two years ago. Take a look at your fridge and pantry on a weekly basis. If there are any foods or drinks that are expired, get rid of them immediately. If there is anything that is just about to expire, decide realistically if you’re going to eat it.
- Clean the Inside of Your Oven and Fridge Twice a Year — According to Molly Maid, every six months or twice a year you’ll want to take out your vacuum cleaner and get the brush attachment to clean your fridge. Use it to vacuum any dust and hair from the grill at the bottom of your refrigerator. That way, the airflow to the condenser will be cleaner and can increase the efficiency of your refrigerator by about three to five percent.