Cleaning schedule
A cleaning schedule you can keep up
A good cleaning schedule splits the housework into small, regular tasks for each room, each on its own rhythm: daily, weekly, monthly or a few times a year. That way you never have to do everything at once. Start small with the kitchen and bathroom, then add a room at a time.
The whole home in one table
| Rhythm | What | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Every day | Washing up, wipe the worktops, ten-minute tidy, air the beds | 20 to 30 min |
| Twice a week | Sink, hob, sweep the kitchen floor, a load of washing | 15 min each time |
| Every week | Vacuum, mop, bathroom and toilet, bins and recycling out, check the fridge | 1 to 2 hours |
| Every 2 weeks | Bedding, dusting in the bedrooms, doormat | 30 to 45 min |
| Every month | Oven, inside of the windows, drains, test the smoke alarms | 1 to 1.5 hours |
| Every quarter | Sealant and grout, turn the mattress, cooker hood filter, deep clean the fridge | 1 to 2 hours |
| Every year | Spring clean, declutter cupboards, gutters, curtains | a few half days |
Times are a rough guide for a home with two people. They depend on the size of your home and how many people live there.
By room
Every room has different jobs. These pages show what needs doing in each room, how often and in which order.
By situation
How to put your own schedule together
- Walk through your homeAlways in the same order, for example from the front door upstairs. That way you never forget a room.
- Write down three to six tasks per roomOnly what really comes back. One-off jobs belong on an ordinary list.
- Give each task a rhythmDaily, weekly, every two weeks, monthly or by season. If in doubt, pick the less frequent one.
- Choose your cleaning daysOne big clean, two set sessions or a little every day. All three work; it suits you or it does not.
- Fit it around your calendarA schedule on paper gets forgotten. Put the blocks in the time you really have free.
- Adjust after two weeksWhatever you keep skipping can be less often. Whatever gets grubby before its turn, more often.
Schedule, rota or routine?
The same idea under different names. A rota usually means taking turns, which works well in a shared house or with a partner. A routine is often a short daily list. A schedule ties the two together: who does what, and when.
Rather have a schedule made for you?
How SortYourMind does it
Your home as rooms, each with its own rhythm
In SortYourMind every room in your home is a theme with its own chores. Routines get a rhythm and come back by themselves. The app finds time for them around your appointments, so the schedule does not just hang on the fridge but actually sits in your week.
- Rooms as themes, along a fixed route through your home: you see at once where something is open
- Routines on their rhythm: every week, every 4 days or on fixed weekdays
- SyMslots: blocks in your free time, around your Outlook or Google calendar
- When your day changes, the app replans from now and moves on what no longer fits
No card needed. Basic stays free. Works in the browser on any device.
Questions
How often should you clean the bathroom?
Wipe the sink and taps twice a week, clean the shower, mirror and floor every week, and do the drains and descaling every month. With four or more people at home, the shower and toilet are better done twice a week.
What needs doing every day?
Not much: the washing up, wiping the worktops, a ten-minute tidy and airing the beds. Everything else can be weekly or less often.
How much time does a cleaning schedule take each week?
That depends on your home and household. The maker on this site works out a rough time for your rooms and the number of people living with you.