A house is much more than four walls. It’s a place of refuge, safety, and calm. Keeping your home clean and serene brings more joy and less stress into your life. There’s just one small problem – deep cleaning your entire home can feel incredibly overwhelming.
We’re here to help! Cue: our best deep cleaning house checklist.
First things first, cleaning without harsh chemicals not only benefits your home environment, but the planet’s environment, too. Talk about doing our part! arbOUR deep cleaning set, which includes Everyday Spray and Laundry Detergent, gets the job done without harsh chemicals; no hazmat suit required.
Plus, there are a plethora of other benefits to your home (and you):
Everyday Spray
Ultimately, timing is up to you. You could deep clean your entire house in one sitting every four to six months, or rotate each area of the house every four to six months, with weekly cleaning in between.
That said, we generally recommend twice a year as a reasonable interval. If you have pets and kids, you may need to consider deep cleaning more often. Also, if you keep up with regular weekly cleaning, you may deep cleaning faster than expected.
Start by storing your cleaning supplies in a bucket. Having a cheerful container leads to inspiration, not dread. Check out this simplistic storage caddy or a minty modern container – a quick Amazon search should do the trick.
Next, order our favorite ArbOUR cleaning products. The must-have deep cleaning essentials include:
You’ll also want to have the following on hand:
Dusting wand
Squeegee
Vacuum cleaner
Mop and bucket
Microfiber cloths
Toilet brush
Sponges
Creating a game plan helps us stay in control and remind ourselves there’s a reward in sight. So, pick a strategy, write it down, follow through, and make adjustments once you get into your groove. This will help you fend off that ‘overwhelmed’ feeling.
With all the action in the kitchen, and in turn the daily messes, it’s a good place to begin your deep clean. There is no perfect order to work in, so we suggest starting with a focus on one end of the kitchen. Since the refrigerator tends to be the most time-consuming, start there to feel immediate satisfaction which will in turn spur enthusiasm.
Put on some music, organize your supplies, and get ready to rock this!
▢ Clean and organize the refrigerator and freezer
▢ Discard or recycle out-of-date items
▢ Clean and dry shelves and bins
▢ Organize remaining items in a logical order
▢ Dust overhead lights
▢ Clean stovetop
▢ Clean inside and outside of oven
▢ Clean pantry shelves
▢ Empty out contents
▢ Wipe down the shelves
▢ Discard expired items
▢ Return items to the shelves and group logically
▢ Clean and organize dish and glassware shelving
▢ Remove all dish and glassware
▢ Clean the shelves
▢ Replace neatly
▢ Clean and organize drawers
▢ Remove all contents
▢ Clean inside drawers
▢ Replace everything in an organized fashion (pro tip: discard or donate anything you don’t use)
▢ Wipe down the outside of the drawers
▢ Wipe down small appliances
▢ Clean inside and outside of microwave
▢ Clean and sanitize trash can(s)
▢ Wipe and degrease stove backsplash and walls
▢ Wipe baseboards
▢ Clean and degrease sink
▢ Wipe down cabinet doors and counters
▢ Vacuum or sweep floors
▢ Mop floors
▢ Declutter all surfaces
Instead of keeping medicines, lotions, and makeup on the counters, look for out of sight areas to organize.
▢ Wipe down surfaces
▢ Clean and organize the medicine chest
▢ Remove all contents
▢ Clean shelves
▢ Discard expired or no longer needed medicines or toiletries
▢ Replace neatly
▢ Clean and organize drawers
▢ Remove all contents
▢ Clean inside drawers
▢ Replace neatly
▢ Wipe down light switches, towel racks, and fixtures
▢ Clean mirror(s)
▢ Sort through towels and make three piles: Keep, donate, or toss
▢ Wipe down linen closet or shelves, fold all towels in the same way, and replace them on the shelves
▢ Clean and disinfect the toilet
▢ Clean shower and/or bathtub
▢ Wash or replace shower curtain liner and shower curtain
▢ Clean shower head
▢ Wash bathroom rugs and bathmats
▢ Clean windows
▢ Scrub tile grout
▢ Wipe down walls
▢ Wipe down baseboards
▢ Clean inside and outside of trash can(s)
▢ Vacuum or sweep floor
▢ Mop floor
▢ Dust light fixtures
▢ Dust and polish all surfaces (ie. china cabinets, dining table, dining chairs)
▢ Polish silver
▢ Dust china in cabinets
▢ Vacuum curtains or blinds
▢ Dust curtain rods
▢ Dust paintings or wall hangings
▢ Wipe walls
▢ Wipe around light switches
▢ Clean window sills
▢ Wash windows
▢ Mop or vacuum floor
▢ Shampoo rugs or carpet
▢ Dust bookcases or shelves
▢ De-clutter and dust coffee table
▢ Assess decorative items: declutter and donate unwanted objects
▢ Dust and polish furniture
▢ Vacuum sofa and chairs
▢ Wash slipcovers
▢ Wipe down window sills
▢ Clean windows
▢ Clean or vacuum curtains and/or blinds
▢ Dust television and electronics
▢ Shampoo rugs or carpets
▢ Vacuum and mop floors
▢ Declutter and clean closets
▢ Remove all hanging clothes and anything on the shelves or bottom of the closet
▢ Make three piles: Keep, donate, or toss
▢ Vacuum closet floor and dust shelves
▢ Replace clothing you are keeping and organize by type
▢ Declutter and clean dresser drawers
▢ Remove all clothing
▢ Make three piles: Keep, donate, or toss
▢ Clean inside drawers
▢Replace clothing you are keeping and organize by type
▢ Pack all items to be donated in large plastic bags and drop them off at a donation center. Research local organizations, such as the Vietnam Veterans, who will pick up your donations.
▢ Wash all bedding: sheets, dust ruffles, pillows, and duvet covers
▢ Replace pillows that are past their prime
▢ Cover pillows with new pillow protectors
▢ Flip mattresses
▢ Clean under the bed
▢ Dust all surfaces (ie. dressers, desks, bookcases)
▢ Dust blinds
▢ Clean or vacuum curtains
▢ Wipe down window sills
▢ Wash windows
▢ Wipe down baseboards
▢ Shampoo rugs or carpets
▢ Vacuum and mop floors
▢ Clean washing machine (see specific instructions based on manufacturer recommendations)
▢ Clean dryer
▢ Remove the lint filter and vacuum thoroughly with your vacuum’s brush attachment
▢ Wipe down the inside and outside of the dryer
▢ Use a vacuum hose attachment to dust ceilings, crown moldings, and window sills
▢ Dust light fixtures
▢ Wipe down all surfaces, including cabinet shelves and drawers
▢ Refresh your laundry baskets by wiping down plastic baskets or vacuuming the inside and outside of wooden/straw hampers
▢ Empty trash and clean inside and outside of container
▢ Vacuum and mop floors
▢ Clean desk(s)
▢ Empty drawers
▢ Wipe inside drawers
▢ Organize contents and throw away what you don’t need
▢ Wipe down desk accessories, the entire surface of the desk, and the legs from top to bottom
▢ Remove unwanted desk accessories
▢ Clean bookshelves
▢ Working from top to bottom, remove and dust all storage containers, magazines, and books
▢ Wipe down shelves
▢ Sort papers and magazines on the shelves, donating or recycling what you no longer need
▢ If needed, re-organize as you replace items
▢ Dust the computer: Working from top to bottom, use a microfiber cloth to dust the computer screen, keyboard, printer, fax machine, and any other electronics
▢ Wipe down or vacuum all the furnishings, including desk chair, tables, and filing cabinets
▢ Dust light fixtures
▢ Dust the blinds
▢Remove and launder the curtains
▢ Wipe down window sills
▢ Wash windows
▢ Wipe down baseboards
▢ Shampoo rugs or carpets
▢ Vacuum and mop floors
Our Ultimate Deep Cleaning Checklist is a great stressbuster because it puts you in the driver’s seat. Once you establish a baseline, it’s easy to follow through and keep your home clean and serene throughout the year.
With non-toxic, powerful, and environmentally friendly ArbOUR cleaning products by your side, it’s easy to get the job done. Learn more
