Aiming to deep clean the home on a continuing basis

[user1468183933]

Hello All

I have just (nearly) done my biannual(ish) "deep clean" of the house. This is when I clean all the things you don't routinely clean on a daily or weekly basis that build up dirt and gunk such as the shower pane and tops of work surfaces etc. It took a lot of elbow grease and I now stink of chemicals. I hate doing it so I made a list of things that need cleaning which the intention of spreading the jobs over a period of time rather than doing it all at once. I searched to see if there were any similar threads and couldn't find anything, if there is a thread on this already than please disregard this one. I thought I would post the schedule I initially came up with in case it was of use to anybody and in case anyone had any suggestions.

I think some of the timings will depend on keenness and whether you are in a hard or soft water region (I am in hard region).

Wiping around/behind toilet seat - Daily
Wiping down work surfaces/sink and washing up - Daily
Vacuuming of house - Weekly (or Daily if keen)
Dusting - Weekly
Wiping dirt from top of sideboards - Monthly
Cleaning shower pane - Weekly or maybe Monthly
Light switches - Monthly
Cleaning inside doors - Monthly
Cleaning outside doors - Every 6 months
Cleaning on top of fridge/surfaces - Every 6 months (I didn't clean on top of my fridge for 4 years and the gunk on there was disgusting)
Descaling showerheads/taps - Every 6 months?

Sounds like a plan! I put newspaper on top of the fridge and the cupboards, just chuck it when grotty.
As you are in a hard water area I would suggest desacling everything water related, including kettle and washing machine (use soda crystals in every wash) monthly. Good luck.

It's a lot of faff though isn't it? Light switches can be done once a year. No one ever pays attention to light switches!!

Inside doors? Quarterly!!
Shower pane? Monthly!
Toilets? Weekly!

People need a bit of dirt for a healthier immune system!

Think it depends on the household, my older DC are able to reach the light switches, youngest writes on doors and walls whenever he gets a chance, toilet mishaps do happen, so stuff that I rarely cleaned now become daily activities. When I am old I shall probably miss the colourful walls!

I am sort of doing this. I moved into a new build a few months ago and am determined to keep it well. I have found though that it isnt good for my motivation to set time targets for tasks. I seem to go into some sort of odd "i've got loads of time" mode when i set a time schedule and then i dont get things done and i get pissed off with myself. So i dont set time guides anymore and just get round the house in some sort of pattern and everything gets done.

You are right OP, that certain jobs do need doing. I'd add washing curtains and cleaning the insides of windows to the list - maybe twice a year. More frequently if little hands are making marks on the glass.

I don't use lots of smelly chemicals - a bit of bleach for loos, ecloths and hot water for glass, Flash bathroom for the bathroom, Stardrops Original or just hot water for hard floors with an ecloth mop and sugar soap for a host of other cleaning jobs. Sugar soap has no smell but cuts through grease and dirt brilliantly - you do need to wear rubber gloves though.

Forgot to say that I often damp dust - really easy to do light switches at the same time.

Thank you for all the replies. The idea of putting newspaper on top of cupboards and the fridge is a great idea. Is the grim that builds up just years of dust because it was so grimy and took a lot of scrubbing to clear.

There are lots of things missing from the list such as cleaning oven and inside the fridge. There are also minor things I want to add to the list like the hinges on the toilet seat as green gunk build up otherwise. I replaced the toilet seat before because the gunk had built up so much and I couldn't remove it. If I clean the hinges more regularly I can now remove it.

I wasn't going to keep strict timescales but keep a list (probably a spreadsheet...taking it seriously!) of the last time I did each thing on the list and check it from time to time and see if it was x months since I did something I should do it when I next have time. Obviously if I see a big handprint on my door the day after I cleaned it I would clean it right away rather than waiting a month! Haha.

Yes a list is a good idea. I'll bet there is an app for that! I'm off to look.

I made this and laminated if it helps anyone for ideas.

Ooh lady you are a committed listmaker! thats a good list. Thank you!

LadySilvia that is perfect! I think I will use that!

Why thank you! I'm terrible at actually doing it all though!!

I use Cling film rather than newspaper now on top of cupboards etc.

Lady that's best advise ever on number I'm stealing it

I'm moving into a new build shortly too and am hoping it'll nudge me into better habits. I shall hang my laminated checklist in my lovely utility room - I haven't had a utility room before, it's very exciting

I love that laminated list. In the past when I was more houseproud I used the free app, Home Routines.

I tip I read online about cleaning the tops of cupboards and the fridge. Use an old credit card or loyalty card to scrap the gunk off. I used it on my other cupboards and it works great.

I also got a ladder to help me get to the top of the cupboards I can't reach with a step. I bought this one and I was able to get high enough to get to work on the cupboard tops. I am not great with heights but felt secure enough to clean away. This is the link. It is quite heavy though.

www.screwfix.com/p/aluminium-telescopic-ladder-2-section-2-x-7-treads-4-43m/64728