Cleaning Schedule 2022
When I began writing this blog, I thought I would base it all around New Year’s Resolutions for the home etc.
But can we be honest? Who actually sticks to resolutions, who needs the added pressure after a busy December and dealing with a pandemic to THEN throw in extra new rules you need to follow for the year? OVERLOAD!!
So instead, I decided to put together a home deep-cleaning plan for the year. Now, this is a plan for all the extra bits you don’t include in the weekly clean but know should really be done at some point.
When you try and tackle everything in one go, it’s just too much, isn’t it? And then you can end up disappointed or annoyed with yourself that you didn’t tick off your to-do list, which was probably too long to begin with.
This is a marathon, not a sprint. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and a year of housework should not be applied to a single weekend!
And if you are looking to move this year (Number one – contact us for a removal quote! And secondly, you can switch these months around to fit it with when your house goes on the market)
So as I said, these are simple tasks to be tackled one each month. I got this idea after I took all the Christmas decorations down and could see more areas of the house that stuck out like a sore thumb. I sat down and wrote the plan in my diary. And as they say, sharing is caring!
January: Clean medicine cabinets; bin expired medication and arrange in date order with the newest items at the back. Get into the habit of rotating items to avoid future wastage.
February: Clean all the hard-to-reach places: behind the oven, under the fridge, washing machine/tumble dryer, sofas etc
March: Steam-clean carpets. You can rent carpet cleaners from the most well-known hardware stores for a weekend. High traffic areas will appreciate the freshen up.
April: Wash windows (inside and out), curtains and blinds. Venetian blinds are notorious for dust collecting but actually don’t take that long to clean! A damp cloth, even an old sock over your hand for a blitz will do the job.
May: Organize the pantry and kitchen cabinets. How much out of date food?! Again, same with the medicine, sort into date order and keep rotating to avoid as much wastage as possible.
June: Wash duvets, blankets, comforters, spreads, pillows. It’s the right time of year to get these done, as you can pop them in the wash in the morning, leave them out on a nice sunny day to dry in time for bed.
July: Clean and organise the garage. Open the garage door, let the sun in, pop the radio on and get sorting!
August: Clean out drawers and closets. Donate usable clothing and items to charity. Are there any summer clothes you haven’t worn? Is it likely you’ll be wearing them now?
September: Wash walls and use touch up the paint where necessary. The magic eraser sponges are fantastic for this job (first-hand experience right here) and some warm soapy water. A great workout for the arms too!
October: Defrost and clean freezer, fridge and oven. A good time for a clear out too (see Jan and May tips)
November: Do you have a display cabinet or items that sit up on high shelves that get the occasional flick of a duster? November is the month to get the stepladder out to dust and polish these items back to their original beauty.
December: Clean and organize personal files. Paperwork – urgh. Such an adult job, right?! You just need a quiet couple of hours sitting at the kitchen table, one box to the side for recycling, one for shredding and one for filing. Concertina files are a great way of keeping paperwork organised, and you can have different files for different areas of the home, lifestyle etc.
Not everyone likes to clean, but everyone loves a clean house. The key is maintenance so that things never need to get out of control…. by creating good cleaning habits, your home will be a neat and tidy retreat where you can relax and enjoy some company.
If you have any other great tips, or if you think we have missed anything vital off the list, we would love to hear from you!