Planning & Other Useful Information
Develop a list of all tasks that need to be done during the year and group them under frequency headings -- daily, weekly, monthly, semiannually, and annually.  It may be possible to budget your time so that weekly chores are spread out over several days.  For people with weekday responsibilities other than cleaning, house maintenance must be on a catch-as-catch-can basis.  But even with the limits of available time, it's a good idea to plan to accomplish household tasks on a regular schedule.

What you clean and how often you clean depend upon your personal preferences and tolerances.  The following schedule is meant as a guideline to suggest how a home can be cleaned with well-defined tasks.  Divide responsibilities among all family members.  Make certain that everyone knows what does what and when .

  • Daily.  Dishes should be washed, dried , and put away, and kitchen counters wiped after each meal.  Clean the kitchen sink and wipe the range surfaces (including the microwave oven) once a day or, even better, after each use.  Picking up should become second nature.

  • Weekly.  Dust furniture and shelves; vacuum and, where applicable, brush upholstered furniture.   Vacuum rugs and floors.  Clean under furniture and behind it.  Damp mop the kitchen floor.  Empty wastebaskets.  Wash bathroom basins, fixtures, and floors.  Dust radiators, woodwork, pictures and mirrors.  Wipe window sills, and brush shades and blinds.  Clean kitchen range burners.  Wipe the refrigerator and kitchen cabinet fronts.  Polish bright metal surfaces.

  • Monthly.  Do one or more of the following special jobs in several rooms on the same day:  vacuum and, where applicable, brush curtains and draperies.  Wipe wood trim and, where needed, wipe walls and around doorknobs.  Wash windows.  Wash and, if necessary, wax the kitchen floor.  Polish wood furniture and vacuum upholstered furniture, paying special attention to cleaning under cushions and in crevices between the back and the cushion support.  To prolong their life, turn over mattresses, end to end and side to side, which will help equalize their wear.  In hot weather, clean air conditioner filters according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

  • Seasonally or semiannually.  Take inventory of the items in closets and drawers that are no longer useful.  (The more clutter, the harder it is to clean.)  Rearrange clothes closets by season, hanging clothes by type for easy access.  Weed out unused clothing that can be donated to appropriate agencies.  Pack winter and summer clothing where it will remain clean and free from moth damage until needed again.  (Dry-cleaning establishments commonly offer free storage for items you bring them for cleaning.)  Pack wool clothing in cloth bags.  This will allow the fiber to breathe and prevent moth damage.  Wash mattress covers.  Wash curtains and draperies or have them dry cleaned.  Dust the coils behind or underneath the refrigerator.

  • Annually.  Have the furnace cleaned and tuned in late spring or early fall.  A central air-conditioning system and room air conditioners should be checked for proper operation before the onset of hot weather.  Put power and hand gardening tools in good order -- cleaned, oiled, and greased -- before storing them for the winter.  The same applies to snow removal equipment in the spring.  Shampoo carpets and rugs or have them cleaned professionally every 12 to 18 months.
 

Equipment and Storage
If everything is kept organized, it will be easier for you to work and you won't waste time looking for something when you need it.  If you live in a two- or three-story dwelling, it might be worth the investment to duplicate supplies -- such as vacuum cleaners -- so that you can have them on the same floor where they are used.  Keep special bathroom cleaning equipment and supplies in or near the bathroom, if space permits.

Keep cleaning equipment as clean and dry as possible, so that it's ready for the next use.  Be sure that any enclosure where cleaning materials are stored has ventilation holes in the door to allow volatile materials to evaporate from cloths, sponges, and mops.  Brooms and brushes should not rest on their bristles.  Hand them to prevent premature wear and deformation that result in loss of usefulness.  Since cleaning products are often hazardous, make sure the shelves on which they are stored are high enough to be out of reach of young children.

Avoid cluttering a cleaning closet with  rarely used supplies and equipment.  Keep a supply of paper vacuum-cleaner dust bags on hand.  Use the brand that is recommended for your particular vacuum; off-brand bags may not work well.  You may also want to stock spare sponge-mop refills, as well as a package or two of hand sponges.

Good dust cloths can be made from cast-off soft cotton garments and bedding.  Although they may be costlier to use -- and some might be less effective than cloth and harsh on some surfaces -- some people find paper towels less convenient.  Cloths will hold dust better if they are pretreated.

  •   A simple method is to put a cloth into a screw-cap glass jar that has been coated on the inside with furniture polish.  Put about two teaspoons of liquid polish into a container and turn it until a thin layer of polish covers the inside surface.  Let the cloth stand in the jar for a day or two.
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    Another Solution
    Housecleaning takes time and effort.  One obvious way to escape cleaning, although the solution can be expensive, is to employ a qualified, reliable, and courteous home-cleaning service.  Some people use a professional service once or twice a year; others employ a cleaning person once a week or every two weeks or so.  If you decide to use professional help, ask for referrals from reliable neighbours and friends.  If that tails, check the telephone book under Housecleaning.  Always ask for and check references.

    When negotiating with a prospective housecleaning provider be sure you both understand what is going to be done, how long it will take, how much it will cost, and how frequently and on what day of the week they'll provide the service.  Be sure there is an understanding of what cleaning materials and equipment they'll bring and what you will have to make available.  Tell them where the items you're responsible for will be kept.  Be sure the cleaning provider regularly tells you when supplies are low so you can stock up before their next visit.