10 Essential Tasks for Your Ultimate Cleaning Checklist

Having a clean house can create a much more calm and relaxing environment. Even when it feels like my life is busy and chaotic, being in a clean environment helps me feel like there is one less stressor in my life. It gives me room to relax a little bit and be able to think clearly. When my house is dirty and cluttered, it feels like I can't escape reminders of my never ending to do list and is a visual reminder of the overwhelmed feelings I may be experiencing. I will admit, my house is not usually perfectly clean but I make an effort to maintain it enough that so it does not feel unmanageable. Below is my cleaning checklist.

Remove and Wash Sheets, Pillow Covers, and Towels

I try to do this once a week. It feels so nice to go to bed at night with clean bedding. If I've had a busy day, I find that climbing into a into a clean bed allows me to fully relax. Waking up to a clean fluffy towel to use after I get out of the shower is also a quite nice way to start my day. These are little details in my day that makes it feel like everything is in order and going well.

Make Your Bed

Having a made bed helps the room look more organized. Personally, I also like sleeping in a bed that is made because the blankets are more snug around me and I don't have to deal with them moving off of me during the night. Making the bed is a simple way to make things feel well managed.

Declutter

This is one that I struggle with but is totally worth it when I get to it. I struggle so badly when it comes to clutter. It doesn't even matter if I have a lot of stuff or not. If there is an empty surface, it does not stay that way for long. When I do finally get to a point where I have time to declutter, I go through the house and find a place and deal with all the things that I either did not feel like putting away or was too overwhelmed to deal with. Afterwards, I feel so much better! The house feels so much more spacious and I don't have little reminders to look at everywhere of the things I need to deal with.

Wipe Down Kitchen Counters

Wiping down the kitchen counters makes it more likely that I will make actual meals instead of making something quick and convenient. Clean counters allows me to feel more at ease when cooking instead of stressing out about the cleanliness of my kitchen or about the fact that I am dirtying a bunch of dishes.

Clean Dirty Dishes

Being that dishwashers are a thing, I try to start out the day by running a load of dishes. This helps me stay on top of the dishes so that they are available when I need them and so the sink does not become too full. It's a small way to help me feel like I have accomplished something during my day.

Vacuum Floors

Vacuuming the floors can be so satisfying. Having gross floors can make the whole house feel gross. I like to keep the floors vacuumed so that when I do yoga (I don't use a mat), I can relax and actually enjoy it without wondering what I am touching. I feel like vacuuming just makes the air feel more clean too.

Wipe Down Light Fixtures

Light fixtures are one of those things that many people do not really think about cleaning when they are cleaning up their house, however, taking the time to clean them can be a detail that makes the room feel more clean. After cleaning a light fixture, it can be an eye opener to how much dust collects on surfaces that do not have much activity.

Scrub the Shower Walls

Over time, the shower walls can get pretty gross if not cleaned often. I know that for me, cleaning the shower can feel overwhelming sometimes. By staying on top of it by doing a quick wipe down once a week, it seems more manageable for those who have a very busy schedule.

Wipe Toilet Seats

The toilet is another things that can seem overwhelming if it is not done often enough. Especially with having a three-year-old boy, the seat alone can make the entire toilet appear really gross. Doing a quick wipe down of the toilet seat every so often makes it seem more manageable and helps the toilet feel more clean overall.

Dust Hard Surfaces

Those areas that are hard to reach or aren't often touched can get pretty dusty. Taking the time to wipe them down every so often can help the room feel more clean. Again, it may be one of those things that opens your eyes to how much dust collects over time. Without cleaning dust-collecting areas, it may be one of those details that makes the room appear less clean.