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Eliminate deep cleaning overwhelm and get your house sparkling a little at a time with this whole-home deep cleaning checklist (perfect for working women!).
It was like looking at my home through soot-tinted glasses.
White wasn’t white. Blue wasn’t blue. every color in my décor should have had “gray” added to the end.
The worst part was, it seemed to have come out of nowhere. One day, I was burning mouth-watering blueberry scone candles all over my house. Before I knew it, my world turned gray.
Thinking of the time and energy it would take to bring back the color made my stomach sink with despair. Suddenly, blueberry scones didn’t smell good anymore.
You Can Deep Clean Your Home (Even If You Work Full-Time!)
For women who work full-time, deep cleaning might sound like the hilarious punchline of a homemaking joke. However, dedication to the daily grind doesn’t mean you can’t achieve a deeply clean home.
In fact, my checklist was designed with working women in mind! I work 60+ hours per week at my day job, so I know where you’re coming from. I understand that it’s hard to find the time, motivation, and steps to deep clean, or keep your house clean to begin with.
As working women, we sometimes have to do things differently.
Sometimes we have to fake a clean house until we have the time to scrub away the all-encompassing layer of soot from our blueberry scone candles. We might also have to manage our expectations for how clean our home will be. That’s why my checklist is different.
How This Deep Cleaning Checklist is Different
My deep cleaning checklist isn’t like all the other checklists out there. Here’s what makes it unique and special.
It’s Thorough
When I say deep, I mean DEEP. My deep cleaning checklist includes the nooks and crannies. The forgotten places. The things you might not even think to clean.
You can skip anything you don’t want or need to clean. But if you want the ultimate deep cleaned home, my checklist is there for you.
It’s Specialized
Because the checklist is detailed and comprehensive, I split it up into several parts. This first part of my deep cleaning checklist covers tasks that you should do throughout your entire home, in every room.
I’ll add specialized deep cleaning checklists for specific areas of your home, such as the kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, etc. Those checklists will include tasks that are specific to only those rooms.
First, you should complete the whole home tasks on this checklist for any room you want to deep clean. Then, you can move on to the specific deep cleaning checklist for that room.
It’s Bite-Sized
If you work full-time like me, you probably don’t have time to complete an entire deep-cleaning checklist in one day. Because I know it might be easier for you to clean in chunks, I broke larger tasks down into smaller, bite-sized steps.
This means you can complete one or two deep-cleaning tasks whenever you have time. You don’t have to spend a giant, exhausting block of several hours deep cleaning your entire home all at once.
It’s Specifically Ordered for Efficiency
You’ve probably heard that cleaning top-to-bottom is the most efficient method. My deep cleaning checklist is ordered from the tippy-top to the bottom of each room. As a result, you’ll clean more efficiently and minimize re-cleaning areas you’ve already done.
The tasks on my deep cleaning checklist are also ordered in a way that makes sense. As a result, you can move methodically through deep cleaning your home. In addition, you can stop cleaning when you need to, and you’ll know just where to start in your next deep cleaning session.
How To Complete the Deep Cleaning Checklist
There are a few different ways to go about completing the deep cleaning checklist.
Do It All At Once
If you have the time, energy, and endurance to complete the entire deep cleaning checklist at once, go for it. Also, may I please have your autograph?
Do It In Bite-Sized Chunks
If you don’t have the time or sanity to complete the entire deep cleaning checklist in one day (Raising my hand!), do it in chunks. Find 10-45 minutes each day and complete one or two tasks from the checklist.
Some tasks will take just a few minutes, some may take close to an hour. It depends on the size and features of your home, how clean it already is, and how quickly you work.
Do It Room by Room
As I stated above, my deep cleaning checklist is broken up into several parts. This first part covers tasks that you should do in every room in your home. Then, you can move on to the specific deep cleaning checklists for each individual room.
You could do the whole home tasks for your entire home first, before you move on to the room-specific deep cleaning checklists. It’s up to you.
Deep Cleaning Checklist: Whole-Home Tasks
Complete these tasks throughout every room in your home to establish a deep cleaning foundation.
- Remove HVAC vent covers and wash
- Test smoke detectors and replace batteries
- Dust overhead lighting; remove lighting globes, bowls, etc and wash
- Dust fan blades, top and bottom
- Dust where walls and ceiling meet, paying special attention to corners
- Clean and dust door frames and trim – remember to dust the tops
- Wipe down doors
- Dust all objects in room
- Lint-roll lamp shades
- Remove window screens and wash
- Dust or wipe down blinds
- Dust window frames and trim
- Clean window tracks
- Clean window panes, inside and out
- Put window screens back in place
- Clean mirrors and glass on photos/artwork
- Remove furniture cushions and slipcovers
- Wash furniture slipcovers
- Vacuum furniture crevices
- Lint roll upholstered furniture
- Clean upholstered furniture
- Clean hard-surface furniture (Wood, metal, plastic, etc)
- Vacuum or clean floors – remember to move all furniture
- Dust baseboards, including behind furniture
Deep Cleaning Checklist Whole-Home Tasks: Conclusion
This deep cleaning checklist focused on tasks you should complete throughout your entire home, regardless of the room. As a result, you’ll achieve a great foundation for a deep-cleaned home.
Once you’ve completed whole home tasks, you can move on to my specific deep cleaning checklists which are tailored to individual rooms.
Want free printable copies of my deep cleaning checklists? Join the ShowMe Suburban community and get access to my cleaning and organizing resource library! You’ll also receive my free weekly emails, where you’ll learn simple habits and routines to keep your home clean and organized, so you can relax away from work without feeling the stress of a messy home. Sign up here!
Coming soon – my deep cleaning checklists for specific rooms! Check back here for updates – I’ll link to each new checklist once I’ve published it.
Dining Room
Playroom
Closets
Laundry Room
Utility Room
Basement
Garage