For daily house cleaning, focus on high-traffic areas and surfaces: make beds, wash dishes, wipe kitchen/bathroom counters, handle trash, and do a quick tidy-up/clutter sweep, with frequent wiping of doorknobs and light switches to prevent germ buildup and maintain general order.
A List for Keeping it Clean Around the House: What and How Often
The 5-5-5 Rule for decluttering, popularized by Steph of The Secret Slob and Apartment Therapy, is a quick, low-pressure method that involves setting a 25-minute timer, picking five different zones in your home, and spending just five minutes tidying or decluttering each zone before moving to the next, making it ideal for tackling daily messes without feeling overwhelmed.
Daily Chores
Areas where food is stored or prepared can quickly become breeding grounds for bacteria. Countertops, microwaves, refrigerators, and sinks should be cleaned daily to prevent foodborne illnesses and unpleasant odors.
The Daily 6 cleaning list, part of the popular "6/10 Method" by Organized Chaos, focuses on high-impact daily tasks to maintain a tidy home: make beds, wash dishes, scrub the sink, wipe counters, vacuum floors, and do one load of laundry. This simple routine prevents overwhelming messes by tackling essentials in kitchens, laundry, and bedrooms daily, with weekly tasks handling deeper cleaning.
The 20/10 cleaning method, popularized by Rachel Hoffman, involves focused work intervals of 20 minutes of cleaning or organizing, followed by a non-negotiable 10-minute break. This technique breaks down overwhelming tasks into manageable chunks, using timers to build momentum, prevent burnout, and associate cleaning with rewards, making it easier to tackle chores consistently without feeling exhausted.
The 12-12-12 decluttering method is a simple, game-like strategy to tackle clutter by finding 12 items to throw away, 12 items to donate, and 12 items to return to their proper home (36 items total), creating momentum and making organizing less overwhelming, and can be adapted with different numbers like 5-5-5 or 20-20-20. Created by Josh Becker of Becoming Minimalist, it turns decluttering into an achievable challenge for any room, helping you make quick progress without getting stuck.
Non-food-contact surfaces
The 2017 FDA Food Code has many recommendations for cleaning such surfaces. For example, iced tea dispensers and consumer self-service utensils that do not come into contact with TCS foods (tongs, scoops, ladles, etc.) should be cleaned at least every 24 hours.
The best order to clean a house is top-to-bottom and room-by-room, starting with decluttering, then dusting high surfaces, tackling bathrooms/kitchens (letting cleaners sit), wiping down all surfaces, and finishing with vacuuming and mopping floors to catch falling debris, making the process efficient and thorough.
Doing the Laundry
Laundry is one of the most tiring household tasks with age. Carrying heavy baskets, bending to load machines, and reaching overhead to hang or fold clothes can all strain the body, mainly the back, shoulders, and knees.
Some typical household chores for women who lived on farms or in small towns were candle dipping, soap making, wood chopping, butter-churning, and gardening, as well as everyday activities such as cleaning, weaving, and cooking.
List of Daily Chores
Surfaces that contact food (e.g., the prep table, cutting board, slicer, knife, or tongs) must be cleaned between uses; or, at least every 4 hours when in continual use.
The golden rule of cleaning is simple: clean from top to bottom. This basic principle ensures that dirt and dust don't settle on already cleaned areas. Understanding this rule can transform your cleaning routine. It saves time and effort, making the process more efficient.
It lists steps like stripping beds, collecting rubbish, vacuuming, cleaning with chemicals to remove spots and make surfaces shiny, dusting clockwise while checking all fixtures, replenishing amenities, and finishing with vacuuming and mopping floors.
Check out these 10 household items you should be cleaning every day—without question.
It is recommended you clean and maintain your fridge every three months. Cleaning your refrigerator quarterly or seasonally will help keep it organized and make better use of storage space.