Monthly and Seasonal Cleaning

 

Now that we've got basic routines and zones sorted out, we can begin to determine what it is we want to actually do in our homes.  Some like to have every area of the home pristine and spic and span.  Some don't want to do much more than simple routines.  It's really up to you and your family how clean you keep your house.  There are no house nazis going to come around and give you demerits for not keeping it perfectly.  

That said, I like a house that is a little more deeply cleaned.  It makes me feel I'm doing my tasks well if I can keep those things going.  However, in a crunch of time or a spot where life is hard, I find it perfectly acceptable to forgo those extra tasks until I do have proper time and energy for them.

Monthly Tasks:  My first category is of things I like to do every single month.  They don't really fall into a single zone, but they do keep things running smoothly.  

Wipe out the refrigerator really well.  Clean up spills that were missed, sort out condiments, etc.  Yes, this is a weekly job when you're in the kitchen and you can easily add it to that zone if you choose.  

Lightly clean the oven and stove top.  I find that wiping up spills the same day they occur, as soon as the oven is reasonably cool prevents heavy duty cleaning.  At least once a month however, I like to wipe down the walls, floor and ceiling with a soapy cloth to get rid of greasy residue.  I also like to lift the cooktop and clean underneath the burners.  I don't know if you can do this with electric stoves or just gas ones.  I have a gas stove, so this is possible and believe me it's necessary!

Put baking soda and vinegar down drains in baths and kitchen.  If you have a sink in the laundry area, do it there, too.

Fully mop floors.  I try to do spot cleaning but at least once a month (more if I'm being particularly messy) I like to mop all the floors fully.

Check and clean the dryer vent outdoors.  In damp weather, lint dust tends to build up and block the air flow on our vent.  It pays us to make sure we clean it off at least once a month.

Vacuum the crevices of couch and chairs.  It's shocking how much stuff gets down in those areas even if you don't make it a habit to eat in the living room.

Spot clean carpets and rugs.  Again, add this task to your zone work list if your home is mostly carpeted like mine.

Spot clean upholstered pieces.  Vacuum.  Dust collects on upholstery same as it does on any other surface.

Durst pictures and mirrors you have hanging on the walls.

Seasonal Tasks:  You can do spring and fall cleaning if you want to...I used to do so and it's a LOT of extra work.  I figured out a long time ago I could list these seasonal cleaning tasks and choose one or two each month to add to my zone work and it was a whole lot easier to accomplish than doing it all at one go.

Remove curtains and drapes and wash.  Wash slipcovers and pillow covers on throw pillows.  

Clean windows. 

Dust blinds at windows.  (Depending on the time of year, I sometimes find it necessary to do this more often, especially in winter and spring when we're prone to having heavier winds most frequently.)

Clean doors.

Wash windows.  

Clean porch furnishings.

Wash walls.

Clean rugs deeply.

Vacuum under furnishings and along walls of each room.  Once we put sliders under most of our heavy furnishings this became an easy task.  Seriously, its worth every penny to have those sliders!  I can just slide out that big old antique dresser or heavy buffet and once I have vacuumed, I slide them right back again.  

Remove books from bookcase and dust deeply.

Oil polish wooden furnishings.

Change spreads on beds to lighter/heavier depending upon season.  Wash and store the ones I've just removed.

Do a complete inventory of freezer or pantry.  Make out restock lists.  Pull expired items forward so they are used in a timely manner. 

Put out or remove seasonal and holiday decorations.

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