Deep Cleaning House Checklist: 5 Areas That Need a Deep Cleaning

Do you love shiny counters and a clean toilet? Surveys reveal you’re not alone. When it comes to cleaning tasks, those two offer the most satisfaction.

If cleaning isn’t your favorite chore, you’re also not alone! Minimum cleaning suffices for most people. But for your house to shine and be a healthier place, go deeper.

Do you rush through cleaning and forget some areas? Keep reading for a deep cleaning house checklist.

Tools of the Trade

Do you struggle with housecleaning? Getting organized helps. Keep a couple of buckets stacked under the sink. Put dish soap and disinfectant spray, a scrub pad, and a scrub brush inside for easy accessibility.

Also, keep a spray bottle handy with a mixture of 1 part water to 1 part white vinegar. Use old rags for cleaning.

1. Kitchen

Most people clean the dishes, tidy the counters, sweep the floors and call it a day. The deep clean checklist for the kitchen takes a little more work:

Range hood – inside and out
Oven – top of the range as well as inside
Refrigerator – inside and out
Dishwasher – inside and out
Microwave oven – inside cleaned out
Sink disinfected and faucets wiped down

Read your owner’s manual for your oven before you deep clean it. Some ovens are damaged by chemical cleaners. Remove everything from inside the oven, including the racks, before you clean.

2. Bathroom

The bathroom breeds germs, so deep cleaning is extra important. For a light clean, wash the sink and clean the toilet bowl. The deep cleaning checklist for the bathroom isn’t as hard as the kitchen:

Shower curtain – inside and out
Grout – in the shower and countertops of applicable
Toilet – the whole thing

Shower curtains harbor mold. If you’ve got a washing-machine-safe shower curtain, throw it in the wash on hot. If it’s plastic, consider replacing it every few months.

Make your shower curtain last longer by spraying it with the 1:1 vinegar and water solution a few times a week.

No one loves to scrub grout. But deep cleaning the grout 2-3 times a year keeps mold at bay.

When it comes to the toilet, do more than swish cleaner around the bowl. Deep clean by scrubbing around the entire outside, the top, and inside.

3. Windows and Blinds

Windows and blinds are a pain but clean them a couple of times a year. Wet dusting works best. Use the vinegar and water solution on a rag and wipe down each slat on the blinds.

Vinegar works great for windows too. Make them shine by drying with crumpled up newspaper.

4. Baseboards

This is an easy chore that most people forget to do. Spray vinegar and water along the baseboards and pick up the dust with an old rag. Easy!

5. Bedding

A couple of times a year, wash all your bedding, not only the sheets. Wash the pillows, comforter, and mattress cover. Use hot water. This keeps dust mites from accumulating.