If you work as a house cleaner or run a business surrounding the house cleaning services, it is important to be organized in order to be a successful business owner. Keeping a house cleaning checklist can be helpful to deliver quality cleaning every single time.
Cleaning checklists help cleaners to stay consistent with their work from job to job. This also allows to show your customers the professionalism of your services or company. A to do list allows to have a game plan before the job, making it easier to avoid any mistakes.
In this article, we will give a checklist for house cleaning that will elevate your cleaning services and improve your business.
Table of Contents
Client preparation
Before going into your clients house for cleaning, you should talk about some specifics with your customer. For example, ask them if there are any areas in the house that they don’t want you to touch. It can be something like a cabinet with expensive jewelry, or their office that contains important documents. It is always best to ask so you could give your clients the most prestige service.
You should also ask your customers to declutter before the cleaning services. Decluttering includes: putting away fragile items, collecting any important papers lying around, putting clothes in the laundry basket, etc. This will not only help speed up the deep cleaning, but also keep you from throwing away or damaging any personal items they value.
Crew preparation
Preparation for a big cleaning job doesn’t only come from talking to a customer, but also from you. It is crucial to keep everything in check before you go to a clients house.
Before every job, you need to review any special requests they have mentioned and any notes about their house. Keeping those points in mind will help you get to the job the second you arrive at your location.
In addition, you should check that all your cleaning products are in stock. Having a house cleaning checklist with all the supplies will ensure that your team did not forget any crucial item that is needed to perform the best job.
Cleaning products checklist
- Home Steam Cleaner
- Vacuum cleaner
- Microfiber cloth
- Broom and dustpan
- Mop
- Spray bottles
- Glass cleaner
- Wood cleaner
- Furniture polish
- All-purpose cleaner
- Disinfectant spray and wipes
- Sponges
- Paper towels
- Rubber gloves
- Bucket
This list can be personalized and you can add more to it. This is just a checklist of all the basic house cleaning supplies that are used to perform a deep clean.
Basic house cleaning checklist
We will start off by talking about basic things that should be done in every room.
1. Dusting
You should start off by dusting all the surfaces to avoid mixing dust with a wet cleaner. Dusting will also improve the air quality of your home as well as lower allergens.
Grab a couple of microfiber cloths and dust lamps, tables, chairs, countertops, ceiling fans and any other places that tend to collect dust. Don’t forget to wipe any light fixtures, slatted blinds, picture frames, light switches, and other small Knick knacks around your home.
2. Use a cleaner
After dusting all the surfaces, you should continue the deep cleaning with an all-purpose cleaner. Dusting doesn’t help to get rid of any stains off or disinfecting, so it is always advised to use a disinfecting spray.
Use a clean microfiber with your preferred cleaner and go over all the furniture, countertops, cabinets, modern cabinet knobs, etc. It is important to also wipe things like door knobs and light switches since they are high contact items that attract the most dirt.
3. Vacuum
After you are done with all the furniture, it is time to move on to the floors. Vacuum all the living areas and make sure to go under the couch and under the beds. Those areas contain a lot of dust that greatly impacts the air quality.
You should also vacuum the upholstered furniture to get rid of any pet hair and dust. In preparation to deep clean carpets, vacuum carpets to make sure that all debris is out. As well as simple ways to keep your carpets clean.
4. Mop floor
Start to mop floors from the farthest corner of the room and move back towards the entrance. Rinse your mop after completing each room to not transfer any debris. In addition, while mopping don’t forget to put slippers on to not leave any foot stains on the floors.
Room by room cleaning checklist
In this section we will explore a more detailed room by room guide. This is a more personalized checklist for every room.
Depending on the furniture you are cleaning, you can use different cleaners and make your own checklists.
Kitchen cleaning checklist
- Wipe all kitchen cabinets and countertops with a microfiber and a cleaner that is safe to use around areas with food.
- Vacuum the floors.
- Wipe cabinet fronts.
- Clean ceiling fan.
- Clean all the appliances like fridge, microwave, dishwasher, and stove top.
- Soak stove drip pans and knobs in sink with a litte bit of dish soap.
- Clean inside and around the sink.
- Shine the sink.
- Sweep and mop floors.
Bathroom cleaning checklist
- Remove any rugs and wastebaskets.
- Remove all products from the tub or shower.
- Wet the tub/shower walls with warm water.
- Apply some tile and grout cleaner and let it sit.
- Clean all the surfaces, ike cabinets, in the bathroom except toilet, vanity, shower/tub, and mirrors with an all-pupose cleaner.
- Scrub tub/shower walls and door. Use a grout brush in between tiles as needed.
- Apply tile and grout cleaner to the bathroom floors and scrub.
- Clean shower tiles with a grout cleaner.
- Clean shower rack and soap dishes.
- Rinse off walls of tub/shower and dry them with a microfiber.
- Clean tub with a sponge and a tub cleaner.
- Clean toilets with a disinfecting spray and a microfiber.
- Clean the sink.
- Use grout brush to clean faucet and drain.
- Wipe down cabinet fronts.
- Clean the mirror with a spray window cleaner and a microfiber.
- Shine the faucets.
- Wipe baseboards.
Bedroom cleaning checklist
If you have already applied everything listed in the basic cleaning checklist, than you don’t have much to clean in the bedroom.
- Remove all the bedding and sheets.
- Wash the sheets and pillows on a hot setting for disinfection.
- Mop floors.
- Clean door frames and door knobs.
- Get rid of any clutter on the nightstand.
- Wipe all the surfaces with an all-purpose cleaner.
- Dust baseboards in the room.
- Clean ceiling fans with a damp microfiber.
- Wipe light bulbs.
- Make the bed.
Window cleaning checklist
- Use a streak free glass cleaner wirth a microfiber.
- Go in side to side parallel motion to avoid leaving any streaks on the windows.
- Wipe window sills and any light fixtures.
- Clean window screens by removing the frame and scrubbing with all-purpose cleaner combined with water. Scrub the screens with a brstle brush and rinse after you are done. Insert back into the window to dry.
Cleaning tips
- Give your client a regular cleaners checklist. This will be a great guide for them to have to do light cleaning around their house on their own.
- Use professional cleaning tools to get the best results.
- Make sure to check the whole house for any places you have forgotten to clean.
- Shine all the metal parts of the home to give it a brand new look.
- Be efficient with your time. Do not stay in one place for too long but also don’t skip through doing smaller tasks like dust baseboards.
- Putting your clients dishes in the dishwasher will be greatly appreciated even though it is not common to do so.
- Dust the smallest things. A lot of cleaners forget to wipe baseboards and window sills.
Final thoughts
Every cleaning business should implement deep cleaning checklists. A good house cleaning checklist will help any house cleaner to do their job better and avoid making any mistakes. Organization is key in being a successful cleaning business owner.
Everyone loves a clean house, and this is why house cleaning business is so successful. A clean home greatly impacts the domestic life, improving the overall lifestyle of your clients.
