monthly deep cleaning schedule

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I used to do a whole-house deep clean every spring, but I lack the motivation to do that now. However, there are areas of my house that require careful attention from time to time (but not every week). I’ve decided to put together a monthly deep cleaning schedule to help me stay on top of things. Maybe it will work for you too.

broom and cleaning tools in the background with a text overlay of the monthly deep cleaning schedule — image links to free downloadable pdf

The deep cleaning schedule one month at a time:

January–baseboards

I tackle one room at a time, so a month gives me plenty of time to clean all of the baseboards.
First run a duster along the upper edges of the walls and in the corners.
Wipe down the baseboards or use the brush vacuum attachment.
I pay extra attention to our staircases.

February–underneath furniture

When I clean under the sectional and chairs in the great room, I also clean under (and rotate) the cushions.
Use a vacuum attachment around and under beds.
I do my best underneath appliances.

March–garage

After the muck from winter is done accumulating, it’s a good time to sweep out the garage.
We clear out what we no longer need and reorganize a bit.

April–light fixtures & ceiling fans

We use our ceiling fans primarily in the summer, so I like to dust the blades in the spring.
I pay extra attention to light fixtures and see which ones might need dusting or cleaning.
If I’m really on top of things, I even look at outdoor fixtures.

May–deck

May is a good time to hose down the deck and its furniture.
I use a broom up high under the covering and all around the French doors.
Give everything a good sweep.
Put out some planters. Besides flowers, we’ve also grown herbs, patio tomatoes, and peppers in containers on our deck.
My friend has shared wonderful tips about planting flower containers on her Fluxing Well website.

June–windows

My husband usually does most (if not all) of the work here. Some of them are tricky to access!
I try to wipe out the area at the base of each window at the same time, as well as the molding around the windows.

July–closets

Since it’s so hot in July, it’s a good time to clear out and clean out air-conditioned closets.
We’re pretty good about purging clothes and personal items, but there are always a few things to reconsider.
I empty the closets as much as possible, and then clean and reorganize as I go.

August–pictures & wall decor

This is when I dust picture frames and art.
Spray and wipe clean any glass covering the art.
Sometimes I’m inspired to swap places with a few things for a fresh look.

September–cabinets

I wipe down the outside of the cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms.
The insides of the cabinets don’t always require attention, but I clean them out if they do.
I also empty, clean, and reorganize the pantry.

October–office

I try to take everything off the desk and shelves, clean, and reorganize.
Cleaning underneath our desk needs to happen too.
This is a good time to go through the file cabinets and catch up on shredding.

November–laundry room

I really only clean behind the appliances when I replace them. It’s just too hard to move them. But I can clean around and between them.
The washer and dryer need to be wiped down inside and out, especially around the doors.
I wash the lint filter for the dryer.
Drain and clean the filter in the washer.
This is also a good time to clean the vacuum canister and wash or replace filters.

December–holiday decorations

We have a few large bins of winter/holiday decorations, so I usually stash some of our regular things in those bins when I put out holiday-themed items.
Some of the decorations I put away in late December or early January, but many of them stay out well into February.

Let me know how you plan for deep cleaning.

Do you prefer to do a whole-house spring cleaning session once a year? Do you hire someone to tackle it for you? Are there tasks I’ve forgotten here? Please offer feedback; I’d be happy to make adjustments.