Monthly Cleaning Schedule
If you have followed the weekly cleaning schedule (and if you are, well done. I am proud of what you are doing) then you can see how easy it is to keep a house clean daily. Rooms are clutter free, surfaces are clear, and shiny surfaces look even shinier than ever.
The weekly schedule is designed to help rooms and areas remain clean, but there are, of course, different pieces of equipment and items within each house that need to be cleaned and maintained to continue to be useful. I’m talking about things like a dishwasher, a washing machine, the cooker, and cleaning windows.
Each of these different jobs gives a satisfying feeling of fulfilment, and typically only take 15-30 minutes each to do. Once a month is plenty for each of these tasks, meaning you have free time to enjoy the things you love to do.
When combined with the weekly cleaning schedule, the few bigger tasks you do on a monthly basis are what, in my opinion, really turns your house into a place you exist into a place you can call home.
Chemical Free Cleaning
Even more incredibly, all these cleaning tasks can be performed using four products. These products are Bicarbonate of Soda, Vinegar, Lemon, and Water.
Chemical free cleaning is the best type of cleaning and are incredibly cheap to buy too. In a time when everyone is concerned about the cost of living going up, these products are natural, fight bacteria fantastically, inexpensive, last longer then chemical-based products, and won’t harm the planet.
If, like me, you are concerned about using chemicals in your home, these four products are invaluable. If you have a look at that expensive chemical-based cleaning product you bought chances are some of these products are in there. That’s because they work. They have worked for thousands of years (your chemical cleaners have only existed for around 150 years) and will continue to work until the end of time.
Ditch the chemicals and embrace natural cleaning. You, and the planet, will be grateful instantly.
Example: The Skippy Monthly Cleaning Schedule
Let me show you what we do in the Skippy household when it comes to monthly cleaning tasks. Check out the table below.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 Washing Machine | 12 Dishwasher | 13 | 14 Oven |
| 15 Toaster | 16 Kettle | 17 Kitchen Cupboards | 18 Guttering | 19 Clean Windows | 20 Car Check | 21 |
| 22 Master Mattress (Aug, Nov, Feb, May) | 23 1st Bedroom Mattress (Aug, Nov, Feb, May) | 24 2nd Bedroom Mattress (Aug, Nov, Feb, May) | 25 3rd Bedroom Mattress (Aug, Nov, Feb, May) | 26 4th Bedroom Mattress (Aug, Nov, Feb, May) | 27 Bleed Radiators (Aug, Nov, Feb, May) | 28 |
Have another look. It doesn’t look too daunting, does it? This schedule is based on what items I have in the house. Obviously, your own schedule will consider what items you have. If I purchase something that needs cleaning fairly regularly, I will find a day for it in the schedule and commit to cleaning it on that day.
Breaking it Down
Notice how the schedule is date based. Not day based, date based. Each month has 28 days in it at least, so depending on what date it is I know what I have committed to clean.
For the first week of the month, I don’t do any monthly cleaning tasks. I’m lucky, I don’t have much ‘stuff’ to clean regularly. If I end up with more items this might change, but for now I can reward myself with a week off. So, my monthly schedule is only 3 weeks. I’m already feeling great about it!
On the 11th I will clean out the Washing Machine. Which, based on the guide you can find here, is so easy anyone can do it.
On the 12th day of the month, I clean the Dishwasher. If anything, this is even easier then cleaning the Washing Machine, as explained in this guide.
On the 13th, I don’t risk it. Friday the 13th and all that superstitious stuff. I’m not risking cleaning anything important just in case some wicked event unfolds. Not for me thank you!
The big task is the 14th – the Oven. And when I say big, I don’t mean it’s a lot of effort. This involves leaving a mixture of products to work their magic while you clean the tops, trays, and glass doors. This guide explains it all.
The 15th and 16th are easy days. The Toaster, Kettle, and any other worktop devices, such as our Air Fryer. These all just need a quick tune up and wipe down. The Toaster cleaning guide, the Kettle descaling guide all explain how to clean them, each one taking no longer than 5 minutes.
On the 17th I take all the plates, pans, and cutlery out of the cupboards and wipe the cupboards down with a home-made spray to eliminate bad bacteria. If any of the items I have removed are dirty they are giving a quick wash in the sink. This day is a very satisfying day indeed.
And on the 18th, I venture outside to check on the house guttering to remove any build up of muck and dirt that could potentially block the home drainage and cause mould. This is my favourite job as sometimes it could be quite messy.
On the 19th I venture back outside, and upstairs to reach the higher areas, and clean my windows and front door. This helps get as much sunlight into the house as possible.
On the 20th I take a step away from the house and clean my car. The kids get involved with this too, and the car smells lovely and fresh afterwards as well. I also take the opportunity to do the usual car maintenance – top up oil levels, screen wash, check tyre pressures etc, to make sure the car is running great. This guide explains how I go about it.
The final week of the month is for tasks that are recommended that you only need to do every three months. This mainly involves mattress cleaning, and to speed it up you can use some Hydrogen Peroxide, which is again chemical free, to rapidly remove bed stains. The process of leaving a mattress to air out involves leaving it for a few hours, so I do one a day.
Finally, on the 27th, only once every 3 months, I bleed the radiators around the house to ensure they remain efficient. We have quite a few radiators, so this job takes an earth shattering 10 minutes to complete, as detailed in this guide.
It’s not a bad schedule, and it is very straight forward to follow. In fact, other then every 3 months it only takes 2 weeks to do. Hopefully your own schedule can be as accommodating. Get one created, follow the guides and stick to it. Your monthly cleaning jobs will be effortlessly done.