The ultimate weekly cleaning schedule to keep your house spotless

From dusting to doing laundry, keeping on top of household chores can sometimes feel like a never-ending task, but following a weekly cleaning schedule can not only help you to manage jobs, so your house always stays clean, but also enable you to manage your time more efficiently.

Gemma Bray developed The Organised Mum Method (TOMM) to help busy parents keep their homes clean and tidy in minimal time, but her weekly schedule is handy for anyone looking to reduce the amount of time they spend cleaning while still ensuring every inch of their home is spotless.

A weekly cleaning schedule can help you to manage household chores

Gemma says we should prioritise cleaning our bathrooms and kitchens most regularly, with vacuuming high traffic areas of your home another key job that shouldn't be forgotten.

"It is important to prioritise bathrooms and kitchens, to stop the spread of germs. Make sure that food preparation surfaces, door handles, and regularly used surfaces are wiped down daily," Gemma advises. "A daily light vacuum will stop dirt that has been trodden into the house from becoming ingrained in the carpet."

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However, you don't need to spend all your free time scrubbing sinks or hoovering; her weekly cleaning schedule and expert tips will provide you with the method you need to keep your home tidy in as little as 30 minutes a day.

Meanwhile, the cleaning experts at Zoflora have added their insight into the daily, weekly and monthly cleaning tasks that shouldn't be missed, and the must-have cleaning products that will keep your home looking clean and smelling good all the time.

How often should we be cleaning our homes?

Kitchen surfaces and sinks should be cleaned regularly

"We all know that homes need to be cleaned so they stay hygienic and regularly tidied so we can find stuff. But the frequency of cleaning sessions will all depend on your lifestyle and how many people live in your home (and if you have pets). However, as a general rule, high-traffic areas need to be vacuumed at least twice a week (more often if you have pets)," Gemma says.

"I have two dogs so I vacuum the high-traffic areas every day. I clean my bathroom daily, and keep on top of the kitchen throughout the week, as well as having a designated day in the week when the kitchen gets a thorough clean, plus a weekly clean sheet day to keep the bed linen smelling fresh."

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The experts at Zoflora recommend disinfecting kitchen surfaces, door handles and light switches, and even cloths and sponges daily, to keep them free from viruses and bacteria. "At the end of every day, and sponges in Zoflora’s Concentrated Multipurpose Disinfectant (dilute 1 in 40) to keep them hygienically clean and beautifully fragranced for the next day," they recommend.

Other tasks, such as cleaning floors, bins, desks and fridges can be done weekly. Meanwhile, cleaning your mattress, deep cleaning bathrooms, windows and washing machines can all be done monthly. Watch Mrs Hinch's genius hack for getting your washing machine clean below...

"It’s important to be realistic with your cleaning routine, so set yourself achievable expectations. Not many of us are going to clean our mattresses weekly or monthly," Zoflora's cleaning experts say. "However, germs and dirt in these areas do build up over time, so give them a once over monthly to keep your cleaning manageable."

How can people reduce the amount of time they spend cleaning each week?

"The most important thing is to have a routine that fits around you and your house. Lots of people fall into the trap of cleaning the same things over and over. It is easy to get stuck in a rut repeating the same jobs but missing others," Gemma explains. "Having a cleaning routine that ensures each area of the house is cleaned on a regular basis means that you can be confident the time you are spending cleaning is being used wisely."

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The Organised Mum Method founder adds: "There is more to life than housework so it makes sense to streamline the process as much as possible, allowing you more time to get on with the more important things. This is why The Organised Mum Method is ideal for busy people, it is a simple but highly effective way to keep the house looking great without spending all your spare time cleaning."

Meanwhile, investing in cleaning products such as biodegradable wipes can ensure everywhere from your floors to your home office desk are kept hygienically clean effortlessly.

Cleaning your mattress can be done less frequently

Your weekly cleaning schedule:

MONDAY

Living Room –

• Tidy away anything that doesn't belong

• Wash throws and pet bedding

• Quick window clean, get rid of finger marks

• Sofa dive (vacuum under cushions)

• Dust

• Vacuum

• Mop if you have hard floors

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TUESDAY

Bedrooms –

• Strip beds

• Tidy away anything that doesn't belong

• Quick mine sweep under beds

• Dust

• Vacuum

• Remake beds

WEDNESDAY

Entrance hall and stairs –

• Tidy away anything that doesn't belong

• Dust

• Vacuum

• Mop if you have hard floors

According to Zoflora's experts - no matter what time of the year - kitchens, bathrooms and hallway floors require weekly mopping to ensure they are kept hygienically clean. In fact, a survey carried out by Zoflora, revealed 47%* of the UK mop their floors on a weekly basis.

THURSDAY

Kitchen –

• Empty crumbs out of toaster

• Clean inside of the microwave

• Clean out cutlery drawer

• Dust blinds

• Clean windows

• Clean splash back behind hob

• Clean hob top

• Give the sink a really good scrub

• Wipe down all working surfaces

• Wipe down cupboard fronts

• Vacuum and mop

• Quick fridge clean

Fridges can often be forgotten about when it comes to cleaning, but it’s important to try and get into the habit of regular fridge cleaning, to stay on top of those sticky surfaces. "Remove the contents of your fridge and using Zoflora's Multipurpose Disinfectant Cleaner, spray and wipe down shelves, drawers, door seals and around the outside of the fridge, with a clean cloth or sponge," the cleaning experts recommend.

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27% of Brits clean their fridge weekly

But how often should you be cleaning your fridge? 27% of Brits state that they clean their fridge weekly, with 26% sprucing their fridge once a month, and a further 6% revealing they clean their fridge daily! The experts at Zoflora recommend a quick wipe down of the shelves at least once a week to avoid the spread of any harmful viruses and bacteria. It's a good idea to get into the habit of removing old food and wiping down the inside of your fridge before you do your food shopping each week and going in with a deeper clean each month.

FRIDAY

Focus day – tackle a different area of the home each week.

Week 1 – Kids' Rooms

• Toy cull

• Cull clothes that no longer fit

• Straighten shelves/ bookcases

• Clean windows/ mirrors

• Dust skirting boards

• Vacuum under furniture

Week 2 – Living room

• Shampoo rugs

• Clean cushion covers

• Clean sofa cushions if they are removable

• Dust skirting boards

• Vacuum under furniture

Week 3 – Kitchen

• Pick 2/3 cupboards to declutter

• Clean extractor fan filters

• Oven clean

• Clean kickboards

Week 4 – Bathroom

• Tackle the limescale

• Clean out bathroom cabinet

• Tackle the grout

• Clean windows

• Deep clean floors

Week 5 – Master bedroom

• Vacuum under bed/ furniture

• Flip mattress

• Quick clothes/ makeup cull

• Clean windows/ mirrors

• Dust skirting boards

"For quick spruce ups, take a microfibre cloth to firstly remove any dust and simply go over surfaces with Zoflora Biodegradable Antibacterial Cleaning Wipes," the experts recommend. "For effective disinfection, wipe directly onto surfaces ensuring full coverage to kill 99.9% of enveloped viruses and bacteria."

Week 6 – Entrance hall and stairs

• Have a shoe/ coat cull

• Go through lurking piles of paperwork

• Clean bannisters

• Dust skirting boards

• Shampoo rugs

• Clean windows/ mirrors

• Vacuum under furniture

Week 7 – Misc. room

• Tidy away anything that doesn't belong/ declutter

• Clean skirting boards

• Vacuum under furniture

• Clean windows/ mirrors

Week 8 – Garden/ outside space

• Clean front door/ step

• Plant some seasonal flowers in pots

• Quick weed of flower bed

• Sweep patio

• Clean out bin store

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