Cleaning routine at home: start yours

Don’t have a cleaning routine at home? This will help you to ensure your home is quick to clean and tidy each day. Don't miss our tips.

Spending a few minutes each day tidying and cleaning will prevent dirt from building up and then having to spend the weekend struggling to clean the house or, us not knowing where to start.

Because of size, timetables and customs, each house is a world in itself, but there are 5 common tidying and cleaning habits that you can use as a foundation and adapt to your day-to-day life according to your needs.  

• Bedrooms

Do a quick sweep of the dining room and/or kitchen floor to remove the remains of food. If you establish this as another task to add to tidying away the dinner table, it will be less onerous.  Mop the whole house at least once per week. Setting a specific day helps to ensure you don’t forget.

• Floors

Do a quick sweep of the dining room and/or kitchen floor to remove the remains of food. If you establish this as another task to add to tidying away the dinner table, it will be less onerous.  Mop the whole house at least once per week. Setting a specific day helps to ensure you don’t forget.

• Surface areas

After each meal, tidy and clean the kitchen worktops. Wash the dishes and utensils or place them in the dishwasher. Don’t let them pile up in the sink. The same is the case for bathrooms, when you have a shower, check the sinks and toilet. Keep surfaces clear. That way you will save time when cleaning.

Keep the chaotic corners of your house in check. Those tables, chairs or shelves that you usually leave piles of paper or junk on without sorting or putting them away. Tidy, and if you don’t have time, stack things up so you can wipe surfaces with a cloth each day. You can use the time before going to bed to check it. 

• Clothing

The frequency with which we switch on the washing machine depends largely on the number of people living in the house, their age and occupation. Some people do two loads each day and others do two per week.  As a general habit, you should set the morning to put the washing machine on and hang it out to dry before you leave the house or do it when you get home in the afternoon/evening. Short washing cycles and the ability to programme the start are essential allies in this task. Remember to remove and hang out the washing as soon as you can.

• Tidiness 

Before going to bed, it's worth checking the corners of untidiness and most troublesome rooms: dining room, kitchen and bathroom. Tidying and cleaning the things we’ve dirtied last thing will help us to have a better start to the following day. Tidy table, clear bathrooms, clean floor and plumped up cushions on the sofa. It only takes a few minutes and you will be grateful for it in the morning. 

These three rooms are also key when it comes to a quick emergency clean: position the cushions, clear the kitchen worktops and bathroom, clean the toilets and sweep up. Now you’re ready for that unexpected visitor! Discover more fast cleaning tips in “Tips for cleaning the bathroom thoroughly and quickly”  and more general cleaning ideas in “6 tips for cleaning your house”

Repeat and maintain your routine

The essential step of any routine is to maintain it. The same happens with household cleaning. It isn’t worth getting stressed if we don’t get everything done, but it is worth prioritising tasks to be clear about what we can leave until the next day and what needs to be done now. And as with everything, repetition is the key to internalising the steps in the everyday routine of everyone living in the house.

As well as this daily routine, it's a good idea to establish a weekly routine that includes shopping, checking paperwork and pending tasks, washing sheets and cloths, various errands, etc. A monthly routine incorporating the cleaning of household appliances, remote controls or windows is also worth having. The yearly routine would include a deep clean of the entire house and disinfection to prevent pest invasions.