The Ultimate Step-by-Step Apartment Cleaning Checklist for *Every Room

I’m a Type A, so I have spent a LOT of time perfecting my apartment cleaning checklist. I take keeping a tidy space to a whole new level and I’m sharing all my best tips and tricks. And you don’t have to be as obsessed as me, but this is everything I swear by when it comes to how to clean an apartment.

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To keep your place looking great, I recommend creating a few different cleaning schedules: a daily cleaning schedule, a weekly apartment cleaning checklist, and a monthly apartment cleaning list.

That might sound like a lot of work, but trust me, it’s a lot easier than it looks. My cleaning hack is really just as simple as it sounds: break it up throughout the week. By doing little tasks and chores each day, you’ll get a lot more clean, and it won’t feel as agonizing as if you had done it all in one day. And if you need help with larger items like furniture or yard waste, you can always rely on services like Kartaway to make the job easier and more efficient.

Plus once you have your schedule, you will have a better idea of what cleaning supplies you’ll need frequently. I’ve got the perfect apartment cleaning supplies checklist too!

I also recommend breaking it down into rooms, that way you can assign one room per day or just have a better idea of how big each task will be. As much as I hate to say it, the kitchen will always take longer to clean than the bedroom haha!

Create a Weekly Cleaning Schedule

When it comes to weekly cleaning schedules, I like to spread it as evenly as possible and I don’t usually do a deep clean. These are more of the things you can do every day to make sure it’s tidy and clean enough without taking too much time.

Monday — Kitchen and Laundry:

• Wipe counters and sink

• Sweep floors

• Change bedding/linens

• Do laundry

Tuesday — Dusting and Windows:

• Dust surfaces and shelves

• Wipe down windows

• Make sure there aren’t any cobwebs (ew, a place looks a million years old when there are webs everywhere)

Wednesday — Vacuum and Mop:

• Vacuum floors

• Mop floors

Thursday — Bathrooms and Laundry:

• Wipe counters and sink

• Clean toilet

• Scrub shower

• Sweep floors

• Wash towels

• Make sure you’re stocked up on toilet paper

Friday — Swing Day:

• 1st – Wipe Cabinets

• 2nd – Wipe walls, baseboards, and doors

• 3rd – garage and pantry

• 4th – declutter a closet or long-forgotten corner of your home (I like to use this day to organize wherever has been a disaster area lately)

Weekend — Yard or Basement:

• Yardwork

• Organizing the basement

• If you don’t have a yard or a basement, the weekend is a great time to tidy up the inside of your vehicle and wipe down those surfaces!

How to Keep a Home Clean

Honestly, you’re not going to deep clean your home every single day and it really doesn’t need it. This is a general idea of how often these chores need to be done and here’s a list of all the supplies you’ll need!

Everyday

• Wipe down the kitchen surfaces

• Clear out the sink (put dishes in the dishwasher or clean dishes away)

• Straighten up room (fold up blankets and tidy up pillows, pick up any random stuff that isn’t where it should be)

• Take out trash

• Sweep the floors

Once a week

• Scrub the sinks, shower, tub, and toilet

• Clean the mirrors

• Mop the floors

• Wipe down all countertops

• Do the laundry

• Vacuum the floors

• Dust surfaces

• Wipe down mirrors

• Change bedding and linens

• Wash towels

Once a month

• Clean (and organize) the kitchen and bathroom cabinets

• Clean the inside of the microwave and oven

• Disinfect garbage cans

• Wash small kitchen appliances (air fryer, coffee maker)

Once a season

• Declutter and go through closets (linen closets, junk closets, entryway, etc.)

• Get rid of expired foods from the pantry

• Wash throw pillow covers and blankets

• Clean the inside of the fridge (and get rid of any nasty expired stuff!)

• Wash the windows

Next, I’m breaking down rooms by sections of easy-cleans and deep-cleans, to be most helpful! The “Mandatory” cleaning checklist is the stuff I’d recommend doing often (like once a week or daily) and “Extra Credit” is cleaning that should be done once a month or season.

Here’s all the apartment cleaners and supplies I recommend having!

Bedroom Cleaning Checklist

This is probably the easiest room to get disorganized in the house because after a long day, you don’t really care if you toss your clothes on the floor or set your stuff down wherever. But a quick tidy up in the morning before you leave for work definitely helps manage the clutter.

Mandatory weekly bedroom cleaning:

• Make the bed

• Vacuum

• Tidy up any clothes left on the floor or nearby the hamper

• Straighten up nightstand and dresser

• Return any straggler dishware to the kitchen (I need a cup of water on my nightstand to fall asleep lol)

Extra Credit:

• Wash sheets and change bedding

• Dust fan blades

• Declutter and go through closet, organize what you’re keeping and donate what you’re not

Bathroom Cleaning Checklist

I’ve got my bathroom cleaning routine down pat so it doesn’t take me long at all anymore! My pro tip would be to spray the shower and toilet bowl cleaner first so those can soak while you scrub down the rest of the bathroom!

Mandatory Weekly Bathroom Cleaning:

• Wipe down counters and sink

• Wipe mirror

• Scrub toilet and shower

• Restock toilet paper

Extra Credit:

• Scrub down grout

• Deep clean shower

• Snake the drain (as needed)

Kitchen Cleaning Checklist

I’m not gonna lie, kitchen cleaning is the most satisfying for me and I think the most important! That’s where you’re cooking and it’s such a high-traffic area, you want to make sure it’s as clean as can be.

That all being said, it probably takes the most time to clean and deep clean (but it’s also the most rewarding).

Mandatory Weekly Kitchen Cleaning:

• Wipe down counters and sink

• Sweep and mop floors

• Take out trash

Extra Credit:

• Wipe down microwave and oven

• Clean small appliances (air fryer, coffee maker, etc.)

• Wash inside and disinfect garbage can

• Wipe down inside of fridge

• Get rid of expired products

Living Room Cleaning Checklist

Living room chores are the most fun and easiest in my opinion! It takes barely any time because honestly, there’s not a lot to do.

Mandatory Weekly Living Room Cleaning:

• Tidy up pillows and blankets

• Dust surfaces

• Vacuum

• Wipe down coffee table (as needed)

Extra Credit:

• Wash pillow covers and blankets

Spring Cleaning Checklist

Whether you like spring or autumn cleaning, having a time of year to devote to a deeper clean is such a good idea. This is the time for going through all the forgotten corners of your apartment and giving your home that TLC.

These are also good deep cleaning ideas and things to do before moving into an apartment, especially if you’re a neat freak like me. Make sure you have all the right supplies before you begin!

General:

• Clean the baseboards

• Dust ceilings and lights

• Clean carpet and rugs

• Wash or wipe down walls

Kitchen:

• Empty all cabinets and clean interior

• Degrease stove top and vent hood

• Clean oven

• Clean inside of dishwasher

• Tighten any loose knobs or handles

Bathroom:

• Scrub and disinfect sink and faucet

• Scrub tile/flooring and grout

• Clean out towel closet

• Clean out under the sink

Bedrooms:

• Dust lights and ceiling fan

• Wash windows

• Clean out under the bed

• Wash curtains

• Flip mattress

Miscellaneous

So this isn’t necessarily home cleaning but I think they are typically overlooked when it comes to cleaning:

1. Declutter your phone — Go through and delete old apps or set new time limits for apps that have been time suckers. It feels so good to have a digital detox.

2. Sort through your paper files — I never want to throw away something important, which means I end up with a junk drawer full of random papers, letters, and receipts. Going through those every few weeks (or months in my case) will help make it easier to find the stuff that actually matters. Bonus points if you can set up a filing system and stick to it.

3. Go through your camera roll — I love printing my favorite pictures and yet it’s one of the things I completely forget to do unless I’m intentional about it. Go through your photos and heart the ones you love, delete duplicates and unnecessary screenshots, and print the ones you want to have on display every day.

Cleaning your home should feel so much more manageable now! And don’t get overwhelmed, a home that is lightly cleaned is better than one that is never cleaned. You don’t have to be a perfectionist and deep clean every time, a bit here and there will do the trick!