A practical, room-by-room home cleaning checklist with weekly and monthly schedules plus end-of-tenancy upgrades to help you clean faster, miss nothing, and pass inspections with confidence.

How to use this house cleaning checklist

Great cleaning checklists are simple, consistent and designed to save you time. The most reliable approach is to group tasks into weekly, monthly and seasonal routines, so you stay on top of the essentials without feeling overwhelmed. We’ve used that structure here and added end-of-tenancy notes where standards need to be higher (think ovens, grout, window tracks, and other inspection hot spots).

Pro tip: Clean each room top-to-bottom and left-to-right. It keeps you moving in one direction and stops dust or drips from undoing work you’ve already done. A classic efficiency trick used by professional cleaners.

The ultimate home cleaning checklist

A simple rhythm to keep your home under control

Whole-home (every week)

• Open windows to air rooms (weather permitting); empty bins/recycling.
• Tidy surfaces (5-minute reset), then dust high to low: cornices, ceiling fans, shelves, frames, skirting boards.
• Vacuum carpets and rugs (under beds/sofas); mop hard floors.
• Wipe frequently-touched points: door handles, light switches, remotes.
• Launder sheets/pillowcases; swap towels/tea towels.

End-of-tenancy upgrade: Add skirting board wipe-down, internal windows + tracks, and dust blinds slat-by-slat to meet inspection standards. (These show up on pro checklists and are common fail points) 

Kitchen (weekly)

• Clear and disinfect benchtops wipe splashback.
• Sink & tapware: de-scale if needed; polish to a streak-free finish.
• Exterior clean: fridge, dishwasher, oven door, microwave, small appliances.
• Stovetop: degrease; wipe knobs.
• Cupboard fronts & handles; kickboards.
• Sweep & mop.

Kitchen (monthly)

• Microwave: steam-clean (bowl of water + slice of lemon), wipe interior ceiling/turntable.
• Fridge: clear shelves and gaskets; discard expired items.
• Dishwasher: clean filter; run a cleaning cycle.
• Rangehood: de-grease filters.

End-of-tenancy upgrade: Full oven clean (trays/racks/glass/seals), inside all cupboards/drawers, behind/under fridge; polish steel so there are no streaks. To save time, you can always hire a professional oven cleaner through Bark.

 Bathroom (weekly)

• Shower/bath: remove soap scum; squeegee glass.
• Grout & tiles: scrub problem spots; wipe walls.
• Vanity & basin: disinfect; polish taps and mirror.
• Toilet: bowl, seat, hinge area, cistern edges; floor around base.
• Empty bin; mop.

Bathroom (monthly)

• Clean exhaust fan/vent cover.
• Launder shower curtain/liner; check silicone lines for mould.

End-of-tenancy upgrade: Deep-clean shower screens (no haze), re-whiten grout lines where possible, and detail around fixtures. These items are commonly cited on agent checklists.

Bedrooms & living areas (weekly)

• Tidy surfaces; dust furniture, lamps, electronics (microfibre).
• Strip bed; rotate/flip mattress if applicable; fresh linen.
• Vacuum/mop; spot-wipe scuffs on walls if paint allows.
• Clean mirrors; tidy cords.

Bedrooms & living areas (monthly)

• Inside wardrobes (quick vac & shelf dusting).
• Wash or vacuum curtains/blinds as fabric allows.

End-of-tenancy upgrade: Wipe wardrobe interiors, tracks, rails and top shelves; dust blinds slat-by-slat; clean internal windows and tracks.

Laundry & utility (weekly)

• Wipe benchtop, sink & taps; disinfect handles.
• Empty lint filter; quick wipe of washer door seal.
• Vacuum & mop floors.

Laundry & utility (monthly)

• Run hot maintenance wash with machine cleaner; wipe detergent drawer.
• Clean dryer vent/ducting (if applicable).

Entry, balcony & exterior touch-ups

• Sweep entry, balcony; wipe mailbox and intercom buttons.
• Spot-clean exterior glass (fingerprints/sea spray).
• Cobweb sweep around doorways.

End-of-tenancy upgrade: Clear balcony rails/floor, remove cobwebs, and ensure any storage cages/garages are empty and swept.

The weekly vs. monthly schedule

Split your cleaning routine into weekly and monthly cycles to keep things manageable. It's exactly how the professionals do it. This simple rhythm helps you stay ahead of the mess without spending your whole weekend cleaning. Start with the guide below, then adjust it to match your home, your lifestyle and the season.

Room-by-room “10-minute blitz” (for busy weeks)

Flat out? Give each room a quick 10-minute blitz. Chuck the clutter out of the way, dust from the top down so you’re not re-doing your hard work, wipe the main touch points, then run the vacuum over the obvious bits. Job done, onto the next room!

Need a built-in timer? Fire up All Too Well (10 Minute Version — Taylor’s Version) and see if you can keep up.

End-of-tenancy: Turn it up to eleven

When moving out, focus on the stuff agents always check.

1. A properly degreased oven and rangehood
2. Clear shower screens
3. Fresh grout
4. Clean window tracks
5. The inside of every cupboard and drawer
6. Hit the skirting boards and all the switches and handles too.

If your lease requires it or the carpets are looking a bit tired, book a steam clean. Tick these off and you’re far less likely to get called back.

Cleaning supplies: What you'll need

Time-saving workflow borrowed from experts

1. Start by staging and decluttering. Get the laundry going, load the dishwasher and clear the clutter so you’ve got room to move.
2. Do all the dry work first. Dust, sweep and vacuum before you touch any liquids. This stops everything turning into sludge.
3. Tackle the wet areas last. Hit the kitchen and bathroom once the rest is done so your cleaners have time to actually work.
4. Finish with the floors. Mop your way out of each room so you’re not walking dirt straight back in.

This is the simple room-by-room system professional cleaners use, just streamlined for everyday homes.