While the responsibility for maintaining the functionality of the rental unit falls on the property manager or the landlord, maintaining the cleanliness inside is the responsibility of the tenant. Keeping to a regular cleaning schedule can help you maintain your home and potentially keep more of your security deposit if you plan to move out. To keep a regular schedule, you can break down cleaning tasks into daily, weekly, monthly, and annually. Here is a useful cleaning schedule: 

 

Daily

Wipe down surfaces

Every surface can collect dirt and dust. Give a quick wipe down of the surfaces around your home every day, especially those you use frequently like countertops and tables. This will help keep the rest of your home from collecting dust while also increasing the longevity of your furniture and floors. 

Clean the sink

Using dish soap or a cleaning spray, clean the sink every single day. This will help prevent bacteria from building up while also making the sink last longer.

Vacuum and sweep

Sweeping and vacuuming daily will prevent any dirt build up on your carpets and floors, especially in difficult-to-reach places like under your couch. Preventing the dirt build-up on your floors helps maintain the quality of your carpet and floors. 

 

Weekly

Clean sink and countertops

While you should wipe these down daily, once a week you should give a deeper scrubbing to these parts of the home. Make sure you get in all the cracks and crevices to keep any mold or grime from building up. 

Clean the microwave

With a sponge and soap, wipe down the inside of the microwave to prevent build-up which would make it a much more difficult task down the road. 

Mop the floors

After you do your daily sweeping, be sure to mop the floors at least once a week. This will prevent any built of dirt and grime that will be much more difficult to clean up later on. 

Scrub the toilet

Scrub the toilet at least once a week to prevent any buildup from hard water and human waste. This will help keep your toilet bowl looking sparkling clean and prevent any stains. 

Clean your fridge

Go through the contents of your refrigerator and remove anything that has gone bad. Be sure to wipe down the surfaces especially if there have been any leaks or spills. This will help prevent any bad odors from building up and a need for a deep cleaning later on. 

 

Monthly 

Dust above your head

Clean any dust and cobwebs from ceiling lights, high shelves, and fans. This will help prevent dust from building up in the rest of the house. 

Dust and clean your vents

Cleaning vents is an important safety measure as it can reduce the risk of fire in your home. It’ll also keep dust from spreading throughout your house when the heating or AC is on. 

Clean walls and baseboards

Walls can collect a lot of dust, dirt, and grime, especially the baseboard. Giving a monthly wipe-down will keep the paint in good condition and keep your home looking clean and presentable. Use this time to remove any cobwebs that may have built up in the upper corners of each room. 

Clean windows and blinds

Clean both the interior and if you can the exterior of your windows. They can collect a lot of dirt and dust over the course of a month. It is the same with your blinds. Waiting too long to clean your blinds can leave them stained and difficult to clean. 

Scrub the grout

Cleaning the grout regularly will help prevent mold build-up which would create more serious damage. If the grout is looking gray or black, it is in need of a cleaning. 

Clean garbage disposal

Use a garbage disposal cleaner once a month. This will help the upkeep of the garbage disposal while also keeping your sink from spreading bad odors throughout the house. 

 

Annual

Clean behind appliances

This may require some help from a friend, family, or roommates. If you don’t have anyone to help move the larger appliances, you might want to hire someone for deep cleaning. Pull the appliances away from the wall to give you enough space to clean and remove all the dust build-up. After the dust has been removed, mop the floor area and wipe down the walls. 

Deep clean carpets and upholstery 

If you need to, you can rent a carpet cleaner to clean both the carpets and upholstery. Another option is to hire a carpet cleaner. The best time of the year to do this is after the rainy season has ended in the spring or possibly the summer depending on the climate you’re in. 

Deep clean oven

This is important in preventing any grease build-up which can be a dangerous fire hazard. 

Wipe down shelves and cabinets

Since this is where you store your dishes and food, you’ll want to make sure there isn’t a lot of dust and dirt build-up.