Checklist For House Cleaning

Often, the first notification that a house was not cleaned properly is when a customer complains. A house cleaning checklist is the ideal way to provide your cleaners or cleaning teams with a way to ensure that they haven’t missed anything. It is also a great report to give to your clients so that they can see what has been done.

Creating a cleaning checklist that needs to be completed after each job is therefore essential for the success of your business and will help you know how much to charge for house cleaning when quoting a job.

But where do you start and what should be included in your checklist?

Firstly, keep in mind that you want your checklist to be as comprehensive as possible without being so detailed that it takes too much time to complete or read. You also want your checklist to be professional and compare with other competitors in the industry.

And last but not least, break your checklist down into different categories is a great way to make it far more manageable and easy to read.

The following is a good example of a checklist that should cover all your bases for cleaning each home that can be tailored to meet your unique business model and services.

The Ultimate House Cleaning Checklist

General Living Areas

Dust And Wipe

•  All Surfaces
• Furniture (tops, chair rails)
• Lamps and Lampshades
   Ornaments
• Mirrors
• Picture Frames
   Windowsills, Window
• Frames, Lock Ledges And Blinds
• Baseboards, Skirting Boards and Doors/Doorknobs
• Light Switches and Wall Sockets
• Ceiling Fans

Vacuum

•  Carpets or Floors
   Skirting Boards and Corners
• Upholstery
   Curtains or Drapes (optional extra)

Wash

•  Hard Surface Floors
• Walls
• Doors and Door Handles
• Windows (optional extra)
• Take Out Trash

Bedrooms

• Make Beds (change linen if necessary and if provided)
• Dust And Wipe
• All Surfaces
• Furniture (tops, chair rails)
• Lamps and Lampshades
• Ornaments
• Mirrors
• Picture Frames 
• Windowsills, Window Frames, Lock Ledges And Blinds
• Baseboards, Skirting Boards and Doors
• Light Switches and Wall Sockets
• Ceiling Fan (within reach)

Wash

• Hard Surface Floors
• Walls
• Doors and Doorknobs (closets and cupboards included)
• Windows (optional extra)
• Take Out Trash

Bathrooms

• Dust And Wipe
• All Surfaces
• Windowsills, Window Frames, Lock Ledges And Blinds
• Baseboards, Cabinets and Doors
• Mirrors
• Clean And Disinfect
• All Surfaces
• Tubs, Wash Basins And Showers
• Toilets (inside and out)
• Doors and Doorknobs

Vacuum

• Floors
• Wash And Disinfect
• Mop Bathroom Floor
• Wall tiles
• Shine
• All Bathroom Fixtures
• Shower
• Take Out Trash

Kitchen

• Dust And Wipe All Surfaces
• Cabinets, Drawers and Door
• Baseboards and Splash Backs
• Tops and Outer Surfaces On Appliances
• Clean And Disinfect Counter Tops
• Sanitize Doorknobs (including on cabinets and drawers)
• Clean Kitchen Sink/s
• Microwave Oven (inside and out)
• Clean Disinfect And Shine
• All Appliances
• Vacuum and Mop Floors
• Take Out Trash

Miscellaneous

There may be some additional areas in the house that need to be cleaned such as passageways, a study, etc. The same type of formula can be applied to these areas.

Remember to add check boxes for the cleaner/cleaning team, the client and a supervisor checking the work if necessary. You can also check out our article about how to start a cleaning business for more tips and advice.