Guide
How often should you clean? A simple chore frequency guide
There is no single right answer: a flat-share, a family with a dog and someone living alone all need different rhythms. The table below is common household guidance, a starting point to adjust, not a set of rules.
Updated 17 October 2026
The chore frequency table
Do things more often with children, pets, allergies or more people at home, and less often if you live alone or are away a lot. For fabrics and appliances, the care label and the manual come first.
| Chore | How often |
|---|---|
| Every day | |
| Wash the dishes or run the dishwasherOr whenever the dishwasher is full. | Daily |
| Wipe kitchen counters and the hob | Daily, after cooking |
| Make the bedTwo minutes, and the room looks done. | Daily |
| Quick tidy of the main roomTen minutes before bed is plenty. | Daily |
| A few times a week | |
| Take out the kitchen binMore often in warm weather. | When full, often 2–3 times a week |
| Wash dishcloths and tea towelsSwap kitchen sponges every week or two. | Every few days |
| Vacuum busy areasHallways, kitchen, where pets sleep. | 1–2 times a week |
| Every week | |
| LaundryMore often with children, sport or a small machine. | Weekly |
| Change the bed sheetsWeekly if you have allergies or pets on the bed. | Every 1–2 weeks |
| Wash bath towelsRoughly weekly; hang them to dry between uses. | After 3–4 uses |
| Clean the bathroom: toilet, sink, showerA midweek wipe of the sink and toilet helps in shared homes. | Weekly |
| Vacuum the whole home | Weekly |
| Mop hard floorsThe kitchen floor may need it more often. | Every 1–2 weeks |
| Dust surfaces | Every 1–2 weeks |
| Clean the microwave | Weekly, or after a spill |
| Check the fridge and throw out old foodJust before the big shop works well. | Weekly |
| Every month | |
| Wipe out the fridge shelves and drawersA full empty-and-clean every 3–4 months. | Monthly |
| Clean the dishwasher filterCheck your dishwasher's manual. | Monthly |
| Run a maintenance wash in the washing machineLeave the door open afterwards to dry. | Monthly |
| Wash the bath mat and shower curtain | Monthly |
| Vacuum under furniture and sofa cushions | Monthly |
| Every few months | |
| Clean the ovenSooner if you roast or bake a lot. | Every 3–6 months |
| Descale the kettleIn hard-water areas; less often in soft. | Every 1–3 months |
| Wash pillows and the duvetFollow the care label. | Pillows 2–3 times a year, duvet 1–2 |
| Wash the windows | Inside every few months, outside about twice a year |
| Turn or rotate the mattressIf the maker recommends it. | Every 3–6 months |
Turning the table into a week
A list of frequencies is only half a plan. A few habits make it something you can actually keep:
- Keep the daily list tiny. Four short jobs you really do beat ten you skip.
- Give fixed jobs a fixed day. Bin day, sheets on Sunday, the big shop on Saturday.
- Spread the weekly jobs. One or two per day instead of a whole Saturday of cleaning.
- Park the monthly jobs somewhere with a date, so they come back to you instead of waiting to be remembered.
That is exactly what Cadie does. Paste in the chores you want to keep up with, and she turns the weekly ones into a plan around your work and sleep. The less frequent jobs go on your to-do list with a date and a reminder. See how the chore planner works.
