Maintaining a rental home is not just about ensuring its aesthetic appeal, but also about preserving its functionality and value over time. Regular upkeep helps create a comfortable and attractive living space, while also reducing the likelihood of major repairs down the line. We’ll give you a checklist, organized by cleaning tasks that should be done weekly, monthly, half-yearly, and yearly. 

General cleaning tips

Every home, big or small, gets dirty. Let’s start off with some general tips and tricks to make cleaning a bit easier.

• Of course, delay is the beginning of defeat. Tackling your cleaning jobs right away saves you time in the end. By regularly doing small tasks, it's easier to keep up.
• Read the instructions for your cleaning products, as some might not be suitable for the material you’re going to clean. Prevent yourself from it getting worse and start reading.
• Always pay attention to your air circulation. Reduce dampness by opening a window or get yourself a dehumidifier. It keeps the air fresh and it prevents the development of mold.

Weekly cleaning tasks

By breaking down tasks into manageable tasks, you make cleaning easier. Prevent your home from building up with dust and mess. Let’s start with the basics you should be giving attention to every week.

• Change your bed sheets.
• Dust off surfaces, including furniture, countertops, and electronics.
• Wipe down kitchen surfaces, appliances, and your sink.
• Empty and clean the refrigerator of expired items and spills.
• Empty all trash cans.
• Clean and disinfect the bathroom surfaces, including the sink, countertop(s), and toilet.
• Scrub the shower floor, its tiles, and grouts to prevent soap scum buildup. Tip: to prevent heavy lime formation, buy a wiper to dry your shower wall after showering. 
• Vacuum and mop the floors.

Monthly cleaning tasks

Of course, you don’t have to clean everything weekly. Once you have a bit more time, check out-of-mind tasks that become more difficult to get clean if you left them unattended.

• Wipe all interior and exterior doors.
• Wipe down the inside and outside of cabinets and drawers.
• Clean the oven, cooking space, microwave, and oven.
• Clean the cooker hood filters.
• Empty and clean the dishwasher filter to prevent clogs. Don’t forget to clean the rubbers. Find a complete step-by-step guide on how to deep clean it here.
• Flush the drains with some vinegar, boiling water, and baking soda. Find a step-by-step guide here.
• Dust and clean the air vents.
• Dust and clean the light fixtures.
• Wash the ventilation hood filters.
• Wipe out and disinfect the recycling bins.
• Deep clean your washing machine and its filters. Don’t forget to clean the rubbers.

Half-yearly cleaning tasks

Semi-annual or seasonal cleaning is perfect to put the focus on more major tasks.

• Clean around the ventilation extractions on ceilings.
• Clean wood furniture.
• Deep clean your oven and microwave.
• Defrost and clean your freezer.
• Descale your coffee maker and kettle.
• Vacuum the mattress and flip or rotate it 180 degrees.
• Wash or dry clean your pillows.
• Wash windows from inside and outside.

Yearly cleaning tasks

Handle this yearly, and you’re good to go.

• Remove deep-seated dirt and stains from your couch and bed.
• Test and replace batteries in smoke detectors.  
• Check if the ventilation filters need replacement. You can't replace these yourself, your property manager will replace these once in a while.

Check-out cleaning tasks

Are you checking out of your home? Check out our 10 cleaning tips you can’t skip when you’re checking out.