A clean and well-organized home starts with maintaining the tiniest details around it. Well, realistically, no one will remember every single task every day. To maintain the absolute pristine quality of your home, you should maintain a task list that ensures no corner gets neglected with housekeeping.

You may ask why it is so important to maintain this list. No one likes to frantically scrub parts of your house five minutes before the guests arrive. Cleaning your home without a task list is like baking a cake without a recipe — a disaster! Consistent cleaning avoids buildup and ensures your home is always neat, fresh, and supreme.

In this blog, we will walk you through all the essential information you need to know to make your own housekeeping checklist. You may ask why it is so important to maintain this list.

No one likes to frantically scrub parts of your house five minutes before the guests arrive.

Housekeeping staff member cleaning a metal kitchen rack at a sink in a well-lit modern kitchen, wearing gloves and a uniform.

Daily Housekeeping Responsibilities for a Spotless Home

Tackling small challenges and tasks every day is the secret to maintaining a polished home environment. These daily tasks contribute to a huge difference. You can consider it as an extra dose of home TLC. These keep the chaos away or at least guest-ready:

Kitchen

Countertops: Wipe them down after any spill, or any sticky spots before it gets stubborn.
Wash the Dishes: Wash the dishes as soon as you’re done with your meals. Procrastinating is just going to overwhelm future you.
Clean Sinks: Wash the sink with a separate scrubber once you’re done with the dishes.

Living Room

Pick Out Strays: Pick up any stray items from the floor and put them in their spot before going to bed.
Quick Dusting: Dust behind the curtains or the side of the sofas to keep the surfaces dust-free.
Tabletops: Wipe off any dust or spots on your coffee table as they can get pretty dirty without you even knowing.

Bedroom

Make the Bed: A task that can instantly transform your messy room into a clean haven. Make sure you tidy up those sheets as you wake up. Besides, sliding into a neat duvet at night just feels right, doesn’t it?
Clear Clutter: Nightstands are not the place for you to dump stuff on.
Organize Surfaces: Tidy up your closet and pick up that charger that mysteriously ended up on the floor. This gives your room a nice, clean finish.

Weekly Housekeeping Responsibilities to Maintain Cleanliness

While daily responsibilities can keep your house pretty organized and help your house visually look clean, weekly cleaning helps get rid of the germs lurking around in corners.

Kitchen

Appliances: An easy step such as wiping down the appliances can make them look as good as new. Make sure to get in the nooks and crannies and clean out the grimy stuff.
Mop Floors: Mop the floors to restore their shiny, squeaky surface.

Bathroom

Disinfect and Wipe: Disinfect commonly used surfaces like basins, toilet handles, and faucets. If you live in a place where the supply is hard water, make sure to wipe down the glass surfaces or tiles to avoid the white, scaly residue.
Clean Mirrors: No one likes smudgy mirror selfies. So wipe down those mirrors every day to get that shiny, sparkly reflection every morning. We suggest the Sprayway Glass Cleaner for a streak-free finish.
Replace Towels: Fresh towels are so pleasant and free of bacteria and germs. So make sure to replace your towels weekly.

General Areas

Vacuum Carpets: Vacuum your carpets and mop the floors, if necessary.
Dust Light Fixtures: No one would want those dimly lit rooms because of lamps and lights covered in a blanket of dust. Make sure to dust them to keep your room glowing.

Wash Bedding and Linens

Bedsheets: Bedsheets can soak up a lot of dust, grease, and gunk from your body. Make sure to change your bed sheets, duvet covers, and pillow covers weekly.

Seasonal Housekeeping Responsibilities for a Fresh Start

Just like the weather changes with varying seasons, the needs of your home change a lot too. Here is a seasonal cleaning checklist to stay on top of your home’s deep-cleaning needs.

Spring

The arrival of spring suggests a thorough deep cleaning of your carpets and packing away those chilly winter clothes. Make sure to sanitize dust-prone areas to keep your home fresh-smelling and neat.

Two housekeeping staff members working in a modern dining area: one cleaning a dining table while the other mops the floor, both wearing gloves and uniforms.

Summers

With the arrival of summer, come the bugs. Repair your windows to make sure the bugs stay where they belong— outside. Ceiling fans are a lifesaver but can easily build up a ton of dust. Make sure to dust and wipe them off.

Fall

Fall invites coziness with it. To keep your air clean and warm, make sure to clean out the filters from the HVAC systems and schedule a maintenance check. Clean out the gutters by removing the leaves and debris that can clog the pipes.

Winters

Those chilly winters need heating systems. Maintain the HVAC systems to warm you up for the entire season. The holidays are coming up, so make sure to clean and decorate your house to enjoy the Christmas Spirit.

Specialized Housekeeping for a Well-Maintained Home

Each home has its own special needs for maintaining cleanliness. So a standardized list of clean homes may not be enough for every household. Whether it’s managing your furry friend, or maintaining beloved furniture, here are some special tasks for you to choose from to customize your cleaning checklist:

Cleaning Up After Pets

Vacuum Pet Hair Weekly: Pet hair can get easily stuck on the carpets and curtains. Vacuuming the surface ensures a fur-free zone and your carpets are clean always.
Clean Litter Boxes Daily: Litter boxes or cages, your pet’s habitat should be cleaned daily to avoid foul smell and dirt.

Organizing Garage and Outdoor Spaces

Decluttering the Garage: Garages can become a dump site real quick. Sort items into categories, and store them neatly. Always run through with a check regularly to throw any unwanted items.
Outdoor Space Maintenance: Sweep off the patio and wash up the furniture to keep your outdoor space always ready and welcoming for any upcoming get-togethers.

Deep Cleaning Upholstered Furniture

Vacuum: Vacuum hard-to-reach crevices and spaces and remove any dust, dirt, or debris from the furniture.
Spot Clean Stains: Use any type of fabric-safe cleaner to tackle any spills immediately before they set in. Make sure to test on a small inconspicuous site first to avoid damage.
Steam Cleaning: Steam cleaning fabric every once in a while gets rid of allergens and dust— making your furniture look brand new.

When To Call Vella

It can be quite a task to master the daily, weekly, and seasonal responsibilities and to have the consistency to do all of them. But these practices are how you maintain the pristine quality of your home. With a structured routine, you’ll find yourself naturally doing these tasks as it is like your second nature.

Understandably, life can get tough and the tasks may keep on piling up. That’s where professional housekeeping services like Vella come in handy. Whether you need a little help around the house or a full-on house rejuvenation, we ensure that no corner of your home is left untreated. So why wait any further? Book your first cleaning service today.

A clean dishwasher is the hallmark of a clean kitchen. You can’t expect clean dishes from a clogged, stained, and unhygienic dishwasher. It is a common misconception that since the dishwasher is a dish-cleaning tool, it doesn’t need specific cleaning. But it couldn’t be more wrong.

Your dishwasher needs regular maintenance for optimal performance. Cleaning your dishwasher frequently saves you money on repairs, keeps your dishes truly clean, and ensures the appliance runs efficiently for years.

A dirty dishwasher can lead to foul smells, clogged drains, inefficient washing cycles, and decreased lifespan of the appliance. So you need to ensure that no debris or detergent residue is clogging the filter or spray arms and seeping odors into your dishes.

Discover effective techniques to clean your dishwasher, just like the professionals, for sparkling dishes and a fresh kitchen every day

Don’t worry, cleaning the dishwasher is not as overwhelming as you think. In this blog, we will share the tried and tested dishwasher cleaning tips from Vella’s professional housekeepers. Here are the essential steps to deep clean your dishwasher:

Step 1: Gather Your Cleaning Supplies

A set of customized cleaning supplies can cut the time and energy expenditure of the cleaning process in half. It also gives a long-lasting effect and professional finish. Before rolling up your sleeves, make sure you have all the necessary cleaning tools available at arm’s length. Here’s what you’ll need for a DIY dishwasher cleaning:

White vinegar: The acid dissolves grease and mineral deposits.
Baking soda: Excellent for scrubbing and odor elimination.
Soft cloth or sponge: For wiping down surfaces without leaving a scratch.
Toothbrush: Ideal for hard-to-reach areas.
Dish soap: For tackling stubborn grease.
Toothpicks or wire: Useful for unclogging spray arm holes.

Step 2: Empty the Dishwasher

Next, you need to empty everything from the dishwasher. Make sure no little spoons or forks are stuck in there. It is also beneficial to familiarize yourself with the basic parts of the dishwasher before you start your deep cleaning session.

Step 3: Clean the Spray Arms and Racks

The spray arms are responsible for distributing water during the wash cycle. Over time, food particles can clog its tiny holes. This reduces water pressure leaving your dishes not cleaned properly.

Steps to remove and clean spray arms:

Gently detach the spray arms. Refer to your dishwasher’s manual for the exact process. Most spray arms can be unscrewed or snapped off easily.

Use a toothpick or small brush to clear blockages. You can use a little bit of Seventh Generation dish soap to remove debris and stains.
Rinse them under running water and reattach them securely.

Next up is the racks. They are pretty easy to slide out. Just clean them like you would clean a normal stainless steel piece. Use dish soap and the soft side of Sponge Daddy to get the job done.

Step 4: Clean the Filter

The dishwasher filter is what traps food particles and debris from the dishes, preventing them from clogging the drain. Over time, the filter gets coated with grease and grime, and filled with food particles that rot in the corner leading to unpleasant odors and decreased efficiency.

The filter is usually located at the bottom of the dishwasher.

Gently twist and lift it out.
Run the filter under the faucet
Use dish soap or dishwashing liquid.
Use a brush to get into the crevices.
Once clean, securely place it back in the dishwasher.

As a rule of thumb, clean the filter at least once a month. This helps maintain proper drainage and prevents blockages.

Step 5: Wipe Down the Interior

Next comes the interior surface of your dishwasher. This part accumulates soap scum, water spots, and food splashes over time.

To clean the interior, mix warm water with a few drops of dish soap. This diluted solution can easily be soaked up in a soft towel and then used to wipe down the metal surfaces. Don’t forget to wipe the walls and door too.

The rubber seals around the door are prone to mold and mildew. Use a toothbrush to scrub these areas thoroughly. Do not take the entire rubber off in one go though. Lift a part of the rubber at a time and wipe around it Continue this process until you are done.

After a complete wipe down with soap water, discard the liquid and clean the towel under the faucet. Now go for a second round of wiping with a plain water-damped cloth. Follow it with a third round of wiping with a dry microfiber towel. The final step helps get rid of the tiny water dots.

Step 6: Clean the Dishwasher Door and Exterior

Don’t forget the exterior of your dishwasher! Fingerprints, food splashes, and grease can make it look unsightly. We suggest you treat the exterior part of the dishwasher as your cabinet doors and keep wiping it once a week at least.

Use a damp microfiber cloth to gently wipe the control panel and door. Don’t forget to check the nooks and corners around the door seal. Also, to prevent damage to sensitive buttons, stick to mild soap and water.

As usual, the last wipe should be with a dry cloth for a streak-free finish.

Step 7: Run a Cleaning Cycle

Now that everything is hand-cleaned, you need to run a cleaning cycle. This will take care of any lingering odors and bacteria. A dishwasher-safe cleaner or a mixture of vinegar and baking soda will help you reboot your device after the deep clean.

How to use vinegar and baking soda to run a cleaning cycle?

Vinegar cycle: Place a cup of white vinegar in a dishwasher-safe bowl on the top rack. Run a hot water cycle to deodorize your dishwasher.
Baking soda cycle: Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher. Run a short cycle to freshen up the interior.

Step 8: Regular Maintenance Schedule and Tips for Ongoing Care

Although a deep clean gives the most amount of satisfaction a regular cleanup helps you to maximize the time between each deep clean session. Here is what to do:

Inspect spray arms weekly.
Prevent mold growth by cleaning the door seals every few weeks.
Prevent debris buildup by cleaning the filter regularly.

Professional cleaning crew ready to help with all your needs, including tips on how to clean your dishwasher for a spotless and fresh kitchen

Why Vella is the Go-To Service for Dishwasher Cleaning

At Vella, we understand that sometimes a professional touch is necessary. That’s why we’ve built a team of experts who know how to handle cleaning from the inside out. We focus our best on quality so you feel great even weeks after we’ve done our job.

Our experienced team specializes in deep cleaning dishwashers, using eco-friendly cleaning products and advanced techniques to restore your appliance’s efficiency and freshness. We love it when you can’t tell if it’s a new appliance or an old one that just underwent a Vella deep clean. From filters to spray arms, we handle every detail to ensure your dishwasher operates at its best.

Explore our professional cleaning services to see how we can make your home maintenance effortless. We guarantee that your guests will ask for your cleaner’s contact number the next time they visit.