The 6/10 Cleaning Checklist

Posted on by Oakville Maids

Hello and welcome to Oakville Maids! This is our first official article about cleaning and we’re so excited to start our cleaning blog with the 6/10 cleaning checklist!

The 6/10 cleaning checklist is a trendy checklist in the cleaning community. We’re all for sharing checklists and tips to help you with daily cleaning.

We know it’s not easy to take care of a home, no matter how small or big it is. This is why we always recommend getting a professional cleaning service in Oakville, Ontario if you need a break from cleaning and organizing your home.

However, we understand that you also need to do some light cleaning every day, or once or twice a week. And we know that checklists and guides are effective to help you stay on track.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

 

What is the 6/10 Cleaning Checklist?

The 6/10 cleaning checklist will help you keep track of all the areas and tasks that you need to clean every day, and also those you need to take care of once a week.

This method started on TikTok by the account ‘Organized Chaos’ and it gained so much popularity recently.

With this method, you will keep track of the essentials that you need to clean in a day, in a week, and even monthly and quarterly.

This checklist assigns 6 essential cleaning tasks to perform each day, 10 for the week and, optionally, 4 more to do once a month and 6 tasks each quarter.

Before we continue, remember this is just a guide and every household is a different world. Feel free to adapt this checklist or any other guide to what works for you and your family.

 

Why Is it Helpful to Follow a 6/10 Cleaning Checklist?

The 6/10 cleaning checklist can help you stay on track and only clean exactly what you need during the day or the week. The secret to good house cleaning is keeping consistency.

If you start cleaning without a plan, you can either forget the things you need to clean, or you can overdo it and then skip cleaning the next day from being tired or overwhelmed.

If you’re a busy, hardworking individual, you know how hard it is to keep focus and finish everything on time.

If you have a lot going on right now or if you want to start easy, focus on 2 or 3 areas out of the daily 6.

 

The 6 Daily Tasks of Your 6/10 Checklist

Let’s start with the 6 daily tasks.

Make beds

Making beds every day is a fantastic idea to keep your home tidy and make sure your pillows are nice and fresh before you go to bed at night.

While you’re at it, you can also quickly vacuum your bed with a handheld vacuum cleaner and spritz a bit of water and vinegar or rubbing alcohol.

Wash dishes

Washing dishes is an important daily task. If you start accumulating dishes on the sink and they go more than a day or two, this will only cause frustration and overwhelm you.

If possible, let your pots and pans soak for a while using hot, soapy water to speed up the process.

Scrub sink

After washing your dishes, it’s important to scrub your sink to prevent bacteria and mold from growing. Also, depending on where you live, you might have to deal with hard water. In certain areas such as Oakville, hard water is a problem in many homes, and that causes limescale.

After doing your dishes, make sure you scrub your sink. Just dampen a cloth with equal parts of vinegar and hot water and then wipe again with a dry cloth.

Wipe counters

Wiping counters is very important to avoid bacteria. Of course, focus on the surfaces where you spend the most time around, and the surfaces where you cook or prepare food. Counters are sort of a silent killer because they start building up dust and grease and before you know it, you have to spend hours cleaning and scrubbing.

Vacuum floors

Vacuuming floors daily, believe it or not, is a fantastic way to help you save time.

Usually, we cleaning experts recommend vacuuming your floors at least once a week. If you live with pets and dogs, you should increase this frequency to twice a week or every other day.

One load of laundry

Doing one load of laundry every day might not seem like a great idea. However, this can be very helpful if you never find the right time to do it during the week.

You end up having to do many loads of laundry during the weekend which is never fun.

By doing one load of laundry, you build a healthy habit and will balance out washing everyone’s clothes, leaving the weekend free to wash your linens.

 

The 10 Weekly Tasks of the 6/10 Cleaning Checklist

Let’s move on to the weekly tasks. Again, try to find the time that works for you to accomplish these tasks.

Maybe it’s going to be five on Saturday and five on Sunday. Maybe it’s going to be all 10 on a single day. Whatever the case is, feel free to try different combinations until you figure out what works for you. For example, you can sort these tasks into categories by area (e.g. bathroom, kitchen) or by task (wiping, tidying, mopping/sweeping).

    • Wipe Out Fridge: this task might seem intimidating but it’s easier than you think. It should take you around 10 to 15 minutes. Just take everything out of your fridge, quickly wash drawers and shelves, and wipe the walls of your fridge with a microfiber cloth.

    • Wipe Out Microwave: microwaves can harbor smells, grease and bacteria. Microwaving a bowl with water and the juice of a lemon, or 1/4 cup of white vinegar, should loosen up all the grease and dirt.

    • Tidy Pantry: like your cabinets, your pantry is in contact with grease and dust and it’s much better to take 10 minutes every week to keep your pantry clean and tidy, rather than two or three hours each month.

    • Mop Floors: you should mop floors once a week because of two main reasons. First, every piece of dust and crumbs falls directly to the floors. Second, mops are a telltale sign that your home is dirty or clean, because they are a big, flat surface.

    • Clean Bathrooms: we all know bathrooms are dreaded areas when it comes to cleaning. But doing it once a week should be more than enough. Here’s Oakville Maids’ secret: always spray your shower after each use with a 1:1 white vinegar and water mix. This will prevent limescale buildup and will clean soap scum away.

    • Clean Sink Drains: it’s important to take preventive measures with sink drains. You don’t want to see your sink clogged with food scraps and other debris.

    • Dust Furniture: dusting your furniture is important because it slowly builds up on top of your couch, your TV stand and your shelves. Soon, it’s going to cause allergies, and give a bad look to your home. Using a duster or a microfiber cloth with just a spritz of rubbing alcohol is more than enough.

    • Wash Bedding: washing your bedding once a week is enough to keep your bedding clean and avoid excessive sweat and bacteria in your bed.

    • Tidy Car: we all know our cars can quickly become a battleground if we don’t take care of them properly. Pro tip: get yourself a handheld vacuum cleaner. This won’t only help you around your home, but it’s particularly helpful with your car because of all the nooks and crannies.

    • Clean pet’s bowls: your pet bowls need care because they’re going to get dirty at the end of the week. Clean them thoroughly using hot water, and let them dry before adding food again to their bowls.

 

The 4 Monthly and 6 Quarterly Tasks to Complete Your 6/10 Cleaning Checklist

Last but not least, there are tasks that go beyond a monthly or weekly basis. This guide is especially helpful because you tend to forget your monthly and quarterly tasks.

Monthly Tasks

    • Scrub Showers: showers need to be cleaned once a month because they’re one of the strongest sources of bacteria.

    • Deep Clean Appliances: as you know, appliances will start looking terrible after a month or so. This happens especially with microwaves and regular ovens.

    • Clean out Garage: keep a close eye on your Garage! It’s a space that you don’t really use that often and that, before you notice, it’s cluttered and filled with dust.

    • Vacuum out Vehicles: vehicles are an important part of our lives. Most days, we spend a few hours each day using them and they slowly gather dust and even used napkins and cups. Having a handheld vacuum cleaner is perfect to clean out your vehicle and they also double up as a cleaner for nooks and crannies in your home.

Quarterly Tasks

    • Wipe Baseboards/Doors: baseboards and doors are the secret between a house cleaned by a professional vs an amateur. You’re going to tell the difference quickly once you see your baseboards and doors look shiny and polished. White vinegar or rubbing alcohol with one drop of olive oil usually does the job here.

    • Clean Fans & Lights: similar to your baseboards and doors, cleaning your fans and light fixtures once every quarter should be enough to remove dust and cobwebs.

    • Clean Windows: windows are tricky to clean sometimes. Try to choose a time during the day when it’s not too sunny, but not too cloudy. You want time for the windows to dry rather slowly to avoid streaks and water spots.

    • Clean Furniture: after 3 months, just dusting your furniture is not going to cut it. Vacuuming is usually the first step in cleaning your furniture. Depending on the type of furniture and material, you might need to scrub the surface with a sponge or a scrubber. You might also need to add oil or lubricant to drawers or cabinets. Always try cleaning solutions and tools in a small area first.

    • Change Air Filter: air filters are one of the most important items in your home. There are so many respiratory and comfort issues that you can go through if your air filters are broken or in need of a replacement. If you live in Oakville, Ontario, you probably know that pollution levels are moderate. Replacing the air filter and cleaning the vents will improve air circulation and your system’s efficiency.

    • Wipe down Cabinets: keep those bathroom and kitchen cabinets looking nice and clean by wiping them down once every quarter. People usually forget to clean the top of their upper cabinets, for example. With your kitchen cabinets, you will probably need to add a drop of dish soap or degreaser.

 

Conclusion

We all know life gets in the way and it’s not easy to keep a structure. With the 6/10 cleaning checklist, you can rest assured that your home will always remain tidy.

As always, don’t forget to check Oakville Maids if you need a maid service to help you out. Professional cleaners have an eye for cleaning obvious and not-so-obvious areas.

After hiring a professional cleaning service, you can learn a few tips to incorporate into your routine. Or, you can hire a recurring service and forget about cleaning permanently!

We will be back soon with more tips!