Most cleaning business owners think that cleaning checklists are pretty much useless since they are available only for the simplest of cleaning tasks. We don’t consider house cleaning checklists as a tool for increasing efficiency and ensuring consistency. But the power of cleaning schedules and checklists have been proven time and again by the best maids in the industry. Irrespective of a person’s cleaning experience and skillset, checklists reduce the risk of the cleaning agents missing important steps or overlooking customer requests and help them feel confident that they’ve indeed completed a cleaning job like an expert. If you’re looking for ways to create robust house cleaning checklists for your maids, you’re at the right place. In this post, we will list down the steps to update your outdated cleaning checklists, how to go about making the life of your maids a bit easy, and things that can be done to streamline your operations end to end.
What exactly is an ideal cleaning checklist?
An ideal cleaning checklist will outline all value-added activities in the specific process based on the type of cleaning offered i.e., deep cleaning checklist, spring cleaning checklist, and more. It gives cleaning businesses more control over the cleaning process and offers new maids and cleaners a guide that they can fall back on.
Why is it time to update your house cleaning checklist?
Occasionally, everything worthwhile needs to be updated to ensure they don’t become outdated, stale, and irrelevant—it’s just the way of life. And cleaning checklists are no exception. With time, an accurate daily cleaning checklist starts disintegrating and becomes irrelevant.Luckily, just like it’s easy to update your wardrobe, it is easy to update your printable house cleaning checklist. And what’s more, doing so can help you offer consistent cleaning experience to your customers, make it more engaging, and ensure that your new hires stay high spirited throughout their job. Not too shabby, huh?What with the current COVID situation, you can see the value of updating your cleaning lady checklist, what’s your plan of attack? How should you decide which tasks to update and what needs to be untouched?To understand that, you will need to review your existing house cleaning checklist. Given below is a basic cleaning checklist that covers a list of tasks covered by leading cleaning service providers.
Flaws in your existing cleaning checklist
Customer: Date:
Package: Recurrence:
Special Instructions:
Check each section as you complete it and mention N/A if an item does not apply.
Cleaning tasks
❏ Clean bedrooms and kitchen
❏ Wash bathrooms and windows
❏ Scrub floors and carpet
❏ Dust walls and ceilings
❏ Vacuum couches and upholsteryWhile this spring-cleaning checklist covers all important aspects of the home cleaning process, it is too vague and runs the risk of missing out crucial steps in the cleaning process. Giving too little direction for a new cleaning lady can result in an unsatisfactory and inconsistent cleaning experience for your customers.However, cramming too much information into a single checklist isn’t much good either, it can end up in information overload. To prevent that, let’s divide common home cleaning tasks into specific groups based on the room that needs to be cleaned.
Bathroom cleaning checklist
We all know that bacteria multiply in damp environments which is the most common case in most bathrooms. An ideal bathroom cleaning checklist will not ensure that bacteria does not grow and fester but also eliminate the chances of your customers enduring a smelly or unclean bathroom despite being cleaned just a few hours ago.
Declutter the space
❏ Take inventory of items available in the bathroom
❏ Assess the amount of cleaning required
❏ Remove rugs, towels, and bathmats
❏ Empty waste bins and bathtub
❏ Clear vanity and shower rack
Put your gloves on
❏ Take out your cleaning equipment
❏ Mix all-purpose cleaner and water in a bucket
❏ Coat floors, tiles, and sink with warm water
❏ Apply grout cleaner to all surfaces evenly
❏ Allow the cleaning liquid settle for 3-5 mins
It’s time to scrub
❏ Sink and countertops
❏ Floor and tiles
❏ Bathtub and faucets
❏ Toilets (inside and out)
❏ Cabinets and vanity
Make surfaces sparkle
❏ Dust blinds, windowsills, and door panels
❏ Spray lock ledges and baseboards with cleaner
❏ Disinfect cabinets, shower curtain, and mirrors
❏ Clean all mirrors and glasses with microfiber cloth
❏ Sanitize doorknobs and switch plates
❏ Mop the floor with cleaning solution
❏ Give some time for surfaces to dry up
It’s time to replace
❏ Rugs, towels, and air fresheners
❏ Shower caddies and curtains
❏ Bathmats, trash bags, and bins
❏ Clean and disinfect surfaces
Kitchen cleaning checklist
Even people who love cooking hate the thought of cleaning their kitchens as it can seem like a never-ending task. Because, when you look at a grease-filled kitchen you have no clue where to start, much less how to finish cleaning. This handy kitchen cleaning checklist will give you step-by-step directions to make your messy kitchen squeaky clean.
Clear the counter tops
❏ Start clearing items from the right of the stove
❏ Place all dirty dishes in the sink for washing
❏ Soak stove drip pans and knobs in sink
❏ Empty the refrigerator and bin expired items
Go crazy with your spray-zy
❏ Spray liberal amounts of all-purpose cleaner on surfaces
❏ Give countertops and cabinet fronts a nice coat
❏ Allow the cleaning liquid settle for 3-5 mins
It’s time to scrub
❏ Dishes in the sink
❏ Countertops and appliance fronts
❏ Kitchen cabinets (inside and out)
❏ Empty and clean sink inside and around
Make appliances sparkle
❏ Cook a wet sponge in the microwave for 2 mins
❏ Wipe fridge shelves with cleaning-liquid sprayed towel
❏ Disinfect and deep clean your stove and chimney
❏ Give some time for surfaces to dry up
Tips that will do the trick
Before you begin clearing up the kitchen ❏ Drop dirty dishes in a sink filled with soapy water
❏ Number surfaces and appliances for easy cleaning
❏ Mix all-purpose cleaner and water in a bucket
Living room and bedroom cleaning checklist
Even if your customers do a decent job of maintaining their living rooms and keeping them tidy on the surface, their occasional maintenance may not be enough to prevent an intense clean-up every now and then. An ideal maid is always said to have a game plan in mind and this living room and bedroom cleaning checklist will empower them to do just that.
Dust ‘em down
❏ Reposition furniture before you begin dusting
❏ Start dusting the ceiling and wall corners
❏ Clean photographs and other room decor items
❏ Dust down ceiling fans and their blades
❏ Take down light fixtures and dust them well
Fresh up all fabrics
❏ Take down curtains, drapes, and blinds for deep cleaning
❏ Dust and clean out couches, chairs, pouffes, and bed
❏ Collect and clean bedspreads, comforters, and bedsheets
It’s time to vacuum
❏ Unplug and dust down all electronic items in the room
❏ Clean doormats, carpets, and rugs in all rooms
❏ Vacuum doors, TV units, shelves, and showcases
Make all windows go wow
❏ Assemble your window cleaning arsenal
(squeegee, microfibre cloth, towels, bucket, step stool, and brushes)
❏ Dilute window cleaning concentrate in a bucket
❏ Dip washing cloth in the liquid and start cleaning
❏ Use brushes to get grit from corners out of windows
❏ Use abrasive nylon scrubber to clean caked-on grime
Finish with a flourish
Complete the room cleaning process by❏ Straightening up and rearrange furniture in their initial position
❏ Cleaning and replacing bed furnishings and furniture covers
❏ Making bed, folding laundry, and puffing up sofa cushions
❏ Spraying copious amounts of room freshener
Deliver an unforgettable cleaning experience
Irrespective of the amount of cleaning work on a maid’s hand and their experience, he/she already has too much on their plates to waste time scurrying around with printed cleaning checklists and making sure to dot all i’s and cross all t’s. So, rather than adding to the fatigue by managing things the old school way, an automated cleaning checklist can reduce their workload considerably and help solve inherent flaws in your generic house cleaning checklists. Using a cleaning business software like Zuper will make the life of your cleaning personnel easy by clearly listing out tasks that need to be taken care of in each room. What’s more, your maids can access this house cleaning checklist right on their mobile phones and ensure that no critical cleaning tasks fall through the cracks. So, what are you waiting for? Power up your house cleaning checklists and add your own touch of engaging elements by signing up for a free trial of Zuper!
