How to Make a Cleaning Checklist You’ll Actually Use All Year Long
Apartment Therapy’s January Cure is a free 20-day program that’ll help you refresh your home for the year ahead. Sign up here and get all assignments delivered to your inbox.
You can have a to-do list for virtually anything — errands for the day, work-related assignments, and home projects — but nothing makes as much of an impact as having one dedicated to cleaning tasks, especially one that works all year long. That’s why we’re providing you with building blocks to create your very own cleaning checklist that you can use in 2026 (and beyond!).
Day 3: Make a cleaning to-do list.
Today, you’ll be crafting your cleaning to-do list for the year to the best of your ability. You can use pen and paper, jot it down in your Notes app, or sit down and type away at your computer. Just make sure that wherever you’re putting this together, you’ll be able to return to it when you need it.
When it comes to cleaning your home, there will be tasks that you’ll have to do daily, weekly, monthly, and even seasonally. These can be separated or grouped together to your liking. (For your daily and weekly, consider having it posted up somewhere visible, as you’ll be referring to it more frequently.)
Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Cleaning Tasks
Put together things that you clean regularly as well as ones that need to be cleaned just once a week or month. For instance, you might wash the dishes every night and clean your sheets every week, but only clean your blinds monthly. Here are some guides to help you put together your very own to-do list.
Seasonal Cleaning Tasks
There are certain things that need to be taken care of as the seasons change. Consult the following checklists and add anything that makes sense for your home!
Keep adding to your lists as you remember tasks that need to be taken care of — or that you’ve already done! It’s OK to put something you’ve taken care of previously because it shows how much you’ve gotten done so far.
What made it onto your cleaning to-do list? Tell us in the community forum.
More ways to participate in the January Cure:
- Sign up for email updates.
- Visit the 2026 January Cure page and catch up on assignments.
- Download the January Cure calendar.
- Activate your free membership to talk about all things Cure in our community forum, check off completed tasks, and track your overall January Cure progress!
The Cure Program is a tradition here at Apartment Therapy — it happens every January, April, and September. Click here to learn more about the year-round program and when to sign up.