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How often should you clean your house? A room-by-room schedule
Short answer: The things public-health agencies put a number on are mostly weekly: vacuum carpets and furniture and wash bedding in hot water every week (EPA)[2], and clean weekly in an older home that may have lead paint (EPA)[3]. High-touch surfaces should be cleaned regularly and after visitors (CDC)[1], kitchen sponges swapped or sanitized daily[5], smoke alarms tested monthly[9], and the dryer vent cleaned yearly[7]. A deep clean once or twice a year covers the rest. In practice that's what a professional clean every two weeks plus a mid-week vacuum gets you.
Updated 2026-10-22. Frequencies marked with a source number come from that source (read on 2026-10-22); ones marked Wrenly suggestion are our own advice as a cleaning service. Prices come from our live price list. Disclosure: Wrenly Home sells house cleaning in the Peoria, IL area.
The cleaning schedule, task by task
The last column says whether a Wrenly Home visit does that task, so you can see what's left for you between visits. Full lists are on what's included.
Every day (or as it happens)
| Task | How often | Why / source | In a Wrenly visit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wipe up kitchen spills, crumbs and dirty dishes | Right away | EPA: clean dishes, crumbs and spills right away, part of keeping out pests whose droppings trigger asthma[2]; fridge spills, especially from thawing meat, should be wiped up immediately[4] | Counters, sink and stovetop each visit; dishes only up to one sink load |
| Dish sponge, dish cloth or scrub brush | Swap for a clean one daily | Illinois Extension recommends a clean one every day[5]. A wet, metal-free sponge microwaved for 1 minute or run through the dishwasher kills over 99.99% of bacteria in USDA tests[6] | No |
| Check leftovers in the fridge | Daily | FDA: check leftovers daily for spoilage; keep the fridge at 40 °F or below[4] | No |
| Run the bathroom fan while showering | Every shower | Use an exhaust fan or open a window; dry damp things within 1-2 days; keep humidity at 30-50%[2] | No |
Regularly, and after visitors
| Task | How often | Why / source | In a Wrenly visit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-touch surfaces: light switches, doorknobs, countertops | Regularly and after you have visitors | CDC guidance; clean more often if someone at home gets sick easily[1] | Yes, every visit |
| Disinfect | When someone is sick (after cleaning first) | CDC: disinfecting at home is likely not needed unless someone is sick or at higher risk[1] | Bathrooms disinfected every visit |
Every load of laundry
| Task | How often | Why / source | In a Wrenly visit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dryer lint filter | Before or after every load | The leading cause of home dryer fires is failure to clean them[7] | No |
Every week
| Task | How often | Why / source | In a Wrenly visit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wash bedding in hot water | Weekly | EPA, to control dust mites[2] | No (laundry isn't included); beds made, or linens changed if you leave fresh ones out |
| Vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture | Weekly | EPA[2]; a HEPA vacuum helps | Carpets and rugs every visit; upholstery no |
| Dust with a damp cloth | Often (weekly is a good floor) | EPA: "dust often with a damp cloth"[2] | Reachable surfaces, sills and ledges every visit |
| Wet-mop hard floors, wipe window sills (homes built before 1978) | Weekly | EPA: if you know or suspect lead-based paint, clean weekly to minimize dust[3] | Floors every visit; sills and tracks in a deep clean |
| Toilets, sinks, tub and shower, mirrors | Weekly | Wrenly suggestion | Yes, every visit |
| Kitchen counters, sink, stovetop, microwave | Weekly (counters daily) | Wrenly suggestion | Yes, every visit |
| Take out trash and recycling | Weekly, or as it fills | Wrenly suggestion | Yes, every visit |
Every month
| Task | How often | Why / source | In a Wrenly visit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test smoke alarms | Monthly | USFA[9] | No |
| Furnace / AC air filter | Inspect, clean or change monthly | ENERGY STAR: a dirty filter raises energy costs and can damage equipment[8] | No |
| Clean out the fridge | Frequently; monthly is a workable rhythm | FDA: "clean the fridge out frequently"[4]; monthly is Wrenly suggestion | Inside the fridge in a move-out clean only |
Every 6-12 months
| Task | How often | Why / source | In a Wrenly visit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep clean: baseboards, doors, ceiling fans, vents, blinds, window tracks, grout | Once or twice a year, and before starting regular cleaning | Wrenly suggestion | Yes, a deep clean |
| Inside cabinets and drawers | Once a year, or when you move | Wrenly suggestion | Move-out / move-in clean |
| Dryer vent pipe | Once a year, or sooner if clothes take longer to dry | NFPA; in winter also check the outdoor vent flap isn't covered by snow[7] | No |
| Smoke alarm batteries (9-volt and hardwired backup) | At least once a year; replace the alarm every 10 years | USFA[9] | No |
| Chimney and wood stove | Inspected every year by a certified professional | EPA[2] | No |
Want it on paper? The printable recurring cleaning checklist splits the same jobs into daily, weekly, every-two-weeks and monthly, and the deep cleaning checklist covers the once-or-twice-a-year list room by room.
How often to book a professional clean
If you want the weekly items covered without doing them yourself, book weekly. Most households split it: a professional clean every two weeks, and a quick vacuum and bathroom wipe in the week between. Monthly works for a tidy home with no pets where you're keeping up the weekly items yourself. What each schedule costs for a 3-bedroom, 2-bath home with Wrenly Home:
| Schedule | Per visit (3 bed) | About per month | Weekly items you'd still do yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every week | $149 | $646 | Bedding, upholstery |
| Every 2 weeks | $165 | $358 | Bedding, upholstery, plus a vacuum and bathroom wipe in the off week |
| Once a month | $199 | $199 | Most weekly items in three of four weeks |
The first visit of any plan is a deep clean ($269 for a 3-bedroom home), because a home that hasn't been professionally cleaned in a while needs the once-or-twice-a-year list done first. More on choosing a schedule: recurring cleaning.
Older Peoria homes: when weekly cleaning matters more
The EPA says homes built before 1978 are more likely to have lead-based paint, and that dust from it is one of the most common sources of lead exposure at home. If you know or suspect your home has lead paint, the EPA's advice is to clean weekly: wipe countertops, window sills and door jambs with a damp sponge or cloth, wet-mop floors, and skip steel wool, scouring pads and abrasive cleaners[3].
That applies to a lot of local homes. In Census estimates for 2020-2024, 54.9% of housing units in the city of Peoria were built before 1970 and 69.0% before 1980; across the Peoria metro area it's 53.2% and 70.6%[10]. (The Census groups years by decade, so the pre-1978 share sits between those two numbers.)
Routine cleaning reduces dust; it isn't lead testing, inspection or abatement, and Wrenly cleaners don't do those. Chipping or peeling paint in a pre-1978 home is a job for a certified lead professional (see the EPA page[3]).
Illinois winter adjustments
- Entry floors: salt and slush get tracked in from late fall to spring, so vacuum and damp-mop entries more often than the rest of the house, and wipe salt residue off hardwood and tile.
- Furnace filter: check it monthly while the furnace runs[8].
- Dryer vent: make sure the outdoor vent flap isn't covered by snow[7].
- Humidity: keep indoor humidity between 30% and 50%[2]; if you run a humidifier in winter, clean it as its maker says.
- Fall deep clean: furnace season moves dust onto vents, baseboards and blinds, which is why many people book a deep clean in October or November.
Frequently asked questions
How often should you have your house cleaned?
There's no official schedule for a whole house, but the guidance for the parts that matter most is weekly: the EPA says to vacuum carpets and furniture every week and wash bedding in hot water once a week, and to clean weekly in older homes that may have lead paint. Most households get there with a professional clean every two weeks plus a quick vacuum in between; homes with kids, pets or allergies often go weekly. For a 3-bedroom home with Wrenly Home that's $165 every two weeks or $149 weekly.
How often should you deep clean your house?
Our suggestion is once or twice a year (many people do it in spring and in fall, before furnace season), plus whenever you start regular cleaning, move in or move out. A deep clean covers what weekly cleaning skips: baseboards, doors, fans, vents, blinds, window tracks and shower grout. A Wrenly deep clean is $175-$429 by size.
How often should you wash your sheets?
Once a week in hot water, then dry completely. That's the EPA's advice for controlling dust mites, which live in mattresses, pillows and bedding and can trigger asthma and allergies. Dust-proof covers on pillows and mattresses help too.
How often should you clean the bathroom?
We suggest weekly for toilets, sinks, the tub or shower and mirrors, which is what a weekly or every-two-weeks clean covers, with a wipe of the sink in between. Run the exhaust fan when you shower and keep humidity at 30-50%, as the EPA recommends, so mold has less chance to grow.
How often should you vacuum?
Weekly for carpets and upholstered furniture, per the EPA's dust-mite guidance, and more often in entryways in winter when salt and slush get tracked in. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter if someone at home has asthma or allergies, and have them leave the room while you vacuum.
How often should you replace or clean a kitchen sponge?
Swap the sponge, dish cloth or scrub brush for a clean one every day (University of Illinois Extension). If you reuse a sponge, sanitize it daily: microwave it fully wet (no metal) for 1 minute or run it through the dishwasher; in USDA tests these killed 99.99999% and 99.9998% of bacteria.
How often should you clean high-touch surfaces like doorknobs and light switches?
Regularly and after you have visitors, according to the CDC, and more often if someone at home gets sick easily. Plain soap or detergent cleaning removes most germs; the CDC says disinfecting is likely not needed unless someone is sick or at higher risk.
How often should you change your furnace filter?
ENERGY STAR says to inspect, clean or change air filters in your furnace, central AC or heat pump once a month. In Peoria that matters most from late fall through winter, when the furnace runs daily.
Sources
- CDC, When and How to Clean and Disinfect Your Home (January 31, 2025). https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/about/when-and-how-to-clean-and-disinfect-your-home.html. Accessed 2026-10-22.
- U.S. EPA, Asthma Triggers: Gain Control (dust mites, molds, pests; last updated July 6, 2026). https://www.epa.gov/asthma/asthma-triggers-gain-control. Accessed 2026-10-22.
- U.S. EPA, Reduce the Risk of Lead Exposure at Home (last updated October 5, 2026). https://www.epa.gov/lead/protect-your-family-sources-lead. Accessed 2026-10-22.
- U.S. FDA, Refrigerator Thermometers: Cold Facts about Food Safety. https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/refrigerator-thermometers-cold-facts-about-food-safety. Accessed 2026-10-22.
- University of Illinois Extension, A guide to keeping your sponges, dish rags and scrub brushes clean (May 3, 2024). https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/simply-nutritious-quick-and-delicious/2024-05-03-guide-keeping-your-sponges-dish-rags-and. Accessed 2026-10-22.
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, Best Ways to Clean Kitchen Sponges (April 23, 2007, archived). https://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2007/070423.htm. Accessed 2026-10-22.
- NFPA, Clothes Dryer Safety tip sheet (2018). https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/project/storefront/catalog/files/safety-tip-sheets/dryersafetytips.pdf. Accessed 2026-10-22.
- ENERGY STAR, Heating and cooling maintenance checklist. https://www.energystar.gov/saveathome/heating-cooling/maintenance-checklist. Accessed 2026-10-22.
- U.S. Fire Administration, Smoke alarms. https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/home-fires/prepare-for-fire/smoke-alarms/. Accessed 2026-10-22.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25034 (year structure built, all housing units), via Census Reporter. https://censusreporter.org/tables/B25034/. Accessed 2026-10-22.
If anything here is out of date, email landonking0809@gmail.com and we'll correct it.