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How Often Should Items in Your Parents' Home Get Cleaned?

During the pandemic, the CDC recommended wiping down all surfaces in the home each day. This leads to questions about how often things should be cleaned within the home. What do experts say about changing sheets, shampooing or vacuuming carpets, and cleaning the refrigerator?

Daily Chores

Each day, you should be washing dishes, wiping down counters, and cleaning the stovetop. You should also wipe down the rim, toilet handle, and toilet seat with a disinfectant each day. You want areas where you’re using them regularly to be clean and sterile.

Some people make their beds each day. This is up to you. A study back in 2012 found that UV light can help kill dust mites. If you suffer from dust allergies, leaving the bed unmade and opening the curtains to let in sunlight may be advantageous for you.

If you use a sponge to wash dishes, spray them with a bleach solution each day. This will keep bacteria from growing. Each week, the sponges you use need to go into the wash.

Weekly Cleaning Chores

Once a week, you should remove your sheets and pillowcases and run them through the wash with the sponges you need to wash each week. If you have a mattress protector, wipe that down with a bleach solution. If not, sprinkle baking soda over the mattress, let it sit for a few hours, and vacuum the mattress to remove dander, dust, and the baking soda.

You’re cleaning the toilet handle, seat, and rim each week. The toilet bowl needs to be scrubbed once a week. Use bleach or white vinegar in the toilet bowl and let it sit for half an hour before scrubbing.

The shower-liner also needs to be washed each week. You can wash heavy-duty shower liners in the washing machine. Otherwise, spray it with a mold/mildew cleaner and hang it outside in the sun to thoroughly dry. While the liner is down, it’s a good time to scrub the tub and shower, too.

Vacuum the carpets. Shake out rugs and pet beds outside. If you have hardwood or laminate floors, sweep and mop them with an approved cleaner. Deep cleaning with a shampooer or steam cleaner is best done once or twice a year.

Once a Month

Each month, wipe the dust from light bulbs, ceiling fan blades, and window blinds. Vacuum dust from lampshades, furniture, and HVAC vents or heat registers.

Once a month, you may also want to disinfect drain pipes. Pour some baking soda and vinegar down drains. Let that sit for an hour and flush with hot water.

Is housework getting to be a lot for your parents to manage? Home care services help with light housekeeping chores like vacuuming, dusting, and disinfection of hard surfaces. Consider having caregivers around to wash dishes, cook meals, and do laundry.

With home care services, your parents enjoy their independence while having the help they need. Make arrangements with ease when you talk to a home care professional.