Apartment Cleaning Guide

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A small apartment gets dirty fast but cleans fast too, if you have a routine and the right few tools. This guide sets out what to do daily, weekly and occasionally, and links to the detailed article for each part.

The routine

Daily: ten minutes

• Clear and wipe the kitchen counter and hob.
• Wash up or load the dishwasher.
• Put things back where they live.
• Open windows for ten minutes; run the extractor when cooking and showering.

Weekly

Floors, kitchen, bathroom, bedding and bins. Our weekly cleaning checklist for a one-bedroom apartment breaks it into a tickable list.

Occasionally

Every month or two: inside the fridge, the oven, windows, skirting boards, under the bed and the washing machine seal.

The tools you need

Fewer than the shop would like:

• A vacuum that suits your home. Robot vacuum or cordless stick helps you choose; best cordless vacuums and best robot vacuums for apartments compare types.
• A mop that suits your floors. Steam is not for wood or laminate; see best steam mops.
• Microfibre cloths, washed and reused.
• A multi-surface cleaner, a bathroom cleaner and a toilet brush.

Floors

Vacuum first, then mop. Work from the far corner to the door. Take shoes off at the door to halve the dirt you bring in.

Pets

Brush the pet, cover its favourite spots with washable throws, and use a rubber broom on rugs. Best products for pet hair covers the tools.

Damp and air

Damp leads to mould. Ventilate daily, run extractor fans, and wipe condensation off windows in the morning. How to improve air quality in a small apartment explains humidity.

Putting it together

Ten minutes a day keeps the weekly clean to about an hour in a one-bedroom apartment. Clutter slows everything down, so clear surfaces first; best storage solutions for small apartments helps things find a home.

Keep reading

• Weekly cleaning checklist for a one-bedroom apartment
• Robot vacuum or cordless stick
• Best cordless vacuums
• Best robot vacuums for apartments
• Best steam mops
• Best products for pet hair

How to clean faster

• Carry a caddy with cloths and cleaners from room to room, so you never walk back for anything.
• Top to bottom, dry to wet. Dust and tidy first, then wipe, then vacuum, then mop.
• Let cleaners work. Spray the bathroom first and come back to it after another job.
• Use a timer. Fifteen minutes per room keeps you moving.
• Clean as you go in the kitchen: wipe the hob while the kettle boils.

Clutter first

It is hard to clean around things. Clearing surfaces before you start takes a few minutes and halves the time each wipe takes. If clutter keeps returning, the problem is storage, not cleaning; best storage solutions for small apartments helps things find a home.

Monthly jobs

Inside the fridge, the oven, the washing machine seal and drawer, windows, skirting boards and light switches, and under the bed. Pick one or two each week rather than all at once.

Products you actually need

A multi-surface spray, a bathroom cleaner, washing-up liquid, microfibre cloths, a scrubbing brush and a vacuum cover most of a small home. Specialist products are rarely necessary. Never mix bleach with other cleaners, and open a window when using strong products.

Keep it going

The secret of a clean small home is a little often. Ten minutes each evening resetting the kitchen and putting things away means the weekly clean is cleaning, not tidying. The weekly cleaning checklist breaks the rest into a simple routine. Swap one big weekend clean for short sessions if that suits you better; the result is the same and it feels lighter.