DIY GUIDE · CLEANING

How to keep a home clean week to week yourself
A couple of hours a week plus minutes a day. £16–£28 to set up the kit.

Daily resets, a weekly order, the monthly appliance jobs, and kit that keeps working.

DIFFICULTY
Easy
no licence needed
TIME
2 hours a week
for a two or three-bedroom home once the routine is running; the first clean takes longer
MATERIALS
£16–£28
a caddy's worth of products, microfibre cloths, gloves and a refillable spray bottle
A PRO CHARGES
£13–£25
typically £16
  • Every step, start to finish
  • Checked October 2026 — sources at the end
  • Honest about when to call a pro

FIRST, THE HONEST ANSWER

Do it yourself, or get a cleaner?

Do it yourself if…

  • You can set aside a regular slot each week and a few minutes each day
  • Everyone in the home will take a share — even small jobs
  • The home is already at a reasonable baseline, or you will do one full clean first
  • You want to control which products are used, for allergies, pets or children

Get a pro if…

  • Work, caring or health means a regular slot is not realistic
  • Someone in the home reacts to cleaning products or to wet work on their hands
  • The home is large, or has many bathrooms and floors that take more than a few hours a week
  • You would rather spend the time on something else — a regular cleaner is priced by the hour

Safety first

  • Keep to a small set of products and never mix them; HSE warns that bleach with acid toilet cleaners or ammonia gives off harmful gases.
  • Wear gloves for wet work and moisturise afterwards. HSE notes that frequent wet work on the hands is a common cause of dermatitis.
  • Store cleaning products high up or locked away, in their original bottles, away from food — never decanted into drinks bottles.
  • Ventilate bathrooms and the kitchen while you clean, with a window open or the extractor on.
  • Unplug appliances before cleaning inside them, such as the fridge or the washing machine filter.
  • Clean up spills on floors straight away, and keep children and pets off wet floors.

MATERIALCOVERAGEFOR THIS JOB
Multi-surface spray or concentrateMost surfaces in the homeOne bottle a month or so
Bathroom cleaner and limescale removerAcid-based; follow the label's contact timeOne of each lasts several weeks
Toilet cleanerBleach or acid gel — never bothOne bottle
Bicarbonate of sodaFor the fridge and odoursOne box

How long the weekly clean takes

Weekly minutes ≈ (kitchen 30 + bathroom 20 per bathroom + 10 per bedroom + living room 15 + floors 30). A home with one bathroom and two bedrooms is 30 + 20 + 20 + 15 + 30 = 115 minutes, so a couple of hours. Add the month's extra job, about 20 minutes.

The daily resets are what keep the weekly figure this low. Skip them for a fortnight and the weekly clean doubles.

Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly

Daily: dishes, a wipe of the worktops and hob, a quick bathroom wipe, ten minutes of tidying. Weekly: the full clean of kitchen, bathrooms, dusting, floors and bedding. Monthly: grout, inside the microwave, skirting, door frames. Every few months: the appliance jobs in this guide. Write it on one page and stick it inside a cupboard door. A rota that fits on one page is one that gets followed; anything longer is a wish list.

The fewest products that cover everything

A multi-surface spray, a bathroom cleaner, a limescale remover if your water is hard, a toilet cleaner and a cream cleaner cover a normal home. Fewer bottles mean fewer chances of mixing two that react, and a caddy you can carry.

Microfibre, colour-coded

Use one colour for toilets only, another for the rest of the bathroom, another for the kitchen, and another for dusting. Wash them hot after each weekly clean, without fabric conditioner, which coats the fibres and stops them picking up dust.

A vacuum that works

Most of a regular clean is vacuuming. Empty the bin or change the bag before it is full, and wash or replace filters as the maker says — a clogged filter halves suction and spreads dust instead of lifting it.

Appliances on a schedule

Some appliances need regular care to keep working. One washing machine maker recommends its approved cleaner every three months and a filter check when the machine drains slowly or vibrates. A fridge maker suggests a deep clean every few months with a mild bicarbonate solution.

Time-box it

Set a timer for the weekly clean and work in the same order each time. You learn how long each room takes, and the routine becomes automatic rather than a decision.

A refillable spray bottle and a concentrate costs less and stores more compactly than many ready-to-use bottles.
If someone has asthma or eczema, choose unperfumed products and keep sprays to a minimum — spray onto the cloth, not the air.

THE PART THAT DECIDES THE FINISH

Before you start — the routine, room by room

These are the jobs that make up the rota. Set each one up once, then it is just repetition.

Kitchen, daily

Five to ten minutes after the evening meal.

  1. Wash up or load and run the dishwasher
  2. Wipe the worktops from back to front and the hob once it is cool
  3. Rinse and dry the sink so it does not water-spot
  4. Wipe any spill on the floor at once
Bathroom, daily

Two minutes after the last shower.

  1. Squeegee or wipe the shower screen and tiles while they are still wet
  2. Wipe the basin and taps with the bathroom cloth
  3. Hang towels to dry so the room is not damp overnight
  4. Leave the extractor running or the window open
Weekly clean — set-up

The same slot every week.

  1. Put the bedding in the wash first
  2. Fill the caddy: products, colour-coded cloths, gloves, toothbrush
  3. Open windows and clear surfaces of clutter
  4. Start the bathroom cleaner and toilet cleaner working before you dust
Monthly

One extra job each week of the month.

  1. Week one: grout and tile edges with a toothbrush and cleaning solution
  2. Week two: inside the microwave and the extractor hood
  3. Week three: skirting, door frames and light switches
  4. Week four: inside the bins, and vacuum under beds and sofas
Every few months — appliances

The jobs makers recommend.

  1. Washing machine: a maintenance clean as the maker recommends — one says every three months
  2. Fridge: empty, unplug, wash shelves and wipe inside with a mild bicarbonate solution
  3. Vacuum: wash or replace the filters as the maker says
  4. Dishwasher: clean the filter and spray arms as its manual describes
Shared homes

Splitting the work so it gets done.

  1. Give each person a room or a job type, not 'help out'
  2. Rotate the least popular jobs monthly
  3. Agree what 'done' looks like for each job
  4. Keep the rota where everyone sees it

THE JOB

How to do the weekly clean, in order

  1. Strip the beds and start the wash

    10 min

    Strip the bedding and put it on to wash first, so it is ready to dry when you finish. Collect anything that is out of place into a basket. Empty the bins into one bag.

    • Bedding first means it is dry by the evening
    • One basket of strays, put away at the end
    • Change the bin liners as you go

    Mistake to avoid: Leaving the bedding to last. It is still damp at bedtime and the clean feels unfinished.

  2. Set the bathroom products working

    10 min

    With gloves on and the window open, put toilet cleaner under the rim and spray the bathroom cleaner on the basin, bath and tiles. If limescale is building on taps, spray limescale remover on the taps only, keeping it apart from the toilet bleach. Leave them working. While they work you can get on with the dusting, which is the reason they go on first rather than last.

    • Read each label's contact time once and remember it
    • Toilet bleach and acid cleaner never on the same surface
    • Close the door and keep the extractor running

    Mistake to avoid: Spraying a limescale remover into a toilet bowl that still has bleach gel in it. The reaction gives off harmful gas.

  3. Dust, high to low

    20 min

    Dust each room from the door clockwise: tops of frames and shelves, then surfaces, then the skirting in the month it is due. Use a slightly damp microfibre so dust is lifted, and turn the cloth to a clean side often.

    • Lift objects to dust under them, not round them
    • Screens with a dry cloth, switched off
    • Shake the duster outside

    Mistake to avoid: Using furniture polish on everything. It builds a sticky layer that holds dust and smears glass.

  4. Kitchen

    30 min

    Clear and wipe the worktops, back to front, and the splashback. Wipe the cupboard handles, the fridge door, the kettle and microwave front. Clean the hob once cool with a hob cleaner or soapy water and a soft cloth. Clean the sink and taps last and dry them. Clearing the worktop fully once a week, rather than wiping round the toaster and the fruit bowl, is what stops the crumbs and grease building into a sticky band along the wall.

    • Handles and switches are the dirtiest small things in the house
    • Check the fridge for anything past its date
    • Run the dishwasher on its own while you carry on

    Mistake to avoid: Wiping the worktop with the same cloth that did the floor or the bin. Keep the kitchen colour for kitchen surfaces only.

  5. Finish the bathroom

    20 min

    Brush the toilet bowl and flush. Wipe the seat, lid, outside, cistern and handle with the toilet cloth. Scrub tap bases with the toothbrush, rinse everything with clean water, and dry the taps and screen. Wipe the mirror with a dry microfibre. One shower maker's bathroom guide suggests wiping tiles weekly and tackling grout monthly.

    • Work clean to dirty: mirror and basin before the toilet
    • Rinse acid cleaners off completely
    • Put out clean towels

    Mistake to avoid: Doing the toilet first and then the basin with the same gloves. Clean surfaces first, toilet last.

  6. Vacuum

    20 min

    Vacuum the house from the far end to the front door: edges first with the crevice tool, then open floor in overlapping strokes, then the stairs from the top down. Vacuum sofa cushions every other week.

    • Empty the vacuum before it is full
    • Lift light rugs and vacuum under them
    • Do edges first — that is where dust gathers

    Mistake to avoid: Vacuuming with a full bin or a clogged filter. Suction drops and dust passes straight through.

  7. Mop the hard floors

    15 min

    Mop with a little floor cleaner in warm water, rinsing the mop in a second bucket of clean water and wringing it out each time. Start in the far corner and finish at the door. On laminate and wood, a damp mop only. A floor that is mopped weekly needs very little product; most of the work is the rinse.

    • Two buckets
    • Wring hard on laminate
    • Let it dry before anyone walks across

    Mistake to avoid: A soaking-wet mop on laminate. Water in the joints swells the boards.

  8. Do this month's extra job

    20 min

    Do the one monthly job for this week from your rota — grout, microwave and hood, skirting and frames, or bins and under furniture. Rotating them means each is done twelve times a year without ever making the weekly clean long. The same shower maker leaves a grout solution for 30 minutes before brushing.

    • One extra job only
    • Tick it off on the rota
    • Grout: let the solution soak while you vacuum

    Mistake to avoid: Trying to do all the monthly jobs in one go. It turns the routine back into a marathon you avoid.

  9. Every few months: the appliances

    45 min

    On the quarter, do the appliance jobs. For the fridge, unplug it, move food into cool bags, wash the shelves and drawers with washing-up liquid, and wipe the inside and seal with a mild solution — the fridge maker mixes 1 tbsp of bicarbonate of soda in ½ L of lukewarm water — then dry. For the washing machine, run the maker's maintenance clean, and check the filter if it drains slowly or vibrates.

    • Check the fridge drain hole at the back
    • Turn the washing machine power and water off before the filter
    • Lay a towel and a tray down before opening the filter

    Mistake to avoid: Opening the washing machine filter without draining it first. Water floods out across the floor.

  10. Reset the kit for next week

    10 min

    Wash the cloths hot without fabric conditioner, rinse the mop head and buckets, refill the spray bottle, and put the caddy back stocked. Make the beds with the clean bedding. Note anything that ran out.

    • Two sets of cloths means one is always clean
    • Dry the mop head before storing
    • Moisturise your hands

    Mistake to avoid: Putting damp cloths straight back in the caddy. They go sour and spread bacteria next week.

The mistakes that make a routine fail

  • Skipping the daily resets, so the weekly clean grows every week
  • Too many products in the cupboard, and mixing two that react
  • Cloths washed with fabric conditioner, and a vacuum with a clogged filter
  • Leaving appliance care until something goes wrong
  • Cleaning dirty to clean — toilet before basin, floor before worktop — so the dirt travels

Stop here and get a regular cleaner

  • You cannot keep a regular slot, and the home slides back between cleans
  • Cleaning products or wet work cause skin or breathing problems
  • Mould, pests or damp keep coming back — those need the cause fixing, not more cleaning
  • An appliance leaks, smells of burning or shows a fault after cleaning — that is an engineer
How to hire a domestic cleaner →

The weekly clean keeps taking longerThe daily resets have lapsed. Restart them for two weeks; the weekly time drops back.
Microfibre cloths have stopped picking up dustFabric conditioner or grease clogging the fibres. Wash them hot with detergent only, and air dry.
The vacuum has lost suctionFull bin or bag, or a clogged filter. Empty it, and wash or replace the filter as the maker says.
Limescale builds on the shower screen within daysHard water drying on the glass. Squeegee after each shower; descale weekly rather than monthly.
The fridge smells even when cleanFood in the drain hole at the back, or something forgotten. Clear the drain hole with the plunger supplied and wipe with bicarbonate solution.
The washing machine smells or leaves marks on clothesDetergent and softener residue. Run the maker's maintenance clean and leave the door and drawer open between washes.
Grout is grey despite weekly cleaningWeekly wipes do not reach into grout. Do the monthly grout job with a toothbrush and leave the solution to soak first.
Dry, cracked handsFrequent wet work. Wear gloves for everything wet, keep them dry inside, and moisturise after each clean.
Dust settles again within a day or two of dustingDust is being moved rather than lifted, or the vacuum exhaust is blowing it back. Use a slightly damp microfibre, dust before vacuuming, and check the vacuum filter and seals.
Floors look streaky or feel sticky after moppingToo much floor cleaner, or mop water that was not changed. Halve the dose, use the second bucket for rinsing, and go over the floor once with clean water.

WHAT YOU SAVE

What it costs to do it yourself

Multi-surface spray£2.40
Bathroom cleaner and limescale remover£2.40–£4.50
Toilet cleaner£1.07–£1.80
Microfibre cloths, two sets£4.60–£6.98
Household gloves, two pairs£5.70–£12
Total to set up£16–£28
DIY total£16–£28
A domestic cleaner charges per hour
LOW
£13
TYPICAL
£16
HIGH
£25
Regular Domestic Cleaning price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

After set-up, products cost a few pounds a month. The comparison is with a regular cleaner's hourly rate for the same two or three hours a week.

RATHER NOT?

Domestic cleaners near you, with prices shown

The ones who cover your area, nearest first, with one score from every review. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

Review the rota after a month

Move jobs that keep getting skipped, and drop ones that turn out not to be needed weekly.

Store products safely

Upright, in their own bottles, out of reach, with bleach and acid cleaners apart.

Dispose of empties and old products

Rinsed empty bottles go in your council recycling. Products you no longer use go to the household waste recycling centre's hazardous waste container rather than down the drain.

Look after the kit

Wash cloths weekly, clean the vacuum filter as the maker says, replace mop heads when they stop rinsing clean.

Hand the routine on

If someone else covers a week, give them the one-page rota and the caddy. A routine that only lives in one person's head stops the first time that person is away.

Keeping a home clean week to week: questions people ask

Small resets daily, a full clean of kitchen, bathroom, dusting, floors and bedding weekly, one extra job each week from a monthly list, and appliance care every few months.

Bedding, bathroom (toilet, basin, bath or shower, mirror), kitchen (worktops, hob, sink, handles), dusting, vacuuming and mopping, plus one rotating monthly job.

One washing machine maker recommends its approved cleaner every three months, and checking the filter if the machine vibrates, drains slowly or leaves laundry too wet.

For a two or three-bedroom home with daily resets, about two hours. Without the daily resets it can double.

The Locufy UK price guide puts regular domestic cleaning at £13–£25 per hour, typically £16. Most regular cleans are two to four hours.

Squeegee or wipe the screen and tiles after every shower so water does not dry on, and descale weekly in hard-water areas.

MORE GUIDES

More DIY guides

Cleaning a whole house in a dayDeep-cleaning a kitchen and bathroomSpring-cleaning a homeRescuing a neglected home in one big cleanCleaning an ovenCleaning a rented home at the end of a tenancyCleaning an empty home before you move inCleaning up after building work
All 90 DIY guides →How to hire a domestic cleaner →Regular Domestic Cleaning price guide →Domestic cleaners on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — safe use of cleaning substances (CAIS22): never mix, storage, decanting
  2. HSE — work-related contact dermatitis in cleaning
  3. Bosch — cleaning your washing machine: every three months
  4. Bosch — cleaning a washing machine filter
  5. Beko — how to clean your fridge freezer: bicarbonate solution, drain hole
  6. Mira Showers — how to clean your bathroom: weekly tiles, monthly grout
  7. Sainsbury's — price check: multi-surface cleaners and toilet cleaners, October 2026
  8. Sainsbury's — price check: limescale removers, October 2026
  9. Sainsbury's — price check: microfibre cloths, October 2026
  10. B&Q — price check: rubber gloves, October 2026
  11. West Sussex County Council — how to dispose of cleaning products