Cleaning Tempo

[SimpleCycle]

I'm wondering how often you do the following cleaning tasks:

-launder non-sheets bedding (duvet covers, washable duvets, quilts, etc.)
-clean your fridge and freezer
-clean your oven
-wash your windows
-dust blinds
-dust ceiling fans and light fixtures
-shampoo carpets and rugs
-change your hvac filter (inspired by another thread)

I know there will be tons of variation, which is part of why I'm interested.

[kay02]

I'm a clean freak so it's pretty often for me on most things.  It never takes very long since things don't really get actually dirty.

Non-sheets bedding? At least once a week
Fridge: twice a week
Freezer: about monthly
Oven: weekly
Windows: twice a week
Light fixtures/etc: weekly
Area rugs (mine are small enough for washing machine): weekly
HVAC filter: monthly

Also do a full deep clean on "my" bathroom (mostly shared with one of my roommates in particular) and our kitchen at least once a week.

[Cranky]

I'm pretty tidy, but all these fall into the "occasional" category.

-launder non-sheets bedding (duvet covers, washable duvets, quilts, etc.) We use the now out-of-style top sheet so I laundry the sheets weekly and the rest of the bedding seasonally, when I change out the quilts.

-clean your fridge and freezer My fridge is always a disaster, and now more than ever because I buy so much whenever I go to the store or order groceries, but I do go through the fridge at the end of every week and throw out the pathetic leftovers that no one ever wanted for lunch. I defrost the deepfreeze twice/year.

-clean your oven   I run the self clean cycle whenever the oven needs it, which is maybe once/year.

-wash your windows  Seasonally, unless one of them looks awful for some reason.

-dust blinds  When they are dusty enough to annoy me?

-dust ceiling fans and light fixtures  Ditto.

-shampoo carpets and rugs  I have no more carpeting in my house, thank goodness.

-change your hvac filter (inspired by another thread)  About every 6 weeks when the furnace is running.

[Sibley]

-launder non-sheets bedding (duvet covers, washable duvets, quilts, etc.) - Minimum at change of seasons. Beyond that, it depends on how much the cats sleep on the bed, and if they're on the fleece or not (which is there to catch most of the fur), or if there's other unfortunate events.
-clean your fridge and freezer - not as much as I should
-clean your oven - when there's smoke
-wash your windows - inside, roughly annually. Outside - depends if I can clean it from the inside.
-dust blinds - don't have. Curtains get washed about annually unless more frequent is needed.
-dust ceiling fans and light fixtures - when I notice they're dirty, or I have to change a light bulb.
-shampoo carpets and rugs - annually. Spot cleaning happens as needed, thanks cats.
-change your hvac filter (inspired by another thread) - monthly, unless I'm not running the system, then I'll let go longer.

[couponvan]

-launder non-sheets bedding (duvet covers, washable duvets, quilts, etc.) - master bedroom seasonally or if there's a spill. Kids' rooms monthly.  They do way more in their rooms during the day than we do. 
-clean your fridge and freezer - Every time I put in groceries.  The freezer is wire grids, so the stuff falls to the bottom.  I wipe that when I load new stuff in. Otherwise, about every 3-4 months for the grids and the ice maker itself. The fridge, I clean one shelf at a time if it's messy as I load in groceries.  I also have those fridge organizer bins, so mess is contained and it's easy to clean out/wash any problems.
-clean your oven - deep clean cycle quarterly. Regular cleaning usually if something spills I'll just wipe it.
-wash your windows - I couldn't figure out how to get the screens out of our new windows, so it was a YEAR AND A HALF.  I know, I know. It was a new house though, so they were forgiving.  I will now be going room-by-room on a rotating basis so hopefully it will get done seasonally.
-dust blinds - we have curtains.  Those get washed 1-2X per year depending on weather.
-dust ceiling fans and light fixtures. Monthly.  They are done when I focus on one room.  The kids' ceiling fans are their own responsibility (DD I would say NEVER. I just MADE her do it.)
-shampoo carpets and rugs - We mostly have hardwood now.  Annually for everything, and spot clean the rest of the year.
-change your hvac filter (inspired by another thread) - Every 2 months with a high quality filter - we have a son with asthma.

[Alternatepriorities]

I'm wondering how often you do the following cleaning tasks:

I grew up without running water so that may have impacted my standards. I found myself nodding along to most of MMM's post about cleaning out your wallet.

-launder non-sheets bedding (duvet covers, washable duvets, quilts, etc.)
Every other month or two
-clean your fridge and freezer
When something spills or if a freezer needs defrosting
-clean your oven
When moving or if something bubbles over badly
-wash your windows
When they are dirty enough to impact visibility
-dust blinds
No blinds, no problem
-dust ceiling fans and light fixtures
Never
-shampoo carpets and rugs
Every other year or so, and also sometimes after watching my sister's dog
-change your hvac filter (inspired by another thread)
No HVAC, but I do clean the chimney on my wood stove a couple times a year...

[SimpleCycle]

I found myself nodding along to most of MMM's post about cleaning out your wallet.

I'd actually never read that post.  Linking it here for anyone who is interested:

https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/12/30/are-you-cleaning-out-your-own-wallet/

[MayDay]

I'm a clean freak so it's pretty often for me on most things.  It never takes very long since things don't really get actually dirty.

Non-sheets bedding? At least once a week
Fridge: twice a week
Freezer: about monthly
Oven: weekly
Windows: twice a week
Light fixtures/etc: weekly
Area rugs (mine are small enough for washing machine): weekly
HVAC filter: monthly

Also do a full deep clean on "my" bathroom (mostly shared with one of my roommates in particular) and our kitchen at least once a week.

This is ... not normal.

[MayDay]

I'm wondering how often you do the following cleaning tasks:

-launder non-sheets bedding (duvet covers, washable duvets, quilts, etc.)- spring and fall
-clean your fridge and freezer- like wipe down? Twice a year maybe, whenever it is gross. The outside getabwiped off weekly.
-clean your oven- inside self cleaning cycle, never, unless we sell the house. It is really bad for your oven. The outside we wipe down weekly.
-wash your windows- like the glass? We have kids so it gets fingerprints weekly. The outside, every few years
-dust blinds- never, any blinds that need dusting should just be thrown, who wants to spend life dusting blinds
-dust ceiling fans and light fixtures- yearly at best, probably less.
-shampoo carpets and rugs- only if we spill. We roomba them daily.
-change your hvac filter (inspired by another thread)- this is the only one I feel remotely like I should do more often. I don't know. Yearly?

I know there will be tons of variation, which is part of why I'm interested.

[rockstache]

The only one of these things that I do is the laundering of bedding and I do it every other month ish. I also wipe down parts of the fridge if I spill something. The rest...just, no. FWIW I rent an old musty house in which the dirt is part of the walls so it can’t really get clean. I’ve given up trying.

[jeninco]

Ho ho ho. Most of these are things we clean when we notice they need it:

Non-sheet bedding: when I think it looks or smells like it needs it, generally driven by cat fur (or worse)
fridge and freezer: I try to do the fridge about once/month just bearer I do a big stock-up trip. Also, whenever there's a spill or I notice it's getting grungy.
oven: when it needs it, or before we start a round of heavy baking (like Thanksgiving, or christmas cookies). We have a self-cleaning oven, so it's no big deal. Sometimes we even remember to stick the pizza stone in...
windows: seasonally, or when they obviously need it
ceiling fans and light fixtures: don't have ceiling fans, and , um, huh? (when I change the bulbs I clean out the covers, I guess. most of our lights are recessed cans.)
carpets and rugs: ha, ha, ha. We haul the rugs to the carpet cleaner once every few years, when we notice they need it. We're about to get rid of the last carpeted section of the house.

HVAC filter -- thanks for the reminder, we need to do this. Maybe every 6 weeks in winter? We don't have AC/run HVAC in summer.

We do a quick clean of the house every week, though -- sweep, vacuum, bathrooms, etc. along with things like counters and baseboards if they need it.

[v8rx7guy]

I'm a clean freak so it's pretty often for me on most things.  It never takes very long since things don't really get actually dirty.

Non-sheets bedding? At least once a week
Fridge: twice a week
Freezer: about monthly
Oven: weekly
Windows: twice a week
Light fixtures/etc: weekly
Area rugs (mine are small enough for washing machine): weekly
HVAC filter: monthly

Also do a full deep clean on "my" bathroom (mostly shared with one of my roommates in particular) and our kitchen at least once a week.

You clean the windows... how often?  Is that a typo or am I misunderstanding what cleaning the windows means?  Possibly you only have one or two windows?

[TheFrenchCat]

-launder non-sheets bedding (duvet covers, washable duvets, quilts, etc.) - about once a month or so
-clean your fridge and freezer - Fridge about once every month to once every other month
-clean your oven - when something's really bad, or when moving out
-wash your windows- when something gets on them, like a squished bug
-dust blinds- don't have these, but I wash my curtains about twice a year
-dust ceiling fans and light fixtures - about seasonally
-shampoo carpets and rugs - only if there's a major stain
-change your hvac filter (inspired by another thread) - mine's cleanable and I do that once a week, per manufacturer's instructions.  Probably the most important one on my list so the propane doesn't ignite the dust. 

My schedule is inspired by UnF*ck Your Habitat, though I do most things less than they suggest.

[Metalcat]

I'm wondering how often you do the following cleaning tasks:

-launder non-sheets bedding (duvet covers, washable duvets, quilts, etc.)
we use a top sheet, so seasonally or if it gets dirty. The throw blankets on the sofa get washed about as often.The dog has his own blanket on the bed which gets washed weekly.
-clean your fridge and freezer
other than a few stray leaves of cilantro in the bottom of the crisper drawer, my fridge doesn't really get dirty. This may be because of my habit of wiping things down before putting them away. As for the freezer, I just plain don't understand how one would get dirty.
-clean your oven
Same as the fridge, it doesn't get dirty. I use it often, but I don't bake or cook anything that would spill out of the dish I'm using. No spills, no mess to have to clean.
-wash your windows
I'm on the 20th floor and the windows are all sheltered by the balcony above. Very little gets on them, even when it rains. They only get cleaned in the spring, and the screens get hosed down at that time.
-dust blinds
No blinds.
-dust ceiling fans and light fixtures
No ceiling fans and no fixtures with the type of horizontal surfaces that gather dust, only vertical or smooth downward sloping angles. I'll dust them when the bulbs need replacing.

Overall, there's generally minimal dust buildup since I have a HEPA filtration unit running 24/7. Still, I dust what little there is once or twice a week and run the robot vacuum almost daily. I'm rather intolerant of dust.
-shampoo carpets and rugs
No carpets or rugs, see the above point about dust.
-change your hvac filter (inspired by another thread)
No HVAC. I clean the filter in the ductless AC once a month in the summer. I change the HEPA in the filtration unit whenever a light blinks at me to do so.

I know there will be tons of variation, which is part of why I'm interested.

I seem to be big on the prevention of mess. I'm constantly wiping everything down before grime builds up. My bathroom sink gets wiped down with almost every use.

[Frankies Girl]

Oh goodness I'm going to be one of the weird ones in this...


-launder non-sheets bedding (duvet covers, washable duvets, quilts, etc.)
we don't use top sheets. I wash all the quilts/blankets 1x month, hang them on an outside line to dry and only throw them in the dryer for lint removal for about 10 minutes. 

-clean your fridge and freezer
I wipe up any spills or messes as they occur, but only do a total clean where I remove everything and wash 1x yearly

-clean your oven
I have a liner and am VERY careful with not spilling or allowing anything to bubble over. I think I've cleaned it once in the last 5 years due to husband not being as careful

-wash your windows
1x in the last 18 years with the whole remove the screens wash with cleaner and scrub then polish. I have hit them with a soapy spray a few times when I remember otherwise. I do clean with a spray of ammonia and a quick wipe around the low first foot of them where the cats like to look out due to them being messes (sneezes) but the whole house inside and out? oh hell nah

-dust blinds
vac them monthly if we remember

-dust ceiling fans and light fixtures
oh man we just did this today because I noticed the ceiling fan was FURRY... we have vaulted ceilings in two rooms so it requires two people and a 10 foot ladder. so 1x yearly if we are lucky

-shampoo carpets and rugs
we have all wood or tile floors and the rugs are vac only

-change your hvac filter (inspired by another thread)
used to do ever quarter but we've bumped it to every 2 months now as we have too many cats

[Zikoris]

Ooh, I get to be the nasty one who doesn't clean properly, nice.

I wash my non-sheet bedding like two or three times a year.

I clean the fridge monthly, freezer every few months. I'm a total kitchen nazi so we virtually never have leaky or gross food, and the fridge is mostly empty every week. I would clean up a spill at the time it happened.

Boyfriend cleans the oven once a month. I'm generally pretty good about not making a mess of it, unless I go on a bubbly pie binge.

Windows. I'm in an apartment building, so I don't wash the outside myself, inside maybe 2X a year?

Blinds. Never. It would probably be a good idea. We keep them open almost all the time, so they generally don't get dirty.

I don't have a ceiling fan and have never dusted a light fixture in my life that wasn't a free-standing lamp, of which I don't have any right now.

Carpets. I vacuum weekly and have never shampooed once, I wouldn't even know how to honestly.

HVAC, I don't even know what that is, or whether I have one, but I definitely don't clean it.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

I'm wondering how often you do the following cleaning tasks:

-launder non-sheets bedding (duvet covers, washable duvets, quilts, etc.)
-clean your fridge and freezer
-clean your oven
-wash your windows
-dust blinds
-dust ceiling fans and light fixtures
-shampoo carpets and rugs
-change your hvac filter (inspired by another thread)

I know there will be tons of variation, which is part of why I'm interested.

sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases, summer blankets, and any other bedding that touches our bodies: weekly
bedspread, shams, blankets that don't touch our bodies when we sleep: monthly
mattress pad and pillow protectors: quarterly
duvets: seasonally as I switch us between lighter and heavier duvets
(I change up our bedding often, occasionally it's top and bottom sheets with a light blanket, made up with a bedspread during the day, sometimes it's our light duvets (no top sheet), sometimes our heavy duvets (same thing, no top sheet), and in the hottest weather we sleep with a bottom sheet, lightweight cotton blankets, and no top sheets. We've also learned we sleep best when we each have our own blankets or duvets.)

clean fridge and freezer: wipe up spills as needed, clean out really well twice a year
clean oven: attempt to wipe up obvious spills ASAP, steam clean weekly

wash windows: usually about once a year for outside and for bedrooms and bathrooms, monthly for dining and living rooms months
we don't have blinds, curtains are washed as needed, not all that often

ceiling fans and light fixtures: dust monthly, wash globes once a year

shampoo carpets and rugs: We only have one carpeted room and three area rugs. I use an Oreck cleaner a couple of times a year, but as soon as Covid is over I'm going to steam clean them.

change HVAC filter: we have a pleated filtered meant to last 12 months, but we change it every 6 months because we have two dogs, live in an old house, and run the fan every night in the hot season

additional:

change vacuum cleaner bag: every two weeks whether it's full or not, because if I don't the young adults won't bother to check it and will use the vacuum with an overfull bag
change vacuum cleaner filters: ours has two and we change them every 6 months
defrost chest freezer: annually

[GuitarStv]

I'm wondering how often you do the following cleaning tasks:

-launder non-sheets bedding (duvet covers, washable duvets, quilts, etc.)
-clean your fridge and freezer
-clean your oven
-wash your windows
-dust blinds
-dust ceiling fans and light fixtures
-shampoo carpets and rugs
-change your hvac filter (inspired by another thread)

I know there will be tons of variation, which is part of why I'm interested.

Non sheets bedding - Once or twice a year.
Clean fridge/freezer - Maybe once a year?  We do regular spot cleaning.
Clean oven - Twice a year (usually in the spring/fall)
Wash windows - Once every other year
Dust blinds - Nope
Dust ceiling fans and light fixtures - Nope
Shampoo carpets and rugs - Nope
Change HVAC filter - We have a washable/reusable one, and it gets cleaned every month or so

[RetiredAt63]

I like to do ongoing light maintenance rather than every so often heavy cleaning.  I'm allergic to house dust (very common allergy) so I try to keep dust-catchers to a minimum.  No throw pillows, for example.  At my last house the only carpet was on the stairs to the basement.  Here the bedrooms have carpet, I would be happy to have wood instead.

Laundry: Sheets, every two weeks.  Other bed linens as needed - not often, no kids to get them dirty.  Cat is an indoor cat, and so far no hairballs.  Towels get hung up after every use, so every week (plus kitchen towels go in same load, towels get done on their own because of lint).  Clothes get done when I have a load - I use the dryer for sheets and towels because apartment/no place to hang to dry, but clothes get dried on a rack.  So when I have enough laundry to fill the rack, it gets done.

Bathroom: Shower gets wiped (surfaces squeegeed, chrome wiped with a cloth) after every shower so no mineral buildup.  Counter and sink get wiped daily, mirror when it needs it.  Toilet bowl gets a squirt of shampoo or dish detergent every 2-3 days, then scrubbed with a toilet bowl brush.  No iron stains if done regularly, it takes maybe 3 minutes?  Kitty litter gets sieved every day (I use clumping) so kitty is happy with her servant.  Heavier cleaning is mopping the floor and behind the toilet, where dust collects.  Every week, roughly.

Floors swept and damp-mopped as needed. They don't get dirty fast because I am in an apartment building so shoes are not dirty, plus outdoor shoes don't get past the entry-way. Carpets vacuumed as needed, which isn't often.

HVAC filters - building maintenance.  When I had a house, every 2-3 months (dog hair).

Windows - outside, building maintenance.  Inside, when I need to (non-smoker, good HVAC, so rarely.  I moved here end of July, they are still sparkling.

Kitchen over-the-stove fan filters, whenever they start looking greasy.  If they look greasy, then the rest of the hood is greasy even if it doesn't show, so I wipe it down while the filters are soaking.

Kitchen counters/sinks get wiped regularly so no buildup.

Stove is glass countertop, easy to wipe clean.  Oven is self-cleaning and I am careful, so rarely.

Spring cleaning was a thing when people had wood stoves and coal furnaces and oil lamps, so by spring there would be a film of soot over everything. No kitchen exhaust fans meant a film of cooking residue all over the kitchen. These days basic continual maintenance beats a once or twice a year all out effort.  Best advice I ever saw - clean it before it looks dirty.  Once it looks dirty it is really dirty and will be harder/take longer to clean.

Fly Lady and Unfuck your habitat both have good schedules to get habits in place.  After that you can just go by habit, just like you brush and floss your teeth by habit.

Don Aslett's books are funny.  Just googled him and he has videos too.