The Complete Apartment Cleaning Checklist, Room by Room

That Cleaning Girl · Apartment Cleaning

Apartments are small, but they are not simple. You have less room to work, less storage to hide things in, and usually one bathroom doing the job of two. The good news is that a small space rewards a good system. Once you know what to clean and in what order, a full apartment clean goes quickly and stays done longer.

This is the checklist we use as a starting point when we clean apartments here in Waxahachie, Midlothian and across the south DFW area. It works for a studio, a one-bedroom or a three-bedroom unit. Use the whole thing for a full clean, or pick the parts you need on a busy week.

Before you start: the five-minute reset

Cleaning goes twice as fast when the surfaces are clear. Before any spray bottle comes out, walk through the apartment with a laundry basket and a trash bag.

• Pick up anything that does not belong in the room it is in and drop it in the basket.
• Toss trash, junk mail, old receipts and empty boxes.
• Load or stack dishes so the sink is empty.
• Strip the bed if it is sheet day and start a load of laundry.
• Open a window or turn on the bathroom fan for some airflow.

Now you are cleaning surfaces instead of moving piles around, which is the whole trick.

The kitchen

Apartment kitchens are often the hardest working room in the unit. Small counters mean every crumb and splash ends up somewhere you can see it.

• Clear the counters and wipe them front to back, including the strip behind the faucet.
• Wipe the backsplash, especially beside the stove where grease spatters.
• Clean the stovetop and knobs. Lift the drip pans or grates if you have them.
• Wipe the front of the microwave, then the inside. Steaming a bowl of water with a splash of vinegar for a few minutes loosens the stuck-on bits.
• Wipe cabinet fronts and handles, and the fridge door and handle.
• Scrub the sink and faucet, then shine the faucet dry so water spots do not form.
• Empty the trash, wipe the lid and put in a fresh bag.
• Sweep and mop, paying attention to the edge along the cabinets.

Monthly, add the inside of the fridge, the inside of the oven and the tops of the cabinets if they do not reach the ceiling.

The bathroom

In a one-bathroom apartment, this room gets used by everyone, every day. It is worth doing well.

• Spray the shower and tub first and let the cleaner sit while you do everything else.
• Clean the mirror, top to bottom, with a lint-free cloth.
• Wipe the counter, faucet and sink, and clear the toothpaste ring off the cup.
• Clean the toilet from the top down: tank, lid, seat, both sides of the seat, the base, then the bowl.
• Come back to the shower. Scrub the walls, the floor of the tub and the fixtures, then rinse.
• Wipe the shower door or rinse the curtain liner. North Texas water leaves white spots on glass and chrome fast, so dry them off when you can.
• Empty the trash, shake out the bath mat and mop the floor, including behind the toilet.

Monthly, wash the shower curtain liner and bath mat, and wipe the exhaust fan cover.

Bedrooms

Bedrooms tend to be the easiest room in the apartment, which is exactly why they get skipped.

• Change the sheets and pillowcases.
• Dust the nightstands, dresser top, headboard and lamp shades.
• Wipe light switches and door handles.
• Put away clothes and shoes so the floor is clear.
• Vacuum, including under the edge of the bed where dust bunnies live.

Every month or two, vacuum under the bed fully, wipe the baseboards and flip or rotate the mattress if it calls for it.

The living area

In a lot of apartments the living room, dining area and entry are one open space. Clean it as one zone.

• Dust shelves, the TV stand, picture frames and the top of the TV. Use a dry cloth on screens.
• Fluff and straighten cushions and vacuum the couch, especially in the crease where crumbs collect.
• Wipe the coffee table and dining table, including the legs and chair backs.
• Wipe light switches, door handles and the remote controls.
• Dust the ceiling fan blades if you have one. A pillowcase slipped over each blade catches the dust instead of dropping it on you.
• Vacuum rugs and carpet, then sweep and mop hard floors.

Seasonally, dust the blinds, wipe the window sills and clean the air return vent cover. During cedar and oak season the sills collect a yellow film of pollen faster than you would think.

The entry, closets, balcony and the little things

These spots are small but they are what make an apartment feel clean when you walk in.

• Wipe the front door, inside and out, and the handle.
• Shake out or vacuum the entry mat. After a rain, red clay mud gets tracked in fast, so a good mat outside and a washable one inside helps.
• Tidy the coat closet floor and wipe the shelf.
• Wipe the washer and dryer tops if you have in-unit laundry, and clean the lint trap.
• Check for cobwebs in corners and along the top of the walls.

If you have a balcony or patio, give it a quick sweep every couple of weeks and a real clean each season. Sweep the floor, wipe the railing and the furniture, and rinse or wipe the sliding door track. Check your lease or building rules before using a hose, since water can run down to the neighbor below. A quick wipe of the outside light fixture by the door is a nice finishing touch, too, since it fills up with bugs every summer.

How often to do each part

You do not need to do the whole list every time. Here is a simple rhythm that works for most apartments:

• Daily: dishes, a quick counter wipe, and putting things back where they live.
• Weekly: kitchen, bathroom, dusting, floors and sheets. This is your main clean.
• Monthly: inside the fridge, inside the microwave and oven, baseboards, under the bed, the shower liner and the entry mat.
• Seasonally: blinds, windows and sills, vents, closets and the balcony.

In a small apartment the weekly clean should take a couple of hours at most once you have the routine down. The more often you do it, the faster it gets.

When to call in help

Some weeks there is no time, or you are moving out, or the apartment simply needs more than a quick pass. That is what we are here for. We bring our own supplies, clean to a room-by-room checklist like this one and text you when we are on the way. You can book a one-time clean or a regular slot on the same day each time.

A lot of our apartment clients use a mix of both. They keep up with the daily habits on this list themselves, then book us every two or three weeks, or once a month, for the full top-to-bottom clean. Entry notes like a gate code, a lockbox or which rooms to skip stay on file, so each visit is easy to set up. When you request a quote, just tell us about any extras you want added.

If you want to see what is included and how we handle studios, one-bedrooms and bigger units, take a look at our apartment cleaning services page. Keep this checklist handy either way. It is the same one we follow.