Expert Cleaners Reveal the Perfect Deep Cleaning Schedule – It’s the Secret to Keeping Your Home Sanitized All Winter Without Burnout

I am very good at keeping to my weekly chores, but a deep cleaning schedule, I'll admit, has not been on my radar.

I rarely deep-clean any space in my home until it becomes essential. Don't get me wrong, my home is never very dirty as I stay on top of key hygiene tasks, but those hidden corners, greasy appliances, and more intensive tasks are something I've always put off.

So, I decided to sit down with a professional cleaner to create a deep-cleaning schedule that would balance the best cleaning tips with significant enough breaks to prevent burnout and make these tasks more manageable, especially during the busy and very social winter months.

Professional Cleaneres Reveal the Perfect Deep-Cleaning Schedule

I have always struggled to find the right cleaning balance in my home. I am an inherently lazy person, but the nature of my job as content editor on Solved here at Homes & Gardens means I am constantly confronted with just how dirty a house can be. As a result, I ping-pong between overcleaning and feeling burnt out, and undercleaning and regretting all of my life choices.

While I am good at sticking to the key areas, such as cleaning a kitchen and cleaning a bathroom every week, more thorough tasks, such as degreasing an oven, deep cleaning carpets, and even dusting up high, are left for 'next time'. But it never comes, and by spring cleaning time, I have a huge list of tasks to catch up on, and no degree of good weather is enough motivation to prevent me from cleaning when I feel overwhelmed.

So, a proper deep cleaning schedule was a must to help me balance how often you should deep clean a home with downtime.

I spoke to Karina Toner, operations manager and professional cleaner at Spekless Cleaning, and a contributor here at Homes & Gardens. She explained that rather than leaving all deep cleaning tasks to my spring cleaning checklist, it would be better to break them up and pepper them throughout my year.

'A sustainable deep cleaning schedule should make maintaining your home feel manageable rather than overwhelming,' she explained. 'Instead of trying to deep clean every area at once, spacing out tasks throughout the year keeps each season focused and prevents burnout.'

She recommended that I break up the tasks seasonally, so that the deep clean of each area corresponded to both the weather, in the case of outdoor tasks, and to seasonal events where certain rooms, such as my kitchen ideas, are used more often than others. For example:

• January-February: Tackle bathrooms and laundry areas – fewer guests mean more time to focus on scrubbing tile grout, deep cleaning drains, and refreshing linens.
• March-April: Deep clean upholstery, rugs, and mattresses as the weather warms up, allowing fabrics to air out.
• June-July: Focus on windows, blinds, and ceiling fans when summer dust tends to build.
• September-October: Refresh kitchen appliances, cabinets, and pantry storage in preparation for holiday hosting.
• November-December: Keep maintenance light – wipe down surfaces, vacuum baseboards, and give the guest room a deep clean before visitors arrive.

Although it does mean that I clean more often throughout the year, spacing the tasks means I am not left facing off against a giant chore block all in one go. This is especially important in spring when I would rather be out enjoying the fresh weather and longer days, and during fall cleaning, when my motivation starts to tank as the days get shorter and my schedule, busier.

'This seasonal rotation works because it spaces out labor-intensive tasks while ensuring every area gets attention at least once a year,' Karina continues. 'Plus, it is flexible enough to fit around your lifestyle.'

It is one of the simplest ways to make a to-do list less overwhelming, and I believe it is the perfect deep cleaning schedule for any home.

My Cleaning Favorites

As a cleaning editor, I would never be without these six non-toxic cleaning supplies in my cabinet; they are key to keeping every room in my home clean.

Meet the Expert

Karina Toner

With numerous contributions in Homes & Gardens, Real Homes, The Spruce, and many more, Karina has extensive knowledge of both commercial and residential cleaning and knows better than anyone how to break bad housekeeping habits for good.

Now we just have to wait and see if I am able to finally break my bad home habits and build better routines for a cleaner, more manageable home. With the help of some productivity tricks such as body doubling and a cleaning playlist, however, I reckon I am in with a good shot.