Your Ultimate Long Weekend Cleaning Plan

Workers across Australia are rubbing their hands together with glee at the moment, with not one, but two long weekends on the horizon.

Make the most of your days off with our ultimate long weekend cleaning plan.

How To Totally Clean Your Home in Just 3 Days

While we don’t expect you to be cleaning the entire break, dedicating just 2-3 hours a day over the long weekend will have your home the cleanest and most organised it’s been in years.

You don’t need to be a cleaning pro (although there are people out there who love to, and are fantastic at cleaning) to have a neat home, you just need to find the right routine that works for you and what your home needs

Day 1

Laundry

Put a load of washing on to kick off your cleaning spree. Empty the dirty clothes basket, grab any bathroom towels that are feeling damp or smelly and strip bed linen as well, assuming they haven’t been washed in more than a week.

Dishes

Stack the dishwasher next! Clear benches and check the lounge room and bedrooms for any dirty dishes. Hunt through all of your kitchen cupboards as well for any items that may need a wash. You’ll be surprised how many spots might have been missed by your dishwasher.

Dusting

Dust all of your surfaces. It’s important to do this before you vacuum, so that any dust that has fallen onto the floor is vacuumed up.

Vacuum

Lastly, give your carpeted areas a thorough vacuum, remembering to reach under lounges and beds.

While the bed linen is being washed (it should be on the line or in the dryer by now), it’s the ideal time to give your mattress a vacuum as well. If you’ve never thought to vacuum your mattress before, this is a great time to start. Ridding your mattress of dust and dust mites could equal a better night’s sleep, which we’re definitely all in need of!

That’s day one done. While it may seem like a lot, by using your time wisely, you can easily tick several jobs off at once.

Day 2

Another name for today is bathroom and kitchen day. But before you go running for the hills, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen actually doesn’t deserve its bad reputation. It’s all about working smarter.

Kitchen

You need to start with the oven. There are more detailed instructions in this article but in summary, first, you need to remove the racks and soak them. Next, create a paste with a mix of dish detergent, baking soda, and salt – the measurements are in the article.

Coat the inside of the oven with the paste and leave for 2-3 hours.

While waiting, half fill a microwave-safe bowl with water and half a lemon and pop it into the microwave. Run the microwave for two minutes and let the bowl sit in there for a minute before taking it out – remember the bowl will be hot! Give the microwave a wipeout.

Take 10 minutes to give your fridge a quick clean out, disposing of any perished items and giving the shelves a quick wipe.

Bathroom

Here is a great trick. Turn on a hot shower for five minutes before you start – the steam will loosen up grime and making the cleaning process much easier.

Then use these bathroom cleaning article steps to clean what is definitely the grubbiest room in your house. These are the steps for a speed clean over 15 minutes, but you can take a little more time for a more thorough clean.

Don’t forget to clean your grimy corners, toothbrush holders and the insides of your drawers and cupboards.

Finish up by returning to the kitchen and wiping down the inside of the oven with a sponge or cloth. Scrub the oven racks with a scouring pad before putting them back.

Day 3

The last day is a much simpler one.

For your first task, sweep and mop hard floors.

Next, you’re on decluttering duty.

Grab four boxes, bags or baskets. One is for relocating, one for donating, the third will be for storing and fourth is trash.

Make your way around each room, checking in drawers, on tables, and on the floor for items that are making the space look cluttered.

Relocate

This is anything that doesn’t belong in the room you’ve found it in and needs to be returned to a different room. Or it may just be that it needs to be put back where it belongs in the room it’s in (messy stuffed toys placed back onto a bed, for example).

Donate

Any clothing that no longer fits or items that are no longer being used can be donated. Many local councils operate bulk waste pickups to ensure items are disposed of correctly. Contact your local council to see if they offer this service.

Store

Whether it goes into a storage box, on a shelf, or in a cupboard or drawer, everything in your home needs to have a storage rule. It doesn’t have to be today, but you should take some time to get your storage systems in order in your home, it makes cleaning up time much quicker. These hacks can get you started.

Trash

This one is fairly self-explanatory. Put any general rubbish or clothing that is beyond repair or donating in the bin. I like to use old clothing as cleaning rags – they come in handy and can save you money on buying disposable cloths for your cleaning tasks.

And there you have it! Obviously, there’s chores we haven’t touched on but realistically, the above schedule will get your house in order while ensuring you get a little relaxing time on your long weekend, too.

Remember to make it fun (playing your favourite music while you work always helps) and get some help from housemates/partners/older kids – even just offloading one task a day will make a big difference.