I’ve put together a list of household tasks to do at the beginning of every month to help keep your home clean and running as smoothly as possible!
Having a list of household tasks to do at the beginning of each month ensures that less urgent chores don’t slip through the cracks. You’ll knock out a bunch of little chores right away in a new month, freeing up time later in the month for bigger household projects, such as cleaning and organizing a closet, as well as more enjoyable pursuits.
I’ve put together 14 household tasks to complete at the start of a new month. Get them all done in one day, or spread them out over a week. If you have other items on your monthly chore list, I’d love to hear about them!
Review your calendar
Take a look at everything that you have scheduled for the month ahead so that there are no surprises. Make any necessary appointments that you haven’t scheduled yet, such as car maintenance and medical checkups. Schedule in anything else that you’ll need to do for the next month, such as buying a birthday present or making a special grocery run before hosting friends. Having these tasks in writing well in advance of when they need to get done makes it a lot less likely that you’ll forget.
Review any subscribe and save subscriptions
Take a look at the subscribe and save items that are set for the coming month and make changes as needed. Push back items that can wait one or two more months. Move up items that you need sooner rather than later.
The beginning of a new month is also an excellent time to consider items that you may want to add to your list of subscriptions. Amazon, Target, Walmart, and other major retailers offer subscriptions for cleaning supplies, food items, baby gear, beauty products, pet items, and much more. Getting regular household items on subscription saves you both time and money.
Run a cleaning cycle for the washing machine
Washing machines get dirty with regular use. Once a week, wipe down the outside of the machine and remove mold and other residue that builds up over time. Then at the beginning of each new month, end a laundry day by running a cleaning cycle with a washing machine cleaning tablet.
Run a cleaning cycle for the dishwasher
Similarly, over time, the dishwasher gets dirty from regular use. It runs more efficiently and effectively when you keep it clean. Plan to run a cleaning cycle with a dishwasher cleaning tablet on a slower day of the week when having an empty dishwasher for a few hours won’t mean an overflowing sink of dishes.
Disinfect the garbage disposal
The garbage disposal gets smelly with regular use. Disinfecting it periodically keeps it smelling nice and greatly reduces the chance of fruit flies breeding in it. Additionally, disinfecting the garbage disposal each month helps it run more efficiently.
Pour a pot of boiling water down the drain. Follow it up with a few big glugs of bleach. Then fit as many ice cubes as you can in the garbage disposal. Grind them up thoroughly. Optionally, you can also grind up a handful of lemon slices.
Wash the kitchen garbage cans
Even with good trash bags, inevitably, small garbage items can get in the can and make it smelly. When garbage cans have a bad smell even when they’re empty, you need to wash the cans.
Before washing the kitchen garbage cans, make a quick run through the house to determine if there are other cans that need washing. Take care of them at the same time.
The Kitchn has a great resource about the best way to clean a kitchen trash can. Keep disinfectant spray on hand, so that you can wipe down your garbage cans quickly and effectively whenever they need it.
Take a fridge/freezer inventory
Go through everything in the refrigerator and freezer. Throw out food that has expired or gone bad. Prioritize items that you need to eat sooner rather than later and plan meals around them. Take stock of any staples that have run out, and add them to the grocery list. Think about items that you’ll need for the coming month as well, such as for social gatherings, birthdays, and holidays.
Change the furnace filter(s)
When you have pets with fur and/or chronic allergies, changing the furnace filter regularly is a simple, effective step to keep yourself feeling good at home. Furnace filters are a great item to have on subscription so that they come every month and then you replace them right away.
Change the air purifier filter(s)
Switching out the air purifier filter(s) is another simple, effective way to keep family members and pets breathing well at home. Bedrooms and living rooms are ideal rooms for air purifiers. Running clean filters helps the purifiers operate much more effectively and quietly. Many purifiers have a small front filter that you switch out monthly and a larger back filter that you switch out less frequently. Add the front filter to your monthly household chore rotation.
Dust ceiling fans, overhead light fixtures, baseboards, and HVAC ducts
Add dusting ceiling fans, overhead light fixtures, baseboards, and HVAC ducts to your regular cleaning routine during the first week of each month.
For easy-to-reach dusting areas, I recommend spraying a microfiber cloth with dusting spray. For hard-to-reach dusting areas, I recommend an extendable microfiber feather duster or a lightweight stick vacuum.
Wash the blankets and comforters
Comforters and blankets don’t need to be washed every single week with the sheets and pillowcases but should be washed once per month. Set aside time on a light laundry day so that there’s plenty of time for the heavier blankets and comforters to dry. Make sure to round up blankets from the living room and other common areas as well as bedrooms.
Wash the bath mats and throw rugs
Bathmats and throw rugs are other household items that don’t need weekly washing but get dirty over the course of the month. Choose a quiet weekday when you can run a couple of extra loads during the day without disrupting family members getting ready and without stressing about getting everything done right before you have company.
Change any burned out lightbulbs
Even when you change lightbulbs as they burn out during the month, inevitably, there are a few hard-to-reach bulbs or fixtures with unusual bulbs that you put off changing. The beginning of the new month is a good time to knock out any remaining burned out lightbulbs.
Overhaul the cat litter boxes and other pet areas
Once a month, dump all of the litter out of the cat boxes, clean them as needed, and put in all new litter. I like to line our cat boxes with cat box liners for easy cleaning. Finish the cat box overhaul by sweeping the entire area.
Clean any other pet areas as needed, such as feeding areas and bedding. Replace broken or worn out toys and bedding. Take stock of your current food and treats and order more as needed.
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I want to hear about your essential household tasks to do at the beginning of every month!
If there are tasks that you add to this list, please share them with us!
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