10 Must Do Yearly Cleaning Tasks

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Did you know that there are only a handful of tasks that you only have to technically clean once per year? Yup, that’s right. Ten yearly cleaning tasks that you can do once and forget about until the following year. Curious to know what they are?

Read on to learn what they are and how to best to get them clean!

Table of Contents

Yearly Cleaning Tasks

Windows

Some people may disagree with only cleaning your windows once per year but really they don’t need to be done except in Spring time when the weather is nicer and you want a clear view to the outdoors.

When cleaning your windows make sure you take the time to clean them inside and out, at the very least vacuum the screens (wash them if you are really ambitious) and take care of window tracks too.

Then sit back and enjoy the crystal clean view.

Follow my complete tutorial and get a the window cleaning checklist too!

Drapes and Curtains

Since you have to remove them to clean those windows why not clean them before you put them back in place?

Drapes and curtains have been sitting around for the last year collecting dust. Now’s the time to remove them and either launder them yourself or send them off to the professionals to be dry cleaned. Either way, buy cleaning them you’re ensuring that when they are rehung, they are in great shape and ready for the next year.

Some people change out their curtains during the warmer months. If you do this in your home than you’ll be cleaning them twice a year, but for the rest of us this once a year tasks is plenty.

Clean Your Fireplace

If you use your fireplace all winter long then you’ll definitely want to take the time to give it a thorough cleaning. To ensure you don’t have to repeat this process, wait until you know you’re done for the season and then get your tools ready to clean.

Grab your shop vacuum and suck up all the ashes. Once that has been done, grab some damp paper towels and wipe out the interior of your fireplace.

I also like to clean my fireplace tools once a year as well. You can soak them in a solution of mild detergent and scrub them gently with a soft brush to remove any dirt, soot and debris. Then dry completely and rehang on holder.

For the chimney, contact a professional and get your annual cleaning and inspection taken care of so that when it’s time to stoke the fire next fall, you’re ready to go!

Clean out Your Basement and Garage

Once a year you should take the time to ruthlessly purge your basement, garage and other storage areas. They seem to get stuffed with anything we don’t know what to do with throughout the year and then we’re left with a pile of junk each spring.

Don’t know where to start? Use my Four Step System to Clean Out the Garage and find the space you need for your car!

Upholstered Furniture

Depending on your household, you may be able to put this off to every other year cleaning. But if you’re in a household with children that are allowed to eat in the family room, or have pets that are allowed on the furniture, then this yearly cleaning tasks of getting your upholstered furniture professional cleaned is a must.

If you decide to ignore this task realize that your furniture will not withstand the test of time. It will begin to look old and worn out much quicker than if you hire a professional to clean your most used furniture yearly.

Clean Your Dryer

Say what? Yes! Once a year you should give your dryer a deep cleaning! Gently pull it away from the wall and disconnect the vent from the machine. Vacuum in, around and under the dryer as much as you can. If you can reach where the dryer is vented outside, you can vacuum in there as well. They make vacuum cleaning kits that can really help get all the stuck dryer lint removed. They do work as I use them in my home yearly.

For really stubborn amounts of dryer lint, consider hiring a professional.

If you ignore dryer lint for too long you run the risk of starting a fire in your home.

Heating and AC Vents

I’m not talking about the outside of the unit per say, although it should be done with the deep cleaning I’m going to share with you today.

Each year I like to remove the vent panels, wash them in a mild detergent and then grab my vacuum cleaner and with the soft brush vacuum the inside of the vent areas. This serves two purposes: it get the unit free of dust, but you’d be amazed what gets lost in the floor vents. I’m always finding cat toys and play things my grandson likes to stuff in between the vent slats.

After you vacuum them thoroughly, replace the cleaned vent plates.

Patio and Outdoor Furniture

The best time of year to clean your patio furniture is when you’re taking it out of storage for the warm weather months ahead. Not all patio furniture can be cleaned with soap and water, but most can. Use my handy guide to make sure you’re cleaning your furniture correctly.

Carpeting

In my home I clean the carpets twice a year – in the spring and before the holidays.

We get a lot of traffic in our homes and therefore like to have them cleaned more frequently. However, most homes can get away with having carpets cleaned at once a year.

This is another area that should not be neglected. You can’t expect that vacuuming will do the entire job of ridding your carpeting of dirt and debris. You can either do it yourself or hire a professional. If you do it yourself, you should hire a professional every other year to do it for you as their systems are more effective and will keep your rugs looking fantastic for many years to come.

Gutters

Gutters get clogged with dirt, debris, and leaves and won’t work properly if stuffed with this material. Most homeowners hire a professional to handle this task but if you’re the adventurous type, you can clean them yourself. They make gutter cleaning tools to help the DIY’er accomplish this task effectively.

There you have it! The top ten yearly cleaning tasks that can be done once a year! Did I miss any? Are there other cleaning tasks you do once a year that should be on this list? Let me know!