Why You Can Trust CNET Ultimate Cleaning Cheat Sheet: A Step-by-Step Checklist for Your Home
Follow this step-by-step guide, based on years of expert advice, to get the best clean for your home.
- Macy has been working for CNET for coming on 2 years. Prior to CNET, Macy received a North Carolina College Media Association award in sports writing.
We've compiled dozens of cleaning tips and tricks to build your ultimate home cleaning checklist.
It's finally the weekend, which means you have some extra time to reset and organize... and your house is begging for a good cleaning. Pull out your cleaning supplies and your trusty vacuum (or finally invest in a great cordless vacuum), and get to work.
Well, OK... but it can be hard to know where to start when there's an entire home that needs a deep clean. Lucky for you, CNET has spent years consulting experts and writing up neat hacks and guides for how best to clean and organize every area of your home, from the bathroom and kitchen to your appliances and car. To make things even easier, we've compiled the stories into an ultimate cleaning checklist. Scroll on to check it out.
For more cheat sheets, take a look at every Alexa and Google Home tip you need to know, your guide to getting solar at home, and how to navigate your home internet options.
What are the best cleaning items?
Our CNET staff has tried out a legion of cleaning products over the years, putting each device to the test. Here are our favorites:
- Best vacuums overall
- Best cordless vacuums
- Best robot vacuums
- Best washing machines
- Best dishwashers
- Best shower heads
Food residue is gross, so let's start in the kitchen
You probably spend a lot of time in your kitchen. It's where you do your food prep and likely gather with friends and family. That means it desperately requires a good scrub down, both for your sake and the sake of your company.
- How to get your kitchen clean in 15 minutes
- Keep the annoying gap between your stove and countertop clean with this 1 trick
- When cleaning in the kitchen, consider moving big appliances to clean under them
And don't forget your kitchen and household appliances
From the gunk inside your coffee maker to the dusty filters inside your vacuum, you must give your trusty household appliances a good wipe down at least a few times a year.
- Clean your Roomba's bin, filter and brushes
- You'll also want to give your cast iron skillet a good clean
- Make sure your washer doesn't have mold by cleaning it out now
- You'll also want to take your Keurig apart for a deep clean of every piece
- Try this hack to clean oven grease from those hard to reach places
- Your dishwasher is gross, so you should know how to clean it
- And clean your toaster (without electrocuting yourself, of course)
- Don't forget to clean your grill and grates
- From handles to the ice maker, here's how to give your fridge a deep clean
- Next, clean your blender with this one easy trick
Home and kitchen appliances -- like your Keurig coffee maker -- need to be deep cleaned every so often.
Looked inside that toilet? Yeah, that needs to be cleaned
Your bathroom is one of the dirtiest areas in your home. With the frequency of its use, lurking germs and bacteria can spread quickly. That means you need to clean weekly, if not daily.
- To start, here's how often you should clean your bathroom
- And then use this guide to clean it in under 10 minutes
- If you're dealing with a clog, here's an easy way to unclog your toilet, no plunger needed
- And then clean the gunk off that shower head
From your sink and toilet to your bath mats, you need to be regularly cleaning your bathroom.
Bedding can collect all kinds of grime, too
It seems simple, but you might be washing your sheets all wrong. Here's what to know:
- Check out how to wash your bedding the right way
- Oh, and you really shouldn't forget about your pillow
- Wear makeup? Here's how to get makeup stains out of bedding
- After the wash, you'll need to fold your sheets. Here's the best way to fold a fitted sheet
If you want an extra deep clean, you can even consider cleaning your mattress.
Just because you don't see stains or smell an odor doesn't mean your sheets are clean.
For more cleaning tips, try the best way to remove pet hair from your car and how to declutter your closet.
Liked this cheat sheet? Check out CNET's other complete guides: