Cleaning & Organizing 10 Household Items You're Cleaning Too Often, According to Experts Clean these areas of your home only as needed. By Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano is an associate editor at MarthaStewart.com, sharing her knowledge on a range of topics—from gardening and cleaning to home and pets. She has five years of writing and editing experience in the digital publishing industry. Editorial Guidelines Published on May 1, 2024 Close Photo: Martha Stewart Maintaining a cleaning schedule is essential in order to ensure your to-dos get checked off. But if you often get overwhelmed by all of the things on your list, you may be cleaning some things in your home too frequently. Instead, focus on creating a cleaning routine that's based on actual usage, environmental factors, and personal preference. To help you save time and resources, we're sharing a few household things experts say you may be cleaning too often. Alicia Sokolowski, president and co-CEO of AspenClean, a manufacturer of green cleaning supplies and provider of in-home cleaning services Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid, a Neighborly company, a residential and commercial cleaning service Your Complete Home Cleaning Schedule: What to Clean Weekly, Monthly, and Seasonally 01 of 10 Floors Haris Kenjar Even though they receive a lot of foot traffic, floors are often cleaned too frequently, even when they are not heavily dirty. "This can lead to time and resource consumption," says Alicia Sokolowski, the president and co-CEO of AspenClean. "Sweeping or vacuuming the high-traffic areas every other day or as needed and mopping the floors once a week is sufficient." 02 of 10 Bathroom Fixtures Bathrooms are often perceived as breeding grounds for germs, which may lead to them being cleaned excessively. "We recommend wiping down bathroom fixtures, such as faucets and handles, as part of regular bathroom cleaning," says Sokolowski. Typically once or twice a week is enough, unless they are visibly dirty. How to Clean Your Bathroom From Top to Bottom 03 of 10 Windows Windows tend to be cleaned too often for aesthetic reasons even though they accumulate dirt or grime slowly—especially in less dusty environments. "You should clean your windows inside out once or twice a year or adjust this frequency as needed based on environmental factors such as weather, dust, or pollen," says Sokolowski. 04 of 10 Refrigerator While keeping your refrigerator clean and organized is a good habit, it doesn't need to be cleaned as often as some other kitchen appliances. "You should only deep clean your refrigerator about once a month," says Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid, a Neighborly company. But make sure to clean accidental spills right away. 05 of 10 Microwave If you're covering your food when you put it into the microwave, chances are you don't need to clean the inside of this appliance as often as you are. "People may think they need to clean it so often since you’re putting food in it, but if you simply cover the dish, you won’t have a mess," says Mock. "Deep cleaning the microwave only needs to happen about every one to three months." 06 of 10 Wood Furniture Getty Images Exercise caution when cleaning wood furniture. "If you use disinfectant sprays or cleaners too often on wooden furniture, you may actually be damaging the wood," says Mock. Clean these pieces as needed when spills, stains, or dust occurs. 07 of 10 Baseboards Sparkling baseboards can make your home look tidier, but you don't need to overdo it when cleaning these surfaces. "Baseboards tend to accumulate dust and dirt slowly," says Sokolowski. "You should clean the baseboards once every few months and perform spot cleaning as needed." 08 of 10 Kitchen Pantry People tend to clean their kitchen pantry often because it holds food, but this area really only needs to be deep cleaned about once a season, says Mock. In between scheduled cleanings, you should make sure the food inside your pantry is still safe to eat and edit your items about once a month. 09 of 10 Ceiling Fans Ceiling fans can build up with dust if they're not tended to, which can then be distributed throughout your home when they're turned on. That said, these surfaces don't get dusty too quickly and only need be cleaned about once a month, says Mock. 10 of 10 Comforter Dane Tashima While some bedding (like your sheets and pillowcases) should be cleaned about once a week, your comforter can wait a bit longer. Most comforters only need to be washed once every one to two months, so long as there are no spills or stains. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit