Right now you might be asking, c’mon Liz, how much cleaning am I going to have to do, and how often?
Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. We’ve all got things to do and want to make cleaning easy. Below you’ll find a set of lists on what to clean and when:
Daily home Cleaning:
- Wash and scrub food and water bowls.
- Sweep up any crumbs around the bowls.
- Quick wipe the food area floor.
- Clean up pet accidents around the house when they happen.
- Spot vacuum or spot clean any pet hair.
- Put all toys away before going to bed.
- Clean all litter boxes and sweep around them.
Weekly Cleaning Tasks:
- Wash and scrub food mats or the floor under the bowls.
- Wipe baseboards and walls around the cat bowls.
- Wash the throws and blankets your cat uses.
- Thoroughly vacuum upholstered furniture
- Dust other furniture, mirrors, and light fixtures.
- Spot clean carpets to get rid of pet stains.
- Replace litter in litter boxes.
Monthly Clean Up:
- Wash collars, bandannas, and other “clothing” items your cat may wear.
- Mop floors around your cat’s food station.
- Deep clean carpets and curtains.
- Empty litter pans and refill with fresh litter.
- Shake out any rugs meant to catch litter around the boxes.
- Evaluate scratching posts and snip loose strings or stitching.
- Purge stringy or dangerous toys. Toss out anything that’s a hazard.
- Throw away any old cat grass containers and dying/dead household plants.
- Rotate toys into a drawer and pull something “new” from the drawer rotation.
- Wash and dry any toys that need refreshing.
Quarterly Home Cleaning Tasks:
- Steam clean upholstered furniture.
- Wash out storage containers for food and treats.
- Replace heavily worn collars, bandannas, and “clothing” items.
- Wash and put away seasonal cat items or seasonal cat clothing for next year.
- Do a thorough dusting of all surfaces in every room.
- Wash and sanitize any rugs meant to catch litter.
- Empty, scrub, and sanitize litter boxes, or buy new ones.
- Deep clean area around litter boxes: sweep, mop, wipe baseboards.
- Spot clean pet beds and hiding nooks; check for repair or replacement.
Recap:
There you go! Now that’s not so bad, huh? And I guarantee you that if you keep up with daily and weekly cleaning tasks, then the monthly and quarterly chores will not be a huge hassle. That’s the list for any cat owner’s home cleaning schedule. If you have additional hints and regular cleaning tasks that I didn’t include, please shout out in the comments below!