Bedroom cleaning checklist: what to clean and in what order

Bedroom cleaning checklist for a regular clean

A regular bedroom clean is seven tasks: dust the reachable surfaces, make the bed, tidy up, wipe the light switches and handles, clean the mirrors, empty the trash and vacuum the floor, under the bed where you can reach. It is the list for a weekly or every-other-week visit to a home that is kept up between cleans.

These are the same tasks the free checklist maker prints and that BroomBook’s crew checklists load for a standard clean, so a printed sheet and the phone say the same thing. Repeat the list for each bedroom in the home. A bedroom has fewer hard surfaces than a kitchen or a bathroom, so most of the time goes into dust, fabric and the floor.

What each line means on a professional visit:

• Dust reachable surfaces means the dresser top, nightstands, headboard, lamp bases and shades, picture frames, shelves and the top of the door frame you can reach without a ladder. Lift small items, dust under them and put them back where they were.
• Make beds means straightening the sheets, pulling the covers up smooth and setting the pillows the way the client likes them. Changing the sheets is a separate job; more on that below.
• Tidy and straighten means folding throws, lining up shoes, stacking books and magazines, and putting things that clearly belong somewhere back in place. It does not mean sorting the client’s things or deciding what to keep.
• Light switches and handles are the door handle, closet handles, the light switch plate and the lamp switches: the spots every hand touches.
• The floor means the edges, the corners and under the bed as far as the vacuum reaches, not just the open strip around the bed. Dust gathers under the bed faster than anywhere else in the room.

For the rest of the home, the bathroom cleaning checklist and the living room cleaning checklist use the same format, and the full room-by-room lists for every type of clean are in the free maker.

How do you deep clean a bedroom?

To deep clean a bedroom, do everything on the regular list, then add the build-up a regular visit skips: wipe the baseboards and door frames by hand, dust the blinds and vents, wipe the window sills and tracks, and dust the ceiling fan and light fixtures. It is the right clean for a first visit, a room that has gone months without a proper clean, or a seasonal reset.

The four extra tasks are slow because they are high, low or fiddly. The fan blades and light fixtures need a step stool. Baseboards need you on your knees with a damp cloth. Blinds need each slat wiped, and window tracks need a brush or a vacuum crevice tool before a cloth will get them clean. Plan the visit around those tasks, not around the regular ones.

A move-out clean adds the inside of the closets and shelves, because the room is empty. An Airbnb turnover strips and remakes the bed with fresh linens and checks under the bed and in the drawers for things the last guest left. The whole-home deep clean list and the move-out list cover the rest of the house for those visits.

What order should you clean a bedroom in?

Clear the clutter first, then clean from the top of the room down: ceiling fan and lights, then dusting, then mirrors and switches, then the bed, and the floor last. Dust falls, so anything you clean above a surface you have already done just makes it dirty again.

These are the bedroom cleaning steps most crews follow:

1. Pick up and clear. Open the curtains or blinds for light. Empty the trash, gather dishes and cups to take to the kitchen, pick clothes up off the floor and put them in the hamper or fold them on the bed, and move anything sitting on the floor that would stop the vacuum.
2. Strip the bed, if the sheets are being changed. Pull the sheets and pillowcases now, so the mattress can air while you work and any dust you shake loose lands before you vacuum.
3. Fan and lights. On a deep clean, dust the ceiling fan blades, light fixtures and the tops of tall furniture first, with the fan switched off.
4. Dust from the top down. Shelves and frames, then the dresser and nightstands, lamps and headboard. On a deep clean, add blinds, vents and window sills, and finish with the baseboards.
5. Mirrors, switches and handles. Spray glass cleaner on the cloth, not the mirror, and wipe the switch plates and handles with a clean, damp cloth.
6. Make the bed. Fresh sheets if the client left them out, otherwise straighten what is there. Making the bed after dusting keeps dust off the clean covers.
7. Vacuum last. Start at the far corner, do the edges and under the bed, and work back toward the door so you never walk across a clean floor.
8. Look back from the door. Check the bed, the mirror and the floor once from the doorway, close the closet doors and set the lights the way you found them.

How to clean a bedroom fast

The fastest way to clean a bedroom is the same order with fewer trips. Carry a small caddy with a dusting cloth, a glass cloth, glass cleaner and trash liners, so you never leave the room to fetch something. Bring the vacuum in at the start and plug it in by the door. Use one damp microfiber cloth for all dusting and turn it to a clean side as each side fills. When time is short, do the things people notice first: a made bed, clear surfaces, a clean mirror and a vacuumed floor.

Homeowners, tenants and hosts can use the same order. It saves more time than any product does, because you never clean the same spot twice.

How often should you wash your sheets and bedding?

For homes with dust mite allergies or asthma, the EPA and the American Lung Association both advise washing bedding in hot water once a week. For everyone else, weekly is a sensible habit, and most people change sheets every week or two.

The EPA’s page on asthma triggers says to wash bedding in hot water once a week and dry it completely. The American Lung Association’s dust mite page gives a number for the water: at least 120 degrees F. Pillows, comforters and duvets get washed less often; follow the care label on each one.

Do house cleaners change the sheets?

On a regular clean, the checklist says make the bed, not change it. Many cleaning businesses will change the sheets when the client leaves a fresh set on the bed, and some offer washing and drying the old set as an add-on. Decide which you do, put it in writing, and price it, because stripping and remaking a bed takes real time. Airbnb turnovers are different: fresh linens on every bed are part of the job every time.

A few habits that make sheet changes go smoothly:

• Ask clients to leave the clean set folded on the bed or in one agreed spot, so nobody goes through their linen closet.
• Put the used sheets in the hamper or wherever the client asks. Do not take them home unless laundry is part of the service.
• Note on the client’s file how they like the bed made: tucked or untucked, how many pillows, and the decorative ones last.

How do you clean a mattress, under the bed and the closet?

Vacuum the mattress top and sides with the upholstery tool when the sheets are off, vacuum under the bed as far as you can reach, and clean closets from the top shelf down to the floor. Spot clean stains with as little liquid as you can, and let the mattress dry fully before the bed is made.

The mattress

A mattress collects dust and skin flakes, which is what dust mites feed on. When the bed is stripped, vacuum the top, the sides and along the seams with a clean upholstery tool. For a spill or stain, blot rather than scrub, use a small amount of an upholstery cleaner tested in a hidden spot first, and never soak it, because a mattress takes a long time to dry inside. Turning or rotating the mattress is a job for the client, following the maker’s instructions.

Signs of bed bugs

Changing the sheets is the best moment to spot bed bugs early. The EPA’s guide on how to find bed bugs says to look for rusty or reddish stains on sheets or mattresses, small dark spots, tiny pale eggs or shed skins, and live bugs, especially near the piping, seams and tags of the mattress and box spring and in cracks in the bed frame and headboard. If a cleaner sees any of these, they should stop, take a photo and tell the client in writing. Treating them is a job for a pest professional, not a cleaner.

Under the bed

The checklist says under the bed where reachable, and that is the honest limit on a regular visit. Use a flat vacuum head or a crevice tool. If the client stores boxes under the bed, vacuum around them, and only pull them out on a deep clean with the client’s say-so. Put everything back exactly where it was.

The closet

In a lived-in home, a regular clean covers the closet door and handle and the floor you can reach. On a deep clean, dust the top shelf and the rod if you can reach them without moving clothes. Wiping inside every shelf is a move-out task, when the closet is empty. Do not reorganize clothes or shoes unless the client asked for it.

How do you get rid of dust mites in a bedroom?

You cannot get rid of dust mites completely, but you can cut them down: wash bedding hot every week, cover the mattress and pillows, vacuum with a HEPA filter, dust with a damp cloth and keep the air dry. The EPA notes that every home has dust mites.

Dust mites are too small to see. The American Lung Association explains that they feed on dead skin cells, that allergic people react to proteins from their waste and bodies, and that most exposure happens while sleeping. They can trigger asthma in people who are allergic to them. Here is what the EPA and the American Lung Association recommend:

• Wash bedding once a week in hot water, at least 120 degrees F according to the Lung Association, and dry it completely.
• Cover mattresses and pillows with dust-proof or allergen covers.
• Vacuum carpet and fabric-covered furniture weekly, with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter.
• Dust with a damp cloth or microfiber cloth, which traps dust instead of throwing it back into the air.
• Keep indoor humidity below 50 percent. The Lung Association says air conditioning and dehumidifiers help in humid areas.
• Choose stuffed toys that can be washed, and wash them in hot water.

The EPA also advises that people with asthma or allergies leave the room while it is being vacuumed. For a cleaning business, that is a simple note on the client’s file: vacuum the bedroom of the person with allergies while they are out, use the HEPA vacuum, and damp dust rather than dry dust. Cleaning cuts down the dust; it does not treat allergies, so leave the medical advice to the client’s doctor.

How is a kid’s room or a guest room different?

A kid’s room needs more pickup time and a wipe of everything little hands touch. A guest room needs less cleaning but gathers dust because nobody uses it. The primary bedroom usually has the most surfaces and furniture, and often its own bathroom.

Kids’ rooms

• Agree with the parents how far pickup goes. Toys into bins is common; sorting a toy box is not part of a clean.
• Wipe the handles, switches, bed rails, crib rails and the toy shelf, where hands go most.
• Never throw anything away, even if it looks like trash. Drawings and small parts matter to someone.
• Keep cleaning products in your caddy, not on the floor or the dresser, and never leave a bottle behind.
• For a child with allergies, the EPA suggests washable stuffed toys, washed in hot water and dried completely before the child plays with them.

Guest rooms

An empty guest room still collects dust on every flat surface, and the bed linens go stale. On a regular visit, dust, vacuum and check the bed. Before guests arrive, many clients want fresh sheets and towels set out, which works best when it is booked as part of that visit so the time is planned. Treat a guest room that has had visitors like a short turnover: strip the bed, check under it and in the drawers, and empty the trash.

The primary bedroom

The primary bedroom often has a larger bed, more furniture and a bathroom of its own, so time it separately from the smaller rooms. It is also the room with the most private things in it. Nightstand drawers, desks, jewelry and papers are off limits unless the client says otherwise, and that rule belongs in the job notes so every cleaner on every visit knows it.

How long does it take to clean a bedroom?

It depends on the size of the room, how much furniture and clutter it has, and whether the sheets are being changed, so time your own. A deep clean usually takes about 1.6 to 2 times as long as a standard clean of the same home, according to our house cleaning pricing guide.

Time a few bedrooms of each kind with a phone timer: a guest room, a kid’s room and a primary bedroom. Time a sheet change on its own too, so you know what to charge when a client asks for it. After a few weeks you will know your own numbers, and they will be more accurate than any average. First visits run longer than recurring ones, because they clear the build-up the regular visits only maintain.

The pricing guide uses the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, not square feet alone, to set a flat price, and walks through building a price from the hours a job takes. The house cleaning price calculator turns your pay rate, costs and margin into a flat price for each home size. For homeowners planning their own routine, the free cleaning schedule maker spreads the rooms across the week.

How BroomBook keeps every bedroom on the checklist

We make BroomBook, a scheduling and booking app for residential cleaning businesses, and it puts this checklist in each cleaner’s hands on every job. The checklist matches the type of clean booked, so a standard visit loads the short list and a deep clean, move-out or Airbnb turnover loads the longer one.

• Each cleaner gets a private crew link, with nothing to download.
• Checklists go room by room, with photos. Photos are checked against their checklist item, and the ones that need a look are flagged to the owner.
• Cleaners clock in and out from the phone.
• Job notes, such as “nightstand drawers off limits” or “HEPA vacuum in the back bedroom”, are translated into Spanish, French or Portuguese for each cleaner.

You can see the checklist and crew side on the features page or try the live demo with sample data. Pick something else if you run a commercial janitorial business, need a QuickBooks sync, or want an app your crew installs from an app store: BroomBook is built for residential cleaning and has none of those.