A cleaning checklist template for a house that gets cleaned on a schedule, in two versions: the regular clean (weekly, every two weeks, monthly) and the turnover clean between guests, with a supplies column marked OK, Low or Out. Copy it, print it, or save it as a PDF. No email address required.
Every house is a little different, so this is a starting list, not a script. Take the rows that fit, add the ones the owner cares about (the one who wants the throw pillows a certain way, the one with the white grout), and keep a copy per house. A list that lives with the house is the one that gets followed.
Cleaning checklist · house name
Date Cleaner Arrived Left
Regular clean
- Kitchen: counters, backsplash, sink and faucet
- Kitchen: stovetop, hood, outside of the oven
- Kitchen: outside of the fridge and dishwasher
- Kitchen: floor swept and mopped
- Kitchen: trash out, new liner
- Bathrooms: toilet, inside and out
- Bathrooms: shower and tub, glass, fixtures
- Bathrooms: sink, mirror, counter
- Bathrooms: floor, trash
- Bathrooms: towels swapped, mat shaken
- Bedrooms: beds made or linens changed
- Bedrooms: surfaces dusted, under the bed checked
- Living areas: dust surfaces, shelves, screens
- Living areas: vacuum upholstery, straighten cushions
- All rooms: floors vacuumed and mopped
- All rooms: baseboards and door frames
- All rooms: light switches, handles, remotes wiped
- Windows: sills and interior glass where marked
- Laundry: load run if asked, lint trap emptied
- Entry: mat shaken, door glass, porch swept
- Walk-through: lights off, doors locked, thermostat set as asked
Turnover clean (between guests) — everything above, plus
- Strip every bed; wash, dry, remake with the set the owner marked
- Towels: full set per bathroom, plus the pool or beach set
- Kitchen: dishes done and put away, fridge emptied of guest food, wiped
- Kitchen: coffee, filters, sugar, salt and pepper restocked
- Bathrooms: toilet paper 2+ rolls each, soap, shampoo topped
- Trash and recycling out to the bins; bins to the curb if it is pickup day
- Check under beds, in drawers and closets for left items; bag and note
- Check for damage: walls, furniture, screens, appliances; photo anything new
- Thermostat, blinds, lights set to the arrival setting
- Grill cleaned, cover on; outdoor furniture wiped and set
- Welcome basics: the owner’s note, the wifi card, the house guide in place
- Door codes: confirm the guest code works, previous one cleared if the owner asks
- Final walk-through with the after photos: every room, one photo each
Supplies at this house
| Item | OK | Low | Out | Restocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper towels | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ |
| Toilet paper | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ |
| Dish soap / dishwasher pods | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ |
| Laundry detergent | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ |
| Trash bags | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ |
| Hand soap | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ |
| Coffee, filters | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ |
| Light bulbs, batteries | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ |
| ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ |
Anything the owner should know
Photos: one per room after the clean, plus anything flagged above. Sent to at .
How to use it
Keep one list per house, and edit it once. The first clean at a new house is the one to write the list on: what this owner notices, what this house has (a pool bath, a mudroom, a sunroom nobody uses). After that the list holds still and the work goes faster.
The supplies column is the part the owner reads. An owner who is 900 miles away cannot see that the paper towels are gone. A list that says Low or Out on the day of the clean is what lets them restock before the next guests, and it is the difference between a cleaner who cleans and a cleaner who runs the house.
Photos are proof, not decoration. One after photo per room, taken on the day, is what settles “was the house really cleaned before the Whitfields arrived?” before it is asked. If the photos carry a time and go to the owner the same hour, nobody wonders.
For the turnover version, the family’s stay dates decide the schedule. When the owner books the stay in their House Matters record, the turnover lands on the cleaner’s route for the day they leave, and the after photos go to them as a link when the clean is done. The same list, in the app, is what a cleaner on House Matters ticks through, with the OK / Low / Out taps built in.
Questions people ask
Should a cleaning checklist be the same for every house?
No. Keep one list per house, built on this template. The owner of a beach rental and the owner of a mountain cabin notice different things, and a list that ignores that gets ignored.
How long should a turnover clean take?
Plan 3 to 5 hours for a two- or three-bedroom rental with linens included, longer with a full kitchen restock. The list above is the reason: a turnover is a regular clean plus twelve more rows.
What is the difference between a cleaning checklist and a cleaning contract?
The checklist is what gets done on the day; the contract is the agreement about price, cancellations and access. Both are free here: this page and the cleaning contract template.
Do I need to send photos?
For a house whose owner is not there, yes. A photo per room with a time on it is the only thing that proves the clean happened today and not last week.
Run your first three homes free
House Matters is cleaning business software for small businesses: a list per house, photos from the camera, the owner’s report as a link, your invoice or Venmo request when you lock up. Your first three client homes are free, then $19 a month. No per-cleaner fee.
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