When it comes to matters domestic there are few organisations more influential than the Good Housekeeping Institute.
Founded in 1924, it has been a valued consumer champion for generations of homeowners ever since.
So when it publishes its Ultimate Cleaning Guide, it’s time to put down that mop and prick up your ears. The bad news is that the list is 34 chores long (see panel).
The good news is that the tally of daily tasks totals just eight. Still, that amounts to a hefty incursion into anyone’s day.
Over to Sara Benwell, consumer editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. “The first thing to say is that this list is a guideline,” she says.
“We don’t want anyone to be terrified by it.
And if people can’t get through everything on the list that’s fair enough. It’s more about trying to help people organise their household chores.”
Quite often doing a lot of the daily stuff every day and doing a lot of the weekly stuff every week actually cuts down on time overall.
Sara Benwell, consumer editor at Good Housekeeping magazine
She adds: “Quite often doing a lot of the daily stuff every day and doing a lot of the weekly stuff every week actually cuts down on time overall.
For instance, if you’re wiping down your showers every day, then they don’t build up limescale so you don’t have to spend an entire day de-limescaling them a couple of months down the road.”
The Institute also has a host of tips and tricks for making your chores easier.
To clean the inside of your microwave, for example, it recommends putting in a bowl half-full of water with some lemon slices or white vinegar.
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Heat it up until it boils and it will loosen all the debris on the inside of the appliance and make it really easy to wipe down.
While most of the tasks on the checklist make perfect sense, it’s hard to believe that many people wipe their lightbulbs – even if it is only once a year. But queen of clean Benwell reckons those who don’t are missing a trick.
“Dust builds up on your lightbulbs and so you just don’t get as much light through them. If you take them down and wipe them you get loads more light through.”
She also reckons it’s not unreasonable to stipulate that the toilet bowl should be cleaned daily: “Whether you do it every day probably depends on whether or not you have children and how conscientious the members of your household are.
I’m hoping not to have to say anything more than that!” While many equate cleaning with depressing domestic drudgery, there are ways to help pass the time constructively and those who try to view it as a part of their daily exercise regime are not being entirely delusional.
“There is evidence that cleaning can burn a fair few calories depending on how vigorously you clean and for how long,” says Benwell.
“I tend to listen to podcasts or turn on the radio when I’m cleaning so I’m getting something out of it at the same time.
“If I’m ironing I catch up on my box sets and things like that so obviously there are things you can do that mean you’re not just cleaning, you’re also enjoying something as well.”
For those who nevertheless find the whole idea of anything involving a vacuum cleaner or mop too boring or time-consuming to contemplate, there is the option of hired help.
One in three British households employs a cleaner, according to a study by insurers esure published last year, with twice as many under-35s paying someone to take care of the vacuuming and ironing than do older people.
And the GHI checklist can be useful for them too.
While Benwell does not recommend any course as undiplomatic as simply handing over a printout of its guidelines, she does consider it important to communicate your expectations.
“Whenever I hire a cleaner I tend to sit down with them and say, ‘Here are the things that I’d like done every week and here are the things I’d like done once a month’,” she says.
“A checklist such as this can be helpful for preparing you for that first conversation with your cleaner and help to make sure they do everything they should.”
For more information, go to www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk/ institute
Make beds
Wipe down shower
Clean round toilet bowl
Wipe down kitchen surfaces
Wipe hob after use
Sweep kitchen floor
Wash up At the end of the day, clear away clutter and put dirty clothing in the laundry basket
Clean bed linen and towels
Do the laundry
Dust household surfaces
Vacuum all carpets and floors
Give bathrooms a thorough clean Clean mirrors and toothbrush mugs
Clean inside the microwave
Wipe down kitchen appliances and any dirty surfaces not cleaned daily
Wash all the windows
Vacuum hard-to-reach areas, including under furniture Clean blinds and/or vacuum curtains Wash doormats Clean dishwasher, washing machine and vacuum cleaner
Vacuum mattress Wash or dry-clean pillows, bedspreads and duvets
Wipe down the inside of the fridge
Clean out the freezer
Clean the oven thoroughly inside and out Wipe down internal paintwork
Have a mini garage blitz Annually
Wipe window frames
Wipe lightbulbs
Deep-clean upholstered furniture and carpets
Clear out gutters
Clean fireplace and chimney
Have the chimney swept
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