Welcome to the heart of your home – the dining room! It’s here where we host elaborate holiday feasts, intimate dinners, and lazy Sunday brunches. This beloved space for gathering and feasting, though, deserves some love in return. A clean and tidy dining room not only contributes to the overall aesthetics of your home, but also sets the stage for enjoyable meals and gatherings.
However, with the many elements that make up a dining room, from the table and chairs to the cabinets and chandeliers, keeping it spotless might seem overwhelming – you might feel like you need a team!
That’s where a dining room cleaning checklist comes to your rescue. As part of our series of cleaning checklists, here’s the latest: a guide for the daily, weekly, and monthly tasks you can do to tackle your dining room.
This simple yet efficient tool can transform an otherwise daunting task into a manageable and even rewarding routine. Let’s delve into the art of sprucing up your dining room, one checklist item at a time. Your dining space will be sparkling clean and ready to host your next meal in no time; if you want extra support getting started or maintaining a clean bedroom, we’re always here to help!
Dining Room Cleaning Supplies
There’s one thing that’s as important as knowing what things you have to clean in your dining room and in what order. The supplies you need to do it! Having all the tools and equipment beforehand will make your cleaning session easier and faster. Below we’ve detailed all the supplies you’ll need to leave the dining room looking brand new!
- All-purpose cleaning solution
- Window cleaner
- Microfiber cleaning cloths
- Duster
- Trash bags
- Vacuum
- Broom and dustpan
- Mop
- Warm water and bucket
- Sponges and scrubber
- Disinfecting wipes
- Paper towels
- Furniture polish
Daily Dining Room Cleaning Checklist
Our daily dining room cleaning checklist is designed to cover the quick and little tasks that ensure your dining room stays clean and tidy. You can do these tasks by the end of the day or when you get from work.
Declutter
Between taking the kids to soccer practice, meeting a new client, and getting to the doctor’s appointment, we live a hectic life that leaves little time for certain activities, like cleaning. Since the dining room is an easily accessible area of your house, it’s no surprise that we end up accumulating piles of random items that we throw on the dining table as soon as we get home. Books, chargers, magazines, bills, flyers… you know what we mean. So the first thing you want to do is clear away anything that doesn’t belong to the dining room.
Remove any trash
Start by removing the trash. Grab a trash bag and look for old newspapers and magazines, unwanted emails, or candy wrappers your child may have left.
Remove stray items
This is the moment to “reorganize” the dining room. Find all the items that don’t belong there: your coffee mug, toys, jackets, chargers, slippers, and anything that should be stored in a different place and store it.
Wipe down the table and chairs
Grab a damp microfiber cloth, a multi-purpose cleaner, and wipe down the table and chairs. Pay special attention to the table. Wipe it a first time to remove the dust, and then a second time to clean spills or stains from meals.
Give the floor a quick sweep to remove crumbs
Give the floor a simple sweep by the end of the day. This is just to keep the floors free of dust and crumbs – which can cause scratches on wood floors!
Weekly Dining Room Cleaning Checklist
The weekly dining room cleaning checklist is a bit more intense. You’ll focus on the same tasks the daily checklists include but will also pay more attention to smaller areas.
Dust down furniture
You should be dusting your furniture at least once a week. Grab a microfiber cloth and wipe down all the furniture in your living room to remove dust particles. For a better result, you can also spray the cloth with dusting polish.
Dust mirrors, picture frames, ornaments
We all love decor pieces. They give a unique personality to a room and some even remind us of past travels and meaningful events. But they’re a dust magnet we love to neglect. So grab another microfiber cloth and dust all your mirrors, art pieces, picture frames, and other wall hangings.
Clean door handles and light switches
Sanitizing is a huge part of a cleaning routine, and we don’t do it as often as we should. First, detect all the door handles and light switches in your dining room. You can clean them with disinfecting wipes (one for each door handle and light switch) or use a damp cloth sprayed with your own disinfecting solution.
Vacuum or mop the floor
After you give the floor a quick sweep, you’ll want to go the extra mile and vacuum or mop. This will pick up dirt, hair, crumbs, and dust that you may not have collected with the broom. Deciding whether you should mop or vacuum will depend on the type of floor you have. On a hard surface floor, it’s best to use a dust mop rather than a vacuum cleaner, for example.
Monthly Dining Room Cleaning Checklist
With the monthly dining room cleaning checklist, you’re going all in. You’ll go over every task in the daily and weekly checklists plus tackle all those sneaky areas that you don’t see but still collect dust and grime like crazy.
Shake out and air rugs
Rugs are one of the major dust producers and dust magnets in a home. So it’s important for you to take the time to shake out any floor covering you have. You can take the rug outside and shake it vigorously or hang them on a clothesline and then beat the dirt out of them with a stick. Always let the rug air out to freshen up before placing them back in the room.
Clean mirrors and picture frames
After dusting your mirror and picture frames, take a glass cleaner or a mixture of vinegar and water to clean and wipe them down to remove smudges and fingerprints.
Wipe down light fittings
Once you clean your light fixtures, you’ll never underestimate the difference it makes. They’ll put out so much more light! But safety first. Make sure the power to all your lights is off or they’re unplugged to avoid any risk of electric shock. Then, grab a damp microfiber cloth with some vinegar or multipurpose cleaner and wipe down light fixtures, including chandeliers, pendant lights, or any other lighting fixtures in the dining room.
Wipe down walls and baseboards
The dining room’s walls and baseboards don’t need as much attention as the kitchens and bathrooms. But it’s important to wash them to avoid moisture and oil buildup. With a damp cloth or sponge, you’ll wipe down the walls and baseboard. This will remove any accumulated dust, dirt, or fingerprints, giving the room a fresh and clean appearance.
Sanitize soft furnishings
Soft furnishings also attract tons of germs and dust. So, using a fabric-safe disinfectant, wipe down upholstered chairs, cushions, and other soft furnishings in the dining room. This will help eliminate germs and odors, leaving the furniture fresh and hygienic.
Vacuum upholstery
When you’re cleaning, you raise a lot of dust that then falls back again on surfaces. That’s why you need a vacuum cleaner to clean any upholstered furniture. Use it with an upholstery attachment so you don’t damage the fabric. This will also remove crumbs and pet hair you may not have spotted.
Polish wooden furniture
The devil is in the details. And polished wooden furniture instantly brightens a room. Apply a furniture polish or a mixture of olive oil and vinegar to all your wooden furniture. Gently rub the polish onto the surface to restore shine and protect the wood from scratches and wear.
Wash curtains
Just like rugs, curtains collect tons of dust. Remove them from the dining room windows and wash them according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This will remove dust, odors, and any stains.
Wipe down blinds
This will take time, so you better take out your patient side. Use a damp cloth and wipe down and dust the blinds. You can take them out of the window and lay them on a flat surface to simplify things a bit. Take the time to loosen up and blast every inch of grime away.
Wipe down the insides of drawers, cupboards, and storage areas
Just because you don’t see it, it doesn’t mean it isn’t there! Remove all the items from drawers, cupboards, and storage areas in the dining room, and wipe down the interior surfaces with a damp cloth. Then dry them with another cloth.
Clean windows
Last but not least, wash the windows. You can use a window cleaner or a mixture of vinegar and water to clean the windows in the dining room. Then, wipe down the glass with a lint-free cloth or a squeegee to achieve streak-free windows. You’ll be surprised by how much more you’ll see through the glass!
And just like that, you now have a schedule for bringing one of your most used rooms back into control and cleaned up. Since you, your family, and any houseguests are likely to see and possibly spend a lot of time in your dining room, it’s important to keep this space clean and enjoyable.
If you’d like a hand getting your dining room under control so that you can implement a dining room cleaning checklist like this one, give us a call! Our Cleveland house cleaners will be happy to lend a hand and get your dining room tidy in no time at all.
