Chore Pairs – 7 Cleaning Tasks You Should Always Do Together

I think it’s safe to say that most people want a clean home. It’s definitely more of a priority for some people than others, but generally, no-one WANTS to live in a total mess!

However, time and energy are not infinite resources, and sometimes we just don’t have the time or energy to clean everywhere in our home.

Yes, there are some fast cleaning tasks you can do quickly, but what about some of the bigger things? When will you find time to do those?

Never fear… Cleaning Duos are here to help!

Cleaning Duos

So what exactly are cleaning duos? Well, they are simply two cleaning tasks that can be carried out at the same time to make life easier for yourself!

Being efficient in your use of time when you are cleaning is key to having a clean home without spending hours every day. For instance, in my weekly cleaning routine, I suggest that you have one day a week when you mop all the floors, rather than do the kitchen one day, the bathroom the next day, etc. This means that you only need to get the mop out once a week.

No one likes to spend ages cleaning, and by cleaning smarter, not harder, you can cut your cleaning time down while still having a neat and tidy home.

Below are my favorite cleaning duo tasks that will not only help you save time, but also help you to remember to clean those forgotten areas of your home (like shower curtains and mattresses!).

Clean Your Mattress While You Wash Your Sheets

We spend up to one-third of our lives in bed (if you’re a sleepy-head like me, then it’s a lot more than that!), and that means that we really should be paying more attention to the place where we spend so much time.

Yes, we all know we should be washing our bedding at least every 2 weeks, but what about our mattress? When was the last time you cleaned your mattress?

It seems like such a big job to clean the mattress and therefore we procrastinate and never get around to doing it. However, this is a perfect example of a cleaning duo!

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Why not clean your mattress when you are washing your sheets? You’ve already done half the work (taking the sheets off). You don’t need to do it every time you wash your sheets, maybe every other time or once every 1-2 months.

It’s actually pretty easy to clean your mattress (check out my How to Clean Your Mattress post), so adding it to your existing routine of washing your sheets is a no-brainer.

  • Remove all sheets from the bed and put them in the wash
  • Sprinkle baking soda on the mattress and let it sit (the longer the better)
  • When you transfer your sheets from the washer to the dryer, grab your vacuum and quickly vac up the baking soda
  • Put sheets back on and enjoy your fresh, clean bed!

Clean Out the Refrigerator Before You Take Out The Trash

This cleaning duo is so simple but really will make a difference!

When you are about to take the trash out, quickly go to the refrigerator and grab any old or spoiled food and toss that in the trash bag too.

If you compost your food leftovers, you can still pair these tasks together. Instead of tossing your food scraps, you can just put them in your compost bin. It will help you remember to clear out your fridge.

Cleaning Duos - Clean out your fridge when you are taking out the trash.

An alternative is to do a fridge clear out once a week on the evening before your trash collection day. That way you won’t have stinky garbage bags in your outdoor trash can either.

Bonus… you’ll clear out your refrigerator more often and therefore won’t have to deal with stinky, slimy messes in the fridge!

  • Before you pull the full trash bag out of the kitchen garbage can, quickly scan your fridge for any old or spoiled foods.
  • Throw those foods straight into the trash can OR put them into your compost bin.
  • Bag up the trash and take it outside.

Clean Your Toothbrush Holder When You Wash the Dishes

Did you know that your dishwasher isn’t just for dishes? There are actually loads of things you can clean in your dishwasher! Plastic toys, baseball hats (seriously, this is great as they keep their shape), plastic hairbrushes, vacuum cleaner attachments… the list goes on. But one of the easiest things to clean in your dishwasher is your toothbrush holder and soap dispenser!

Your toothbrush holder is actually one of the most germ-infested things in your bathroom! Yeah, pretty gross, right?!

It’s recommended that you clean your toothbrush holder and soap dispenser at least once a week. The easiest way to do this is to just throw it on the top shelf of your dishwasher. You can make a routine of doing it every Friday evening or Monday morning (or whatever works best for you!).

Cleaning Duos - Clean your toothbrush holder in the dishwasher.

Note: Please make sure it’s a dishwasher safe toothbrush holder! If it’s made from wood or other porous materials, then it’s best to skip the dishwasher and use hot, soapy water to wash it instead.

  • After you’ve cleaned your bathroom, grab your toothbrush holder and put it on the top shelf of your dishwasher
  • Run your dishwasher on a hot or sanitizing cycle
  • Return your holder to the bathroom and enjoy the fact that your toothbrush has a nice clean home!

Dust Before You Vacuum

When I was in college I shared a house with 3 other girls. My job was to keep the kitchen clean and every Saturday morning I would wipe down all the counters and wipe all the crumbs, dust and mess onto the floor! I’d then grab the broom and sweep everything up. My mom thought I was crazy, but to me, this was the easiest way to clean up the counters!

I’m not suggesting you do this, but it does make sense to dust BEFORE you vacuum.

When you dust you will end up pushing lots of dust and other particles onto the floors. It just makes sense to do this before you sweep or vacuum your floors.

  • Dust your shelves, picture frames, furniture, counters, etc. with the tool of your choice (I like microfiber dusters)
  • Vacuum or sweep the floors!

Clean Your Baseboards When You Mop Your Floors

Baseboards are one of those parts of the house that get ignored! It’s such a pain to get down and scrub them, but they are also one of the areas that accumulate dust and dirt the quickest.

One way to keep on top of baseboard cleaning is to clean them at the same time that you mop your floors. I’m not saying that you need to get down on your hands and knees and scrub them, instead, you can just use your mop to quickly clean them off.

Yes, they might need a deeper cleaner every so often, but a quick weekly wipe down will keep them looking clean for longer.

Depending on the type of mop you use, depends on exactly how you do this. I use a microfiber flip mop, so I just flip it over and dust the baseboards as I go around the room. If you use a traditional wet mop, then you just need to make sure that the mop isn’t too wet (you don’t want to damage your paintwork) before you wipe around the baseboards.

  • When you get to the edge of the room while mopping your floors, quickly run your mop along the side and top of your baseboards
  • Repeat for all baseboards around the room

Wash Your Shower Curtain When You Wash Your Cleaning Rags

One of the best ways to clean your shower curtain or shower curtain liner is in the washing machine. However, you do need something else in the wash at the same time to act as an abrasive to get the shower curtain really clean.

The easiest solution is to wash it at the same time that you are washing any old towels or cleaning rags. They will rub against the shower curtain in the wash and help remove any soap build-up or scale.

You can just use regular laundry detergent and make sure you don’t overload your machine.

  • When you have a load of old towels or cleaning rags that need washing, quickly grab your shower curtain or shower curtain liner as well
  • Place them all together in your washer and use a regular laundry detergent
  • After the wash, hang your curtain back up to drip dry into the tub.

Clean Your Keyboard & Mouse When You Clean Your Monitor

The more that an item gets touched, the higher the likelihood that it will house germs. And our computer mouse and keyboard are something that is constantly touched!

The easiest way to remember to clean your keyboard and mouse is to do it at the same time that you are wiping down your monitor or TV screens.

You might also want to consider wiping down any game console controllers too… those things are a safe harbor for germs and bacteria too!

  • When you are cleaning your monitor or TV screens, use it as a reminder to quickly grab a disinfecting wipe
  • Shake the keyboard upside down to remove any crumbs from between the keys
  • Wipe down with disinfecting wipes
  • Repeat on mouse and video game controllers

I hope these cleaning duo ideas have helped you think of ways to you combine tasks so you can be more efficient with your cleaning time! After all, no-one wants to spend ages cleaning! Quick cleaning tips for the win!