In order to keep your home in good condition, you need to take the time every week to complete certain chores. Keeping a schedule helps make sure that your home does not fall into disrepair. For example, if you know that you always vacuum on Mondays and Thursdays then that chore will get done regularly. Even if you miss one here or there, keeping the schedule most of the time makes sure that overall your house stays clean. Nevertheless, there are certain household maintenance projects or chores that cannot be completed in a single evening. In addition, there are some tasks that only need to be done once or twice a year. For these activities it is best to dedicate a weekend to the project.

One of the household chores that only need to be done once or twice a year and takes a good bit of time is carpet cleaning. Now, I do not mean vacuuming because that chore needs to be done much more regularly. In fact, you should vacuum once per member of your family every week. For example, a family of three should vacuum three times a week or once every three days or so. By carpet cleaning, I mean shampooing your carpets with a carpet cleaning machine. You can rent machines at your local grocery store or you can buy one from a home improvement store or department store. If you have pets or kids dragging dirt in your house often then you will want to shampoo them twice a year. You need the entire weekend because your need to shampoo, rise and then wait 12-24 hours for everything to dry before walking on it.

A second weekend project you might want to try is window washing. Even if you clean the inside of your windows year round during your normal household cleaning, the outside of the window glass, the window frames, and the screens do not get the same attention. A good time to clean your windows is in the spring. You want to be able to enjoy the sunlight as the weather changes so this is a good time to brighten up your home by having clean windows. The most effective way to clean the window glass is with a window cleaning solution and a squeegee. The frames and screens can be washed with a hose or power washer. Be careful with a power washer on your screens, though. If the water pressure is too high, you could tear them apart.

My least favorite household chore, because I am afraid of heights is gutter cleaning. It doesn’t matter if it rains a lot near your home or not, everyone needs to have a functioning gutter system and in order for it to function properly, you need to make sure it is clear of debris at least once a year. Twice a year, once in late fall and once in early spring would be better. You clean them in late fall to clear out all the falling leave and twigs that accumulate there over the autumn. You clean them in early spring to make sure there is no left over ice blocking the system. Since gutter cleaning has to be done up on a ladder or scaffolding, it can be dangerous. That may be why many people hire professionals to clean them instead of doing it themselves.

Although cleaning the bathroom is usually on everyone’s weekly chore list, you will still need to do a periodic grout cleaning session. Grout, especially in the shower, builds up because the bathroom is the perfect environment for it to thrive – warm and moist. Even if you clean you clean your shower and floors regularly, there will still be some amount of buildup in your grout over time. This job requires that you get down on your hands and knees and scrub. It often takes a long time because you need to take frequent breaks to relieve your knees and back. That is why I like to leave a weekend for this cleaning project.

If there is one room in the house that always get cluttered and disorganized quickly it is the kitchen. When you use certain appliances or utensils they might not always get put back in the right place. You tend to accumulate junk and random items in the kitchen because that is where you spend a majority of your time. As a result, I like to completely empty al the cabinets and drawers in my kitchen once a year and reorganize. It is amazing what I find and what I am able to get rid of. I always accumulate a box of canned goods to donate to a local food bank and my kitchen is much more efficient after the reorganization. While the cabinets and drawers are empty I clean them out and lay new contact paper to protect the bottoms.

Another organizational project that I do twice a year is clean out my closet and dresser. At the end of winter and the end of summer I go through all of my clothes, accessories, and shoes to decide what to keep and what to get rid of. If I have gone the entire season without wearing a sweater or particular bathing suit, chances are that I will not miss it. However, there are lots of people out there who could use some of my barely worn clothing. So I make a donation to Salvation Army or Goodwill twice a year. The extra room makes it easier to store the clothes I am not using and to access the clothes I want to wear.

The projects I have talked about here are only a small portion of what is possible in terms of weekend home maintenance and cleaning activities. The joys of home ownership never end. Some other projects you might want to think about include cleaning your chimney, painting your house, landscaping, cleaning your siding, or resurfacing your deck.

Shawn enjoys writing these home improvement articles so that hw can share everything he has learned about taking care of your home. Articles like this and simple advice on things like choosing a carpet shampooer can really help.