Most people learn a home's maintenance needs after a filter clogs, a carpet stains permanently, or a mattress sags on one side for good. No home comes with a manual that says when to do what. This is the one My Household Managed uses.
Who this schedule is for
If you manage your own home, this is the calendar to build a routine around. If you are deciding whether to bring on a house manager or a household team, it is also the framework for working out how many hours the work requires, so the decision rests on scope rather than a guess.
If you already have a house manager or household team through My Household Managed, this is what that person is tracking on your behalf. A trained private service professional does not wait to be asked when the baseboards are due. In a household with both a housekeeper and a house manager, the housekeeper executes the cleaning calendar and the house manager or estate manager holds it: knowing when each task is due, training the housekeeper to the standard, confirming the work is done, and running the mechanical calendar described later in this piece.
Daily
The daily reset keeps a home functional between deeper cycles. It takes minutes, and skipping it is what turns a weekly clean into a much longer one.
The cleaning schedule by frequency
Surface cleaning maintains what is visible. Deep cleaning addresses what accumulates where you are not looking: behind appliances, inside vents, in grout lines, and in fabric. A home can look clean on a surface routine alone and still be overdue underneath.
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Weekly
- Vacuum floors and rugs
- Clean bathroom surfaces and mirrors
- Wash and rotate bed linens
- Run a full laundry cycle, including sheets and towels
- Wipe down light switches, handles, and other high-touch surfaces
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Monthly
- Check the HVAC filter and change it if visibly dirty
- Wipe down vent covers and returns
- Clean inside the microwave
- Sanitize or replace dish sponges and towels
- Clean showerheads and faucet aerators
- Test smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and GFCI outlets
- Clear the garbage disposal and check dishwasher and washing machine filters
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Every 2 to 3 months
- Replace the HVAC filter: every 60 to 90 days for most homes, every 30 to 45 days for homes with pets or allergy concerns, per EPA guidance
- Wipe down baseboards throughout the home
- Clean the oven interior
- Empty and wipe down the refrigerator
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Every 6 months
- Rotate the mattress; flip it only if it is a two-sided design
- Wash interior windows and window tracks
- Have carpets professionally cleaned, more often in high-traffic homes or homes with pets
- Clean the dryer vent housing, beyond the lint screen
- Replace smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries
- Deep clean grout lines
- Dust ceiling fans and light fixtures
- Drain water heater sediment and test the pressure relief valve
- Have the HVAC system serviced (spring for AC, fall for the furnace)
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Annually
- Clean gutters and flush gutter drain pipes, more often near trees
- Wash exterior-facing windows
- Deep clean upholstered furniture
- Go through closets and purge what has not been worn in a year
- Deep clean behind large appliances
- Test the sump pump; drain and cover outdoor spigots before the first freeze
- Clean bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans
- Wash curtains and drapes
Laundry is usually left out of maintenance thinking because it happens constantly rather than on a fixed cycle, which is why it belongs in both the schedule and any staffing calculation. A household running consistent laundry on top of daily and weekly cleaning needs more coverage than the square footage alone suggests.
Every room stays on the schedule
Square footage sets how long the list takes. The list itself is the same for every home. A retired couple in a large house with guest rooms and formal spaces used a few times a year still needs those rooms dusted, aired, and checked on a cycle. Water left standing in an unused toilet or a seldom-run fixture leaves mineral rings and odor; running water through low-use fixtures on a schedule prevents both. Light daily traffic changes the pace of the calendar and leaves the number of rooms on it unchanged.
The second calendar: mechanical systems
Everything above is the cleaning calendar, usually the housekeeper's domain. A home also runs on a mechanical and vendor-coordinated calendar, and in a staffed household this is where the house manager or estate manager's role begins. It is the part most often missed in a self-managed home, because none of it happens often enough to be memorable.
The tasks are rarely done by the person holding the schedule. A houseman, a handyman, an outside contractor, or a specialized vendor executes the work. What matters is that one person knows which task is coming due and directs the right person to it. In a self-managed home that person is the principal. In a staffed home it is whoever fills the house manager function: a house manager, an estate manager, a director of residences, or a property manager overseeing a home that is occupied part of the year.
HVAC and furnace service contracts typically run twice a year, spring and fall, alongside filter changes and periodic duct cleaning. Water heaters need sediment flushed and the pressure relief valve tested annually, with the anode rod replaced every few years. Sump pumps need testing, spigots need draining before the first freeze, and a chimney needs sweeping and inspection each fall. Safety systems belong here too: smoke and carbon monoxide detectors tested monthly with batteries replaced twice a year, GFCI outlets tested, fire extinguishers inspected, and any monitoring or security system checked for basic function.
Some of this runs on a cycle longer than a year. Exterior painting, deck resealing, driveway sealing, and sewer line inspection sit closer to every three to five years. Recaulking around windows and doors falls on the same cycle, along with repainting trim and baseboards as they wear. None of these are memorable enough to track without a system. Holding that system, and directing whichever houseman, contractor, or vendor executes it, is a core part of what a house manager, estate manager, or director of residences does.
Staffing to the schedule
For a house manager, or a family building a household team, the schedule above is the starting point for how many hours the housekeeping role requires. Industry benchmarks generally place one full-time housekeeper at every 3,000 to 5,000 square feet of home, including laundry, with a home near 4,500 square feet commonly landing at one full-time position.
Homes above that benchmark, homes with frequent entertaining, and homes with fine textiles and specialized surfaces typically need a team. At that point the household team becomes a structure: a housekeeper executing the schedule, and a house manager or estate manager who knows it well enough to train the housekeeper to it, confirm it is followed, and coordinate it against the family's calendar, vendors, and standards.
Getting the staffing structure right for a specific home is what the consultation call is for. A Discovery Call with My Household Managed is the first step; it covers mutual fit and how the process works at a high level. Specific staffing recommendations for a particular household come once we understand it directly.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I change my HVAC filter?
The EPA and most manufacturers recommend replacing a standard filter every 60 to 90 days. Homes with pets, allergy sufferers, or systems that run near-constantly should shorten that to every 30 to 45 days.
Should I flip or rotate my mattress?
Most modern mattresses are one-sided and should be rotated head-to-foot rather than flipped. The Sleep Foundation recommends rotating most mattresses once or twice a year, with older innerspring mattresses benefiting from rotation every two to three months.
How many hours a week does a housekeeper need for my home?
Benchmarks generally place one full-time housekeeper at every 3,000 to 5,000 square feet, including laundry. A home near 4,500 square feet typically supports one full-time position. Larger homes, or homes with heavy entertaining, young children, pets, or fine textiles, usually call for a team. Households well below the benchmark can still need consistent support when the pace of life is high.
What is the difference between surface cleaning and deep cleaning?
Surface cleaning covers what is touched and seen daily. Deep cleaning addresses what builds up out of sight: behind appliances, inside vents, in grout, and in upholstery. A home can look clean on surface cleaning alone and still be overdue underneath.
Does a large home need less housekeeping if fewer people live in it?
No. A large home with light daily occupancy still has every room to maintain. Guest rooms and formal spaces used only occasionally still need regular dusting, and fixtures that sit unused still need water run through them periodically. Lighter occupancy changes the pace of the schedule and leaves the number of rooms on it unchanged.
Is home maintenance just cleaning?
No. Cleaning is one calendar. A second calendar covers mechanical systems and vendor-coordinated maintenance: HVAC and furnace service, water heater upkeep, sump pumps, chimney sweeping, safety system testing, and multi-year items like exterior painting, deck resealing, and recaulking around windows and doors. A houseman, handyman, contractor, or vendor does the work; a house manager, estate manager, or director of residences holds the schedule, or the principal does in a self-managed home.
Can my housekeeper also be my house manager?
A housekeeper's expertise is deep cleaning interiors, and that is where the role delivers the most value. Staff oversight, budgeting, maintenance logs, and vendor coordination sit outside that skill set. Some long-tenured executive housekeepers in lighter-demand homes take on family assistant tasks, such as an occasional errand or light cooking. That is the exception, and it still carries none of the oversight of a house manager or estate manager. Combining the two roles into one position works only when the added scope is reflected in the position's pay, hours, and job description from the start. Adding house manager responsibilities to a housekeeping role without adjusting those creates the workload mismatch behind most household staffing turnover. Getting the scope right for a specific household is what the consultation call is for.
Sources
- EPA, Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home, on HVAC filtration and indoor air quality.
- Sleep Foundation, Should You Flip or Rotate Your Mattress?, on rotation schedules by mattress type.
- The Hollywood Reporter, Chefs, Nannies and Housekeepers: How Hollywood's Elite Staffs Up at Home, on housekeeper coverage by square footage.