Having given the kitchen a thorough post mouse clean and de-clutter and resolved to do a deep clean of it every two months, I thought it would be useful for me to have the list somewhere.

I will be the first to admit that the whole ‘mice loose in the kitchen’ episode has made me more that a little paranoid and it’s going to be a good long while before I lose that, so these lists may seem over the top to everyone else but this is what I need to do to feel better. Also you should note that these lists are the ideal, what I will start doing when I’m sure the mice aren’t getting in any more. Currently, I’m not, so I’m clearing and bleaching counters every night and cleaning them before I use them and sweeping and mopping the floor every night.

Daily

• Washing up done and dried and put away
• Floor swept
• Counters and cooker cleaned

Every other day

• Check mouse poison things (I’ve been using these) and mouse traps

Weekly

• Floor mopped
• Everything on counters moved, counters cleaned and bleached
• Recycling boxes emptied and wiped out
• Rubbish bin changed and wiped clean
• Fridge cleaned
• Tea towels and wipe up clothes hot washed

Once a month

• Oven Cleaned
• Rubbish bin changed and washed
• Recycling boxes emptied and washed
• Baseboards removed and cleaned

Every other month deep clean

• Everything on counters moved and cleaned
• Counters cleaned and bleached
• Cupboards emptied and cleaned
• Drawers emptied and cleaned
• Everything on shelves and shelves washed
• Everything on top of fridge moved and top of fridge cleaned
• Freezer defrosted and cleaned
• Kettle de-scaled
• Toaster cleaned

Every 3 to 4 months

• Assuming that the mouse bait and traps haven’t gone off (in which case, I’ll be doing most of the weekly stuff daily and the other stuff weekly), reset and replace

I don’t think I’ll ever take being vermin free for granted again and I may even need to assign a bleach and mouse poison line to my budget! As I go on with this, I’ll probably find that some of this has to be done more or less often and/or there are tasks that I’ll need to add as I go.

If anyone wants to let me know what they do, what works for them or anything that they think I’ve missed, do chime in below!