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!
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