Dining Room Cleaning Checklist: Daily, Weekly, and Monthly

Your dining room can be a constant mess magnet, especially if you have children. It’s important to give this room a quick clean every day to keep things tidy and hygienic, and to make weekly and monthly cleans more manageable.

We’re sharing examples of the daily, weekly, and monthly dining room cleaning checklists that expert cleaners on Homeaglow use. You can print and use these for your home, or use them as a starting point that you can tailor for your own needs.

We know that cleaning dining rooms is a constant battle, but you can always book a professional, affordable cleaner with Homeaglow to keep things sparkling.

You can see what's included in a standard Homeaglow cleaning here.

Daily dining room cleaning checklist

Run through this checklist after the last meal of the day, to set your dining room up for the day ahead:

• Clear away dirty dishes and cutlery
• Remove any trash
• Remove items that don’t belong in the dining room area
• Wipe down the table and chairs
• Quickly give the floor a sweep, or spot clean with a hand vacuum

Weekly dining room cleaning checklist

• Sweep, vacuum, or mop the floor
• Dust down furniture
• Dust mirrors, picture frames, ornaments
• Dust window sills
• Clean door handles and light switches

Monthly dining room cleaning checklist

• Shake out and air rugs
• Clean mirrors and picture frames
• Wipe down light fittings
• Clean mirrors
• Wipe down all dining room furniture 
• Wipe down all surfaces
• Wipe down walls and baseboards

Deep cleaning dining room checklist

Deep cleaning will cover all the chores in your dining room that don’t need to be done as often. We recommend you tackle these during spring cleaning and fall cleaning.

• Steam clean carpets
• Clean silverware
• Freshen and sanitize soft furnishings
• Polish wooden furniture
• Wash curtains
• Wipe down blinds
• Wipe down the insides of drawers, cupboards, and storage areas
• Clean windows
• Reduce clutter

4 top tips for keeping your dining room clean

Step 1. Keep the floor spotless

Your dining room floor probably sees more mess than the rest of your home combined. Kids, pets, and spills can all take their toll on your flooring here, so it’s important to check and clean this area on a daily basis to avoid food getting tracked through the rest of your home, and to keep this eating space hygienic.

Pick up any large crumbs or food pieces after each meal. If you notice new spills or stains on your dining room carpet, make sure you attend to those as soon as possible.

Give your dining room floor a quick sweep at the end of each day if you have wood, tile, or vinyl floors, or you can use a hand vacuum or dustpan and brush to spot-clean any messy patches.

When it’s time to deep clean your dining room, steam mops and vacuums are recommended to lift away stubborn dirt, and kill any floor germs that might be lurking around.

Tip: Don’t forget to clean your baseboards. They gather more dust than you’d think. 

Step 2. Wipe down all surfaces, inside and out

Regularly wiping down all of the surfaces in your dining room is essential to remove dust, dirt, and germs that can easily be brought inside by people and pets. Ensure you wipe down the table and chairs after every meal (if you have time) or at the end of each day. 

For daily cleaning, invest in a natural, multi-purpose cleaner that kills bacteria and keeps your dining surfaces hygienic. 

If you prefer to make your own bacteria-killing cleaning spray, you can use:

• ½ cup of white vinegar 
• 1 ½ cups of water
• 5 drops of essential oil (optional)

Mix these together in a small spray bottle, 

For weekly and monthly cleaning, moisten a microfiber cloth with your cleaning spray of choice. Work from one side of your dining room to the other, and wipe down all surfaces as you go. This includes furniture, picture frames, lamps, ornaments, window sills, mirrors, and shelves.

Don’t overlook surfaces such as remotes, light switches, door handles, ceiling fans, air conditioner vents, etc.

If you’re in deep clean mode, make sure you empty out dining room drawers and cupboards and give the insides of these a thorough wipe down too.

Step 3. Polish wooden furniture

If your dining room has wooden tables, chairs, or dressers, taking care of the wood finish is important to maintain the health of the wood, and stop it from growing dull over time.

There are plenty of wood-friendly commercial furniture polishes available, but if you have olive oil and lemon handy, you already have everything you need to buff up your wooden furnishings.

In a small spray bottle, mix together 2 parts of olive oil with 1 part lemon juice. Spray this onto a microfiber cloth and polish in circular motions with a microfiber cloth. Then buff to a high shine with a fresh microfiber cloth.

Tip: Read about the best way to clean your wooden table with our mini-guide to cleaning all types of wooden tables. 

Step 4. Clean silverware

Blackened silverware can make your dining room look dirty, and nobody wants to eat off tarnished cutlery.

Cleaning your silver can feel like an all-day job, but there’s a fast way to tackle it to get things sparkling again.

Cutlery

For cutlery cleaning, all you’ll need is vinegar and baking soda. Simply place your cutlery in a large bowl, and cover them with white vinegar, then sprinkle baking soda into the bowl. We recommend using 4 tablespoons of baking soda to each cup of vinegar.

Leave your silver cutlery to soak for an hour, then rinse it with fresh water and dry them with a microfiber cloth.

Larger silverware

If you have silver tableware or candle sticks, grab a large glass or ceramic baking dish and cover the base with aluminum foil. 

Fill the pan with boiling water, and add 1.5 teaspoons of baking soda for every gallon of water you use. 

Place your tarnished silver into the pan for around 20 seconds, and then remove using tongs or heat-proof gloves (being careful not to burn yourself). Your silver will be magically clean. Lay all the silverware on a towel to cool and dry, then buff it with a microfiber cloth. 

‍Keep your dining room cleaner for longer with our handy checklists

Dining rooms are high-traffic areas that deal with a lot of food and mess every single day. Using a checklist helps you quickly tidy and clean everything methodically, to help you keep dirt to a minimum and make your monthly and deep cleans a lot easier.

If you’ve got a big house or a busy family, keeping your dining room clean all the time can be stressful. Homeaglow’s expert team is always available to help out if you need it. Find and book your perfect cleaner online today.