10 Things you can get away with cleaning once a year

Do you move your couch out of the way every single time you run your vacuum? You’re spending too much time (and strength) on that simple chore. Vacuum under furniture once a year and no more — who sees under there, anyway?

Trust us, no one is checking out the very tops of your window treatments, so you shouldn’t, either. If the dust up there seems noticeable, just take them down and toss them in the dryer. It takes way less effort than washing them and won’t require an ironing session afterward.

No need to go out and scrub your windows once a month when the weather is warm. Check it off your list every spring when you wash away the winter residue and forget about until next year.

Washing your walls is a time-consuming chore, and it’s really not needed that often (if ever). Spot clean with a rag and hot soapy water when you see a problem area, but leave the big job for once a year. If you’re seeing dusty areas on the walls, there’s not much the 14-foot hose on the Hoover Air Steerable can’t reach.

Unless you have a pet (or child) with potty-training issues, there’s no need to deep clean your carpets more than once a year. Invest in an at-home shampooer for spot cleaning as needed, but make the steam cleans an annual task.

We get it. You adore that closet full of clothes and shoes, and you want it be just so. Fine. But do you really need to spend that much time cleaning out your closets? You do close the door, after all. Take a little extra time when you put things away, and save the major clean-outs for once a year, or at least bi-annually, during big season changes.

Let’s face it, lady. Those light fixtures don’t get that dirty. Clean fan blades every now and then with a vacuum extension, but leave the fixtures up where they belong. A yearly run through the dishwasher is more than enough.

Who has the muscle power to move out appliances each time you clean, anyway? Does dirt accumulate under your stove? Yep. Does anyone ever look there? Um, no. Get the visible dirt that’s right up front with a vacuum attachment, and walk away.

Nobody’s cabinets or pantries look as perfectly organized as the ones you see on Pinterest. Unless your kitchen uses an open shelving system, there’s no reason to clean them out more than once a year.

Perfectly arranged garages tend to last less than a week, so don’t waste a day trying to make it look exactly right. You have to have someplace to shove all the stuff you don’t want in your house, right? Do a purge once a year and call it a day.