5 Chores You Should Check Off Every Sunday to Organize for the Week Ahead

Sundays are all about rest, relaxation, and preparing for the week ahead. Maybe you’re a fan of the weekly meal prep game, or you love the Sunday reset trend to help you clean your home with ease. No matter how you prefer to spend your weekend, you should try incorporating these easy chores that will help you start your week off right.

From the laundry room to the kitchen, these weekly chores will help you stay on top of your home cleaning and make the rest of the week ten times easier. Here’s what chores we recommend doing each weekend.

1. Prep Your Laundry for the Week Ahead

Weekends are the perfect time to launder not just clothes, but also items like towels and bedding, too. Having the day off means no more forgotten loads of laundry in your washer—and what better way to start the week off right than with fresh bedsheets?

It’s a good idea to wash your bedsheets about once a week; making this a regular Sunday chore will help you stay on top of it. Bath towels should be changed out more often, but you can keep extras in your linen closet and throw them all in the wash at once at the end of each week. Don’t forget to include your kitchen towels and hand towels, too.

2. Give Your Fridge a Once-Over

It’s all too easy to accumulate old takeout boxes and expired produce in your refrigerator. While you can also clean out your fridge on the same day you grocery shop, having a dedicated day for fridge-cleaning will help you stay on top of it every week (and it’s also a great chore to add to your list if you meal prep, too).

Clearing out your fridge will only take a few minutes once you start doing it regularly. Check your produce and bread to make sure it’s still fresh, give the expiry dates on your dips and sauces a quick look, and take note of anything you need to replace the next time you go grocery shopping. This is also a great time to write down anything that’s about to expire, so you can get ready to use it up throughout the week. Then, give the shelves and fridge exterior a quick wipe-down.

3. Vacuum Low-Traffic Areas

For many, high-traffic areas need to be vacuumed a few times a week (hello, pet hair). If you're lucky enough to leave the common areas un-vacuumed for a full week, then by all means, incorporate them into your Sunday to-do list. But what about the spots in your home that you don’t go into as much? We’re looking at you, guest bedroom. 

Sunday is a great day to perform a little bit of upkeep on these low-traffic areas. Your office, bedrooms, storage areas, and shoe closets all deserve a little extra love. You can rotate these areas week by week so that you’re not vacuuming the whole house top to bottom every Sunday; this will help you keep these areas tidy without needing to rush through a deep clean every time a guest comes over.

4. Clean Your Dishwasher

You probably run a dishwasher cycle every day, but when was the last time you cleaned your dishwasher? Believe it or not, the inside of your dishwasher needs cleaning, too. If it’s been a while, that means you should check the filter and remove trapped food. Scrub the filter clean, wipe down the interior with soap or vinegar and water, and run a cycle on empty to make your dishwasher sparkle. This task might take a bit longer the first time you do it, but after that it should be a fairly simple weekly routine.

5. Clear Off Desk Space to Prepare for the Work Week

Once a week, it’s a good idea to go through your desk and see what can be trashed, what needs organizing, and what (if anything) needs replacing. This is the time where you can replace that pen that ran out of ink, throw away those old receipts that aren’t relevant anymore, and set up your planner for the week ahead. Keeping a clean desk surface will make you feel a whole lot more productive come Monday morning, and it’ll help you stay on top of all your loose papers and projects.

No home office space? Try doing the same thing with an area you frequently use to work (or enjoy a hobby at). If you find yourself checking emails at the dining table, make sure it’s clean and clear for Monday morning. If you love to relax after work by doing some knitting, go through your yarn basket and discard loose odds and ends from previous projects.