House Cleaning Schedule: The Whole-Home Routine and Hard Water

What brings you here?

House cleaning schedule: daily, weekly, monthly

No government sets a household cleaning schedule, so ours combines Health Canada, CMHC and makers' manuals.

1. Every day, 10 minutes. Counters, sink, boots on a tray, the bathroom fan 30 minutes after showers (Health Canada).
2. Every week, about an hour. One round, entrance to bedrooms, plus the washer door seal (weekly, says Samsung Canada).
3. Every two weeks, a few minutes. One BLITZ tablet each in the washer, dishwasher, coffee maker and garburator.
4. Every month. Dishwasher and range hood filters, and humidity at 30% to 50% (Health Canada).
5. When the blue fades. A new toilet tank tablet.
6. Every season. Furnace and HRV filters, the dryer duct, the basement under 60% in summer (CMHC).

A practical cleaning routine for Canadian homesThe full routine: road salt at the door, winter humidity, septic tanks, the seasonal calendar.

How often to clean each appliance

Washer makers ask for at least a monthly clean, dishwasher makers every 1 to 3 months. We suggest every two weeks for the washer and dishwasher: at 10 loads a week, LG's 30-wash reminder comes every three weeks, and hard water builds scale faster.

The first five below cost $118.80 a year in BLITZ tablets with the Essentials Kit, about $9.90 a month ($118.80 ÷ 12). One tablet in the empty machine, one cycle. Toilet tank tablets are $25.95 for 12, about $2.16 a tablet: replace one when the blue fades.

Why appliance interiors need their own routineIf a machine looks clean but smells: what builds up in each, and every maker's reminder.

Hard water: what it is and how to remove it

Hard water carries calcium and magnesium, and heating it leaves limescale (USGS): kettle crust, slow brewing, film on glasses, flakes in ice.

From each city's own report, on the USGS scale (mg/L):

• Soft (up to 60): Laval (50.3 to 61.3) and Gatineau (32 to 45).
• Moderately hard (61 to 120): Montréal (117 in 2024), Longueuil (113 to 117), Toronto (119).
• Hard (121 to 180): Edmonton (172.7) and north Calgary (174).
• Very hard (over 180): Regina (203) and south Calgary (224).

Our rule: over 120 mg/L, use the short end of each maker's range (Keurig's 3 months, not 6). Even in soft Laval, a coffee maker used daily still scales.

How to remove hard water buildup, appliance by applianceThe sign and the fix for the kettle, coffee maker, dishwasher, washer, ice maker, toilet and shower head. Hard well water: testing, iron and manganeseOn a well: what each stain colour means, Health Canada's limits, testing in Québec. Citric acid vs vinegar for appliancesBefore vinegar goes in a machine: which makers allow it, and LG's 40 g citric acid dose.

Seasonal cleaning checklists

Four moments a year need more than the routine.

Spring cleaning checklist, room by roomAfter winter: salt marks, HRV filters every two months (CMHC), the dryer duct, a one-weekend plan. Move-in cleaning checklist for July 1What the TAL says, report or clean, and the appliances to run before first use. Back-to-school cleaning checklistA one-weekend family reset: lunch gear, smelly uniforms, chores by age, the appliances after summer. Holiday kitchen cleaning: before, during and afterThe oven two weeks out, 3 days to thaw a 6.8 kg turkey, Health Canada's 2-hour rule.

Care guides by appliance

Washing machine careSmells, black flakes, LG tCL, Samsung Self Clean. Dishwasher careOdours, white film, the filter, cleaners compared. Coffee maker cleaning and descalingKeurig and Nespresso descale lights, bitter coffee. Toilet rings and black mouldRings by colour, tank tablets, black caulk and grout. Garburator, ice maker and stainless steel careGarburator odours, bad-tasting ice, fingerprints.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good house cleaning schedule?

Ten minutes a day, a one-hour weekly round, appliance interiors on the 1st and the 15th, and a short list each season (our routine, from Health Canada, CMHC and makers' manuals). The full version is in our practical cleaning routine.

How often should you clean household appliances?

Washer makers say at least monthly, dishwasher makers every 1 to 3 months, Keurig every 3 to 6 months. We suggest every two weeks for those and the garburator, and every 1 to 2 months for a countertop ice maker. See why appliance interiors need their own routine.

Does hard water damage appliances?

It scales anything that heats water: Health Canada names pipes, kettles and appliances, and the USGS says scale makes electric water heaters less efficient. See how to remove hard water buildup.

Is hard water bad for you?

No. Health Canada says hardness has low potential for toxicity and sets no health limit for it. The cost is scale in water heaters and appliances.

Does Montréal or Laval have hard water?

Montréal's is moderately hard, close to the line: 117 mg/L on average in 2024 (hard starts above 120). Laval's is soft, 50.3 to 61.3 mg/L across its three plants in 2025. Look up any city on our hard water checker.

Is vinegar or citric acid better for limescale?

Citric acid, usually: it's stronger, has no smell, and LG says it gives the best results in its dishwashers. Whirlpool, Maytag and Bosch advise against vinegar in the washer drum, and one BLITZ tablet holds the citric acid for one clean. See citric acid vs vinegar.

Sources: Health Canada, CMHC, USGS, city water reports, and the makers' manuals named above; BLITZ prices on goblitzclean.com. Checked October 20, 2026.

LG, Samsung, Whirlpool, Maytag, Bosch, Keurig, Nespresso, InSinkErator, GE, Opal and Fluidmaster are trademarks of their owners. BLITZ is not affiliated with them.