For those of you on the search for just the right checklist, who have found every checklist not quite right, here is a travel checklist template just for you! Finish filling out this template and create your perfect checklist.

Packing Template Checklist

This checklist will get your template started.  Don’t forget to add personal items to your checklist template to make it work best for you.

What one item have you forgotten on a trip that you will make sure goes on your checklist?

Outside of Your Home Checklist

• Consider scheduling regular roof maintenance- make sure you have dealt with any loose/peeling shingles and possible leaks
• Wash the exterior of your home
• Check your windows- repair caulking, if your windows require extra plastic sealing do that before the temps fall to low.
• Clean out your gutter and downspouts
• Clean your grill and store
• Clean outdoor furniture and store
• Clean and store summer lawn equipment such as lawnmowers, weed whackers, ect.
• Empty and store garden hoses
• Wash and store porch furniture
• Move winter equipment (snowblower, ice scraper, ect) to the more accessible areas of your garage- push summer equipment to the back
• Stock deicer
• Prepare garden beds for the freeze

Home Utilities Checklist

• Schedule furnace maintenance
• Buy furnace filters for the winter
• Sweep out fireplace- schedule regular maintenance and cleaning
• Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms
• Check flashlights batteries for power outages. Create an emergency kit with candles, an extra flashlight, and batteries

Now progress through your deep clean activities as you would in the spring. Remember once the windows get closed for the winter and the snow starts to fly your stuck inside with all of that dirt and gunk stuck under couches, behind appliances, and up in the fans.  Do yourself a favor and give it the boot before the temps start to fall!

What is a specific Fall cleanup item that goes on your checklist?

Room by Room Checklists

You’ve decided to clean your house top to bottom.  Where do you start? The list can be overwhelming.  The checklist will walk you through a full deep clean of your home.  Tackling this project yourself? Enlist the help of your family, some of these chores can easily be tackled by kids.  Involving everyone will help the whole family feel more invested in keeping your home looking great and ease the stress load on you!

Your Entry and Hallways

• Wipe down your doors (interior, exterior, and closet), inside and out
• Mop/Vacuum floors and stairs
• Organize Closets-a great time to pull out donations
• Wash lighting fixtures
• As applicable wipe down walls (do you have a spot where people kick there shoes off, ect)
• Windows
• Wipe down ceiling fans

General Living Spaces

• Wipe down your doors (interior, exterior, and closet) inside and out
• Mop/Vacuum floors
• Wipe down baseboards
• Wash lighting fixtures
• Wash/Dust walls (especially corners that may have cobwebs)
• Wipe down heater vents
• Windows
• Wipe down ceiling fans

Bedrooms

• Wipe down your doors (interior, exterior, and closet) inside and out
• Mop/Vacuum floors
• Wipe down baseboards
• Wash lighting fixtures
• Wash/Dust walls (especially corners that may have cobwebs)
• Wipe down heater vents
• Organize closets, wipe down shelves, pull out donations
• Wipe down mirrors
• Windows
• Wipe down ceiling fans

Bathrooms

• Wipe down your doors (interior, exterior, and closet) inside and out
• Mop floors
• Wipe down baseboards
• Wash lighting fixtures
• Wash/Dust walls (especially corners that may have cobwebs)
• Wipe down heating vents and exhaust fans
• Wipe down medicine cabinet inside and out
• Clean your tub/shower including grout, shower door, chrome, and shower head
• Toilet- remember to wipe down entire exterior
• Sink-including countertops and faucet fixture
• Windows

Kitchen

• Wipe down your doors (interior, exterior, and closet) inside and out
• Mop floors
• Wipe down baseboards
• Wash lighting fixtures
• Wash/Dust walls (especially corners that may have cobwebs)
• Wipe down heater vents
• Wipe down the exterior of cabinets and interior shelves
• Wash counter tops
• Wipe down sink/faucet
• Wipe down refrigerator –inside and out
• Wipe down stovetop-remove drip plates ect wash seperatly
• Clean stove- use appropriate cleaners or self-clean feature
• Wipe down Oven racks
• Wipe down dishwasher inside and out
• Windows

Laundry

• Wipe down your doors (interior, exterior, and closet) inside and out
• Mop floors
• Wipe down baseboards
• Wash lighting fixtures
• Wash/Dust walls (especially corners that may have cobwebs)
• Wipe down machines inside and out
• Wipe down cabinets and shelves
• Clean out sink and faucet
• Windows

Complete this checklist and your home will sparkle! Don’t forget asking for help with a checklist this size is a great idea!

Are there areas of your home you would add to this checklist?

Last Sunday, we spent the day hiking around a state park with friends (my friend Jessica and I are pictured here).  It was fun to be outside in nature breathing the fresh air, soaking up sunlight, and getting rejuvenated.

In the name of fun and stress-free outings, we just added a bunch of new checklists to our little Checklist Vault.  You’ll find checklists for:

• packing for a picnic
• hiking and backpacking
• your babysitter
• and many more.

We found these useful for our recent trip.  Check them out at:   http://www.clearsimpleliving.com/checklists/

Bookmark the Checklists page on your computer so that you can refer to them anytime.  Share them with your friends on Facebook!  Spread the love.

Are there any additional checklists that you would like to see in the vault?  Leave your ideas in the comments below.

So how do we avoid panicky cleaning that takes the entire day before guests arrive?  Work up a checklist for your cleaning schedule.  If you have a schedule you’re more likely to follow through with chores. Start your checklist today.

There are three main things a schedule checklist needs: the person completing the chore, the day to complete, and the chore. This is an example feel free to tweak it for your home.

Monday Checklist

• _(chore owner name here)_  Vacuum/Mop Hallways and Stairs
• _________ Vacuum/Mop Living Room
• _________ Dust Living Spaces

Tuesday Checklist

• _________ Change and Wash Sheets from all Beds
• _________ Pick up Clothing Off Bedroom Floors
• _________ Straighten Dresser and Closets
• _________ Dust Bedrooms

Wednesday Checklist

• _________ Wipe down Bathroom Surfaces
• _________ Clean Toilet and Sink
• _________ Clean Shower
• _________ Mop Bathroom Floor

Thursday Checklist

• _________ Put Away Laundry in Laundry Room
• _________ Wipe Down Washing Machines
• _________ Empty Garbage Cans in Each Room

Friday Checklist

• _________ Take Things Back to Their “Home”. Collect the Weeks Misplaced Clutter and Take it Back to the Correct Room

Saturday Checklist

• _________ Toss Expired and Spoiled Food from the Kitchen
• ________ Wipe Down All Kitchen Surfaces (counters and appliances)
• ________ Mop Kitchen Floor
• ________ Wipe Down Kitchen Table and Chairs

I like to assign a room a day, if it works better for you to disperse your tasks differently adjust so you can be successful! For example if you are assigning chores to more than one child and you know they will work better in separate rooms than send one to the kitchen and another to the bedrooms!

Remember if you don’t assign someone to do the chore you will end up doing them all yourself! Good luck with your schedule.

Need Inspiration on what to include on your schedule checklist? Check out these daily and weekly cleaning checklists.

The Kitchen Checklist

• Empty your fridge of expired and spoiled food
• Empty your pantry of expired and spoiled food
• Wipe down all of your appliances
• Wipe down all your countertops (make sure to move countertop appliances to clean underneath)
• Wipe down tables and chairs
• Mop the floor
• Put together your weekly meal plan
• Write grocery list

The Living Spaces Checklist

• Vacuum/Mop hallways
• Vacuum/Mop living room
• Vacuum/Mop playrooms
• Vacuum/Mop Stairs
• Dust (lift up any knick-knacks or books and magazines)

The Bedrooms Checklist

• Change/Wash Sheets
• Vacuum/Mop Floors
• Put away clothing
• Straighten closets/dresser drawers
• Dust

The Bathroom Checklist

• Wipe down the counters
• Wipe down the mirrors
• Clean the toilet
• Clean the shower/tub
• Wash rugs/bath mats
• Mop the floor
• Refill TP
• Empty garbage

The Laundry Room List

• Put away laundry
• Wipe down machines
• Empty garbage
• Check levels on detergent/bleach/softener

Break your weekly list up so it seems less overwhelming.  One good strategy is to dedicate each day of the week to one room on your list.  Plan so your rooms that will take longer are scheduled for days when you either have more help or more time!  Good luck with your weekly cleaning checklist!

Anything you would add to your checklist? Let us know in the comments below!

A checklist for traveling with a baby is essential.  It is easy to become frazzled and worried you’ll forget something, a checklist will put your mind at ease!

Hygiene Supplies Checklist

• Diapers- over pack them.  One diaper for every hour of your trip will keep you comfortably in the diapers.  Nothing worse than scrambling for an open store to pick up more diapers.
• Diaper Wipes- Handy for clean up after eating, and wiping down public surfaces as well as cleaning up diapers!
• Additional Changing Supplies-diaper ointment, hand sanitizer, and a small diaper changing pad
• Baby wash and lotion

Clothing and Dressing Supplies Checklist

•  At least 2 extra changes of clothes (head to toe)
• Extra socks and shoes
• Plastic bags- Great for dirty clothes or dirty diapers

Eating Supplies Checklist

• Extra nipples/bottles/cups
• Bibs
• Breast pump
• Formula
• Snacks,  Baby pureed food

Baby Bedtime Checklist

• Extra pacifiers
• Favorite blanket
• Favorite stuffed animal/lovey

Equipment Checklist

• Extra pacifiers (did we say extra pacifiers yet? Anyone who has dug through a car desperate to find the last nuk wishes they had packed more!)
• Sling/baby carrier
• Nightlight
• Lightweight stroller
• Car seat
• Pack-n-Play
• Portable booster chair

Your baby’s needs will vary by age, length of stay, and where you are visiting!  This checklist will start you off on the right foot to getting your baby packed for your trip.

What must haves do you put on your checklist when you are travelling with your baby?

Gadget Checklist

• Chargers for all of your electronic gadgets including phones, computers, tablets, cameras, or other electronics.
• USB Memory stick.  Handy if you find yourself needing to transfer data or in several other “unplanned” situations!
• Plug adaptor- if you are going abroad.
• Surge protector-in an unfamiliar environment if you want to make sure your electronics are protected.
• GPS
• Noise canceling headphones-making it easier to work while traveling

Clothing Needs Checklist

• Wrinkle release spray
• Pack light choose brown or black accessories to coordinate with all of your outfits
• Shoes to match (brown or black)
• Jacket and bottoms that agree with your scheme
• Tops/blouses that can be mixed and matched with your jackets and bottoms
• Underware and socks (pack an extra pair of each)
• Sleepwear
• Workout clothing

Don’t forget your business cards!

Keep your packing simple.  Remember the most options that can be produced out of the smallest number of clothes is your goal for this trip.  A checklist will help you keep your bag to the bare minimum.

What gadget always makes your checklist?

Your Mad Backpacking Skills Checklist:

These are the skills you should bring along with you, or acquire before you set off on a backpacking trip.

• Know how to make a fire
• Know how to cook over the fire you make
• Know how to layer to stay warm
• Know how to navigate with a map and GPS
• Know how to read the weather.  Is that a storm rolling in?
• Know how to build a shelter or pitch your tent correctly
• Know what wild plants you can and can’t eat in an emergency
• Know about the local wildlife
• Know your best footwear and how to best handle the terrain you will be backpacking in
• Know first aid

Your Absolute Essentials Backpacking Checklist:

Going on a day trip this is the checklist you’ll need.

• Food, pack extra food
• Water, pack extra water
• Clothing to layer in case temperature drops
• Clear readable maps
• Supplies to make a fire
• GPS or a compass
• Flashlight
• An all-in-one pocket knife tool
• Skin protection from the sun. Hat, sunscreen, ect
• Your first aid gear
• Extra batteries for any of your tools that require them

These checklists should help you get started planning for your next backpacking trip.  This checklist is the perfect place to go for a day trip. Remember if you don’t remember it, you won’t have it!  Going on a more extensive backpacking trip? Look for more extensive checklists on the clothing items and supplies you’ll need!

What is one your backpacking checklist that didn’t make ours?

Plan Ahead Checklist

• Break in any new shoes, boots, or clothing items you will be using to avoid blistering and rubbing
• Take a first aid course
• Label any items that may be easily lost or misplaced with your name and number
• Research expected weather for the location and duration of your trip (plan extra clothing accordingly)
• Plan clothing that will protect against sun and poison ivy
• Apply sunscreen and bug spray
• Talk to rangers about specific local current concerns
  • Bears
  • Wild Fires
  • Local poisonous spiders/snakes

What to Bring Checklist

• First aid kit
• Snake bite kit
• Bug Spray
• Sunscreen
• Water and snacks (don’t ever litter)
• Protective clothing including a hat
• Extra socks
• Your identification
• Important medical information-in case you would be unable to communicate
• Camera, extra batteries and memory
• Bells, or another method to make sure you are making noise to alert bears and other animals you are on the path/in the area

Being prepared for your hiking trip by planning ahead and packing your bag with a checklist will lead to the best experience.  A well planned hike will keep you and your companions safe and happy. A good hiking checklist will keep you hiking for years to come!

Did we miss anything? What do you have on your hiking checklist?