Household Chores That Only Need Doing Once A Year

Spending hours doing housework is no one’s idea of fun – unless you’re Monica Geller, of course – which is why it pays to know which jobs you can avoid doing for as long as possible. This doesn’t mean we recommend leaving the washing up until you’re eating cereal straight out of the box with a wooden spoon, instead, it’s all about considering what only needs to be done once a year.

 The Good Housekeeping Institute has made this a bit easier for you, as it has released a list of nine different household chores that you only need to do every 12 months. While this may not save you time on the vacuuming or dusting, it can mean big cleaning sessions and less taxing.

A spokesperson for the institute said: “If you feel like as soon as you finish washing, dusting and vacuuming your house, you have to tackle it all over again, you’ll love this list.

“Everything on it only has to be completed once a year. Yes, that means that once you’ve ticked them off the list, you don’t have to do a darn thing for another whole year.”

So what can you get away with doing just once a year? Here’s the full list:

A quick brush of the frames will get rid of dirt and cobwebs, while soap and water will leave them looking bright and clean in no time.

We’ve all got that one drawer in the house that is used to store everything from dead batteries to keys that don’t fit any lock. Give this a good sort through once a year to make room for the next 12 months of rubbish.

You might not think you need to clean off your light bulbs at all, but they last so long nowadays, which means they get fairly sticky and dusty. This can actually mean they don’t give off as much light, so it is a good idea to wipe them down each year when the days start getting shorter.

Curtains gather up dust and can get dirty over time, so take them down once a year and pop them in your washing machine. Easy peasy.

If you have a real fire, you should give it a clean before you need to start using it in winter. This means getting the chimney sweeps in.

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Just like your curtains, upholstered furniture can gather dirt and dust, which means it needs a good clean once a year. Pop removable covers in the wash and get the professionals in to clean anything else.

This is definitely a job for the start of summer, after your furniture has been stuck in the shed or subjected to the winter elements. Give everything a wipe down with a damp cloth and then go over your furniture with the garden hose.

Vacuuming your carpets regularly isn’t really enough to keep them looking fresh. Dirt can get trodden in quite deep, so once a year, give it a deep clean with a professional machine. You’ll be amazed what a difference it can make.

Gutters get filled up with dirt leaves and all sorts of rubbish, which can block them and cause leaks. Before the wet weather really starts, empty them out and keep an eye out for any sections that need to be repaired.

Now you just have to try and remember to do these jobs at least once a year