Diwali cleaning checklist: room by room, loft to kitchen
Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) is on Sunday, 8 November 2026. Start about three weeks before: declutter and clean the loft and store room first, then kitchen and bedrooms, and finish with the pooja room, entrance and decorations in the last week. As things go back into storage, note — or photograph — where each one went, so next year you are not opening every loft to find the diyas.
Why start with the loft
Every room’s clean-up produces things that need to go somewhere — summer clothes, broken appliances, extra utensils. If the loft and the store room are already sorted, those things have a home. Clean top to bottom (lofts and fans before floors) and back to front (store room before living room), so dust only ever falls on what you have not cleaned yet.
The three-week plan for 2026
| When | Focus | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 (from 18 October) | Declutter every room; loft, store room, balcony | Donate, sell and scrap piles have left the house |
| Week 2 (from 25 October) | Kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, wardrobes | Winter clothes out, summer clothes stored and labelled |
| Week 3 (1–7 November) | Living room, pooja room, entrance, windows, lights and decorations | Decorations up by Dhanteras (6 November) |
Week 1: declutter and the loft
Make three piles in every room: keep, give away and scrap. If you have not used something in a year and it has no sentimental value, it goes. Clothes and utensils in good condition can go to a local NGO, temple drive or someone who works in your home; old newspaper, metal and electronics to the kabadiwala or an e-waste collector.
- Take everything down from the loft (maal / ataala), a section at a time
- Wipe the loft shelves, check for leaks, termites and pest droppings
- Throw out broken appliances, empty boxes and expired items
- Group what goes back: festive, seasonal, documents, spare utensils, tools
- Put each group in a box or bag, label it, and put the most-used group nearest the front
- Store room and balcony: same steps, then sweep and mop
- Book a scrap pickup or donation drop for the end of the week
Week 2: kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms
Kitchen
- Empty one cabinet at a time; check expiry dates on spices, pulses and oils
- Degrease the chimney filters, stove, tiles behind the stove and the exhaust fan
- Clean the fridge inside and out; defrost the freezer if needed
- Wash steel and brass vessels you will use for puja and guests
- Wipe cabinet fronts and handles, and the top of the fridge
Bathrooms
- Descale taps and shower heads; clean grout and drains
- Throw away empty bottles and expired medicines from the cabinet
Bedrooms and wardrobes
- Take out winter clothes, blankets and quilts; air them in the sun for a day
- Wash or dry-clean, then put summer clothes away in labelled bags
- Clean under beds and behind furniture; vacuum mattresses
- Sort the jewellery and document drawers while everything is out
Week 3: living areas, pooja room and decorations
- Dust fans, light fittings, curtain rods and the tops of cupboards first
- Wash curtains, cushion covers and sofa covers
- Clean windows, grills, doors and the main entrance; touch up paint if needed
- Pooja room: clean idols and silver, wash the pooja cloth, refresh the shelf
- Take out diyas, lights, rangoli colours, torans and lanterns; test every light string
- Buy what is missing or broken before the Dhanteras rush
- Set aside a box for gifts and sweets coming in, so they do not end up all over the house
Store things so you can find them next Diwali
The real work of Diwali cleaning is not the cleaning — it is that next October you open the loft and cannot remember which box has the lights. A few minutes now saves an evening then.
- One box per kind of thing. “Diwali lights”, “Rangoli and diyas”, “Winter blankets — kids”. Not “misc”.
- Label the side that faces you, not the top — in a loft you only ever see the side.
- Write down where each box went, or photograph the open box before it goes up, and the loft shelf after.
- Keep the list where the family can see it, not only in one person’s head.
This is exactly what WhatsWhere does with photos: photograph a box as you pack it and the AI lists what is inside; photograph the loft or cupboard once and it finds the shelves, so you can put each box on its shelf with a tap. Next year anyone in the family can ask “where are the Diwali lights?” and see the photo, with the shelf lit up.
Storing winter clothes and quilts
- Wash and dry completely before storing — damp wool is how fungus starts.
- Use cotton bags or breathable boxes; add neem leaves, cloves or naphthalene balls wrapped in cloth.
- Vacuum bags save space for quilts, but do not keep wool compressed for many months.
- Label each bag by person and type: “Papa — sweaters”, “Kids — jackets”.
A simple roster for the family
Give each person a room or a job and a day. Children can sort toys and books; whoever is tallest gets the fans and lofts. Doing one room a day is far easier than one exhausting weekend before Diwali.
This Diwali, photograph the loft before you close it
WhatsWhere lists what is in each box from a photo and shows exactly which shelf it went on. Next October, ask “where are the diyas?” — by voice or typing — and see the photo. Your photos stay in your own Google Drive.