How to clean your house like a pro! A few useful tips!
House cleaning serves not only an aesthetic purpose but also helps avoid allergies or other respiratory issues. Thus, maintaining a clean environment will stop the spread of germs and promote overall well-being. Removing dust and improving indoor air quality also prevents various skin conditions and infections. By having a cleaning routine, weekly tasks become easier and faster to accomplish.
Table of Contents
- How do you clean your home?
- Where to start house cleaning?
- Why is dust so dangerous?
- How to keep a house clean after you've finished cleaning
Setting aside first aesthetic impressions, health is indeed the main reason why keeping a clean house is so important. Whatever happens in your home reflects on your living environment and has a direct impact on your health. Therefore, general cleaning should be one of your top priorities at least twice a month.
You can prevent illness, allergies, or asthma attacks by regularly cleaning surfaces, furniture, and windows. If you have one or more pets at home, then the attention paid to sanitation should be increased because dust and pet hair can be dangerous, especially for people with weakened immune systems.
1. How do you clean your home?
If you only have a few hours a week to clean your home, the starting point is to gather all your cleaning products and supplies, such as a sponge, dust cloths, floor cleaners, deep cleaning products, a mop, and other items you consider necessary.
Put them all in a bucket that you can carry with you. This ensures you don't waste time and energy walking around the house to retrieve everything needed for the general cleaning.
An effective tactic is to organize yourself by task rather than by room. Another useful method is to work from top to bottom and from back to front. This way, you will clean up any dust or dirt that falls from above or from the back.
2. Where to start house cleaning?
The best way to start is by decluttering, meaning removing any objects lying around, such as books, electronic devices, toys, or other items. This ensures you have a good visual representation of the space that needs cleaning, allowing you to be more efficient.
Cleaning by surface category is more efficient, and it is best to start by applying deep cleaning products where necessary, as they need time to work properly on stains. You can start by applying products in the bathroom.
Apply deep cleaning products
After clearing the space, apply cleaning products for deep cleaning on various surfaces. Common areas that require deep cleaning are:
- Toilet bowls
- Bathroom and kitchen sinks
- Shower stall or bathtub
Use protective gloves, especially if you are working with potentially harmful chemicals.
The applied products will need sufficient time to act and remove all stains and grime.
After about 20-30 minutes, during which you can perform other cleaning tasks, it should be quite easy to wipe away any remaining stains without needing to scrub or insist very much. You can consider using a small amount of liquid laundry bleach to remove all heavy stains before draining the water and using a detergent on the sink.
Klintensiv Tip: Avoid products with a strong odor, especially if your bathroom does not have a window or a very powerful ventilation system. Instead, use cleaning products that have a proven ability to eliminate not just dirt, but also bacteria and viruses.
Dust and vacuum surfaces
While you let the cleaning products work on the bathroom surfaces, you can focus on removing dust from furniture, lamps, and other items before vacuuming. Clear away any clutter and thoroughly clean dust traces from furniture and electronic appliances.
Once you have finished, you can move on to vacuuming the floors in the main rooms of the house. Make sure to also vacuum under the sofa, chairs, tables, and/or couches, as these surfaces are not as easily accessible.
Dusting should always be the first step you take. Sweeping (and vacuuming, too) can stir up dust particles and spread them elsewhere, which gives you more work during cleaning. When you dust first, those particles are more or less cleaned up, allowing you to sweep and vacuum without issues.
General cleaning in the kitchen
Before cleaning the kitchen, you will need to deal with the dishes—clean or dirty—on the table, sink, or sideboard. If you have a dishwasher, use it and leave the dishes inside until the cleaning is complete.
Besides sanitizing the sink and countertop with a suitable product, it would be useful to turn your attention to the refrigerator. Remove all expired products and clean the shelves with a damp cloth. For sticky and dirty areas, use a detergent specifically designed for the refrigerator.
If you have a microwave oven, take out the heat-resistant glass plate from inside and clean it with warm water mixed with liquid soap. Remove all sticky residues and, in the end, wipe it with a cloth.
Mop the floors
Once you are done with dusting, you can continue with floor cleaning. The specific way of mopping will depend on the type of floor: hardwood, tile, linoleum, etc. The specific surface type will determine how much water to use and whether or not you can apply certain cleaning products.
Don't forget to mop the bathroom floor as well. This could be the last step so that the surfaces in other rooms can dry.
Take out the trash
General cleaning obviously involves getting rid of the trash, but also of all those items that are left abandoned in the corners of the rooms. This could mean various empty boxes, useless papers and brochures that collect dust, and any other unnecessary items.
Wash the windows
House cleaning also means washing the windows. Even if this can be one of the most time-consuming processes, it makes up for it by being quite simple. All you have to do is spray the window solution and wipe with a cloth or a paper towel. Don't forget to also clean the window frames.
3. Why is dust so dangerous?
A common opinion is that dust is not dangerous, being just harmless lint floating in the air or sitting on furniture. Well, there are other things that make up dust, namely dead skin cells, insects, and insect feces. It's no wonder people are allergic to dust. General cleaning includes many cleaning stages, but dusting should be mandatory at least once a week, if not more often in homes with small children or pets.
In what we generally call dust, there are:
- Lint
- Dirt
- Dead skin cells
- Dead dust mites and their feces
- Pollen
- Smoke or pollution
4. How to keep a house clean after you've finished cleaning
Maintain daily order
There are a few simple things you can do every day to keep the house clean for as long as possible. For example, make sure you keep the floors clean every day. You can use a broom, a mop, or a vacuum cleaner to clean dust and food crumbs every morning or evening. This will take you less than five minutes but will make a major difference.
Also, strive to keep high-traffic areas, kitchen countertops, or any other areas used daily clean. Wash the dishes and all used kitchen appliances every day, always put dirty clothes in the laundry basket, and don't leave clean ones abandoned on an armchair. The bathroom must always be clean because it is an environment that predisposes to mold if it is not correctly ventilated and cleaned of excess water and moisture.
Follow a minimum cleaning routine
At least once a week, you should dedicate time to maintaining cleanliness. Vacuum the floors, dust, wash dirty laundry, and take out all the trash from the house. In this way, the monthly general cleaning will be much easier.
Get rid of any unused, old, or unsuitable items
Don't let any old, unused, or unsuitable item clutter the house. Keep at a distance anything, such as books or clothes that are old or unsuitable for the season. Pack them and store them in a safe place. Make sure all old newspapers are taken for recycling. Old or useless furniture can be donated to charity or kept in a basement.
Keep clothes arranged in the closet. Surely you will be tired when you return from work. However, you should be disciplined enough to put clothes, shoes, and bags in the closet so as not to let them clutter the house. Encourage children to do the same. Store all dirty clothes in the laundry basket and keep all coats, gloves, and umbrellas in the closet.
Clean stains immediately
Do not leave stains uncleaned until the general cleaning day. Wipe away all stains immediately because they will be much easier to remove. All oil and food stains on the kitchen floor must be removed immediately because they are an excellent magnet for cockroaches.
Keep the kitchen and bathroom clean
The kitchen and bathroom are the most sensitive rooms. They get dirty easily and, furthermore, can be a source of dangerous bacteria, so don't ignore any form of dirt or stains. Make sure the kitchen sink is clean and wash all dishes after every meal.
Conclusion
A clean house improves overall health by reducing germs, mold, and allergens. An orderly environment promotes better sleep, productivity, and, ultimately, brings a general state of well-being. Additionally, regular cleaning can save money by preventing costly repairs.
Sources:
https://thedoorstep.org/how-to-clean-your-house-like-a-professional/
https://belloscleaning.com/how-to-keep-a-house-clean-after-a-professional-cleaning-service/
https://housecleaningcentral.com/cleaning-tips/living-area/how-to-dust/
