Cleaning Maid Simple

Strangely enough, house cleaning means different things to different people. One person’s perfectly acceptable clean house is, to someone else, appallingly dirty. House cleaning doesn’t have to be a subjective experience. This step by step cleaning maid simple approach will get everyone on the same page.

Before You Clean: Declutter

Picking up and putting away or throwing away miscellaneous objects is the prerequisite to cleaning that makes dusting, vacuuming, and wiping up a quicker and easier process. Some people mistake this step as a part of the actual cleaning process. It is not. De-cluttering is like warming up before starting a workout.

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Step 1: the Kitchen

The kitchen is the room in most homes that sees the most action. This is the space that will likely be the most time-consuming part of any cleaning job. Using the “do the worst first” approach gets this big job done right off the bat.

The job itself will vary considerably from house to house. Fastidious types who clean up after each meal will have much less to do than those who don’t.

Ideally, chores such as unloading and/or loading the dishwasher, taking out trash, wiping down countertops, and cleaning the stove would not be a part of the cleaning regimen because they would be done on a daily basis. That being said, if these chores need to be done, they must be done.

Additional kitchen must-dos include cleaning appliance fronts, de-crumbing the toaster, wiping out the microwave, and spot-cleaning cupboard fronts, drawer pulls, knobs, and handles.

Finally, as will be done in all rooms of the house, the kitchen floor will need whatever attention it demands, be it from a broom or vacuum and wet mop.

Step 2: Dusting and Vacuuming Common Areas

Dusting and vacuuming common areas is as much a must-do as cleaning up the kitchen. Whatever approach to dusting you take, make a point of clearing away cobwebs in corners and dust on baseboards as well as the obvious settlements on flat surfaces.

Vacuum, sweep, or dust mop floors, and wash as needed. Don’t forget to occasionally vacuum upholstered furniture as well.

Step 3: Clean the Bathrooms

Bathroom cleanup is the third essential step to cleaning any house. Like the kitchen, the amount of work involved will depend on the degree of daily cleaning that’s done. Showers that are squeegeed every day will be far less trouble to clean and disinfect than those that aren’t. Sinks and countertops that get wiped down every day or two will likewise take less time.

Don’t forget to sweep and mop the floor to complete the job.

Step 4: Clean Bedrooms

Bedrooms are the rooms typically left for last for two reasons: people spend less time in their bedrooms than in other parts of the house and guests are less likely to notice dust and debris in these rooms. It is necessary to clean up these rooms on a regular basis. Change bedding, dust, vacuum, and mop as needed.

Step 5: Keep it Clean

Cleaning up as you go along is by far the simplest cleaning method on the market. This means cleaning up spills as they happen and keeping a watchful eye out for messes as they crop up.

While the detail involved in house cleaning will undoubtedly differ based on the amount of effort invested day to day, the overall process should generally be the same. Cleaning involves the same steps for everyone in every situation. This straightforward step by step approach means never having to wonder if your home is as clean as it should be.

Want more organizing and house cleaning tips and ideas? Check out my author page. My books include De-Clutter and Organize Your Home in 7 Simple Steps, Clean Like A Pro: Tips and Techniques for Cleaning Your Home Like a Seasoned Professional, and How to Become a Cleaning Pro: the Ultimate Guide to Starting and Operating Your Own House Cleaning Service.

House Cleaning 101 Introduction to Making Your Home Shiny and Clean

If you’re a total cleaning novice, you’re in the right place. This is House Cleaning 101, the introductory course to making your home shiny and clean. Cleaning is both simple and complicated at the same time. At its core, house cleaning is quite simply the means through which dirt and other unwanted substances are removed from your living space.

There are also many nuances to cleaning which make it complicated. We won’t worry about the nuances today. Our focus today will be on some basic home cleaning fundamentals.

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Cleaning is a Process

The first thing you should understand about house cleaning is that it’s a process. Done properly, cleaning isn’t something that only happens once in a while. Keeping a home shiny and clean requires commitment. Simply put: the more frequently you clean, the nicer your home will look and smell. It’s therefore necessary to establish a cleaning routine that involves cleaning your home on a regular basis.

Establish a Routine

Figure out a schedule that will easily fit into your lifestyle. Your routine could be carried out daily, weekly, every other week, or some combination thereof. Whatever the routine, the most important element is that you have one. Get into the habit of cleaning your home on a regular basis in order to ensure that it stays clean.

Doing an extensive cleaning of your home once every six months isn’t a cleaning routine; it’s damage control. When dirt and grime sit around for a long time, they begin to degrade surfaces. Furthermore, it’s much more difficult to remove long term buildups; a process that is both time consuming and potentially damaging to the surface.

Get Some Supplies

After deciding on a cleaning schedule, you’ll need to know what supplies to have on hand. The short list: a broom or vacuum cleaner, a mop for bare floors, a bucket, a toilet brush, some rags or cloths, sponges, possibly a dusting wand (makes the job go quicker), and some basic agents for cleaning glass, appliances, counter tops, bathroom fixtures, floors, and any other surfaces. My post entitled What Supplies Do You Need To Clean A House? gives more in-depth info on this topic.

Get Busy

Once you’ve got your cleaning supplies, it’s time to get busy. First de-clutter and organize your living space as much as possible. It’s a lot easier to clean surfaces that aren’t covered in stuff. Organizing and de-cluttering are the prime prerequisites to keeping a clean home. This step might take ten minutes, or a week and a half, depending on your particular state of clutter. If need be, just work around the clutter for now and plan to organize and de-clutter incrementally.

Make a Strategy

Next, take a few minutes to make a strategy for your plan of attack. Decide how much time you have available to spend on cleaning. Then take a quick walk through your home, getting an idea of what needs to be done. Refer to my House Cleaning Checklist for ideas about what specific tasks comprise the steps in cleaning a house.

Look for trouble spots as well as areas that don’t need any attention. Once you’ve got an overall picture of the job, plan how much time you’ll spend cleaning each area, keeping in mind the total overall time that you have available to spend on the job. Getting the whole house cleaned is your goal; budgeting your time and staying on schedule will help you to make that happen.

The cleaning process itself shouldn’t be too elaborate at this point. If you’re a cleaning novice, focus on the obvious. You’ll hone your skills over time. There’s a learning curve to house cleaning.

Keep it Simple

For now, keep it simple. Dust, vacuum, sweep. Clean glass surfaces and counter tops and appliance fronts. Clean your bathroom fixtures and mop your floors. Don’t concern yourself with eradicating every speck of dirt. Cleaning every single nook and cranny is time-consuming and unnecessary.

If you perform your cleaning routine on a regular schedule, everything will get cleaned eventually. For now, focus on high-traffic areas. These will need to be done every time you clean. Areas that see little or no use don’t need to be cleaned as often.

As your cleaning skills improve, you’ll get a better feel for the process. Regular cleaning ensures that high-traffic areas are always in good shape and areas that need less attention get cleaned as needed.

Maintenance

The final step of house cleaning is maintenance. Getting your home into excellent shape might take a few weeks, or months, depending on the state it’s in today. Once you’ve achieved a state of excellence, your home will stay that way if you clean regularly and keep up with the control of dirt, grime, and dust.

This sometimes calls for aggressive proactive measures and sometimes can be handled with a more laid-back style. Every situation is different. If you notice that you’re losing ground, increase your vigilance. It’s much easier to maintain a state of order than to have to reclaim it after you’ve lost control.

Following the steps laid out here will get you going in the right direction. House cleaning is a hands-on endeavor. Get in there, get your hands wet, learn on the job. Before you know it, you’ll be effortlessly keeping your home shiny and clean.

Tips for Cleaning and Organizing Your Closets

Most of us don’t enjoy the prospect of cleaning out closets. We often shove things we don’t use into closets to get them out of the way. The thought of pulling these objects back out means figuring out what to do with them, which seems a lot like work. These tips for cleaning and organizing your closets will make the job easier.

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Think of Closet Cleaning as an Opportunity

Cleaning closets is a great opportunity to get rid of stuff you aren’t using. Oftentimes when cleaning closets, you find stuff way in the back that you forgot you had. It’s like Christmas!

However, as a general rule, if you haven’t used something in a year or more, you don’t need it. And if you clear out space in your closets, you then have room to store the stuff you actually use which you don’t have space for anywhere else.

Plus if you can donate your unused stuff to a charity group or find some way to get the stuff to someone who can use it, the situation is a win-win.

First, Make a Work Space

The first thing you want to do when cleaning a closet is clear some space for a work area. If you are cleaning a bedroom closet, lay an old sheet over the bed so you can use the space to temporarily place things.

Pulls Things Out of the Closet

Next, pull everything out of the closet, either all at once or in sections. As you remove items, quickly decide whether each object is worth keeping. Have a box ready for things that you will be giving away, or designate a separate area if you are getting rid of a lot of things.

Clean Dust and Cobwebs

As you clear out areas of the closet, or once you’ve taken everything out, remove any cobwebs and dust off shelves, rods, racks, the tops of door frames, any ridges on the inside of closet doors, etc. Also clean the floor.

Replace Stuff

After the closet is nice and clean, replace whatever stuff you’re keeping, reorganizing and cleaning as you go. Dust off any boxes or other containers before replacing them in the closet.

Introduce new boxes, bins, baskets or whatever storage containers will help with storing things so they can easily be found again. Label boxes, make lists of contents and tape them to the outside, or use clear storage containers. Don’t waste any space. Arrange articles so that taller things are behind shorter things.

The Keys to Organization

The keys to organization are:

Storing things you will use such that you can easily find them when you need them.
Getting rid of things you don’t need that are using valuable space and inhibiting your ability to find the things you need when you need them.

Pace Yourself

Finally, don’t try to tackle every closet in your home at the same time unless it’s manageable. Set realistic goals that you can accomplish in order to stay motivated. What you don’t want to do is pull everything out of every closet in your home all at once and then run out of steam before everything is sorted and put back.

Routinely cleaning your closets is a great way to keep your home organized. Getting rid of things you aren’t using creates space for the things you do use that you don’t have space for. Set up a regular schedule, for example cleaning closets once a month, and stick to it. Chip away at it, keep after it, and always remember that home organization is all about maintenance.

Getting Motivated to Clean Your Home

What do you do when you’ve lost your will to clean? You see the dust bunnies in the corners and toothpaste splatters on the mirrors but you just can’t work up the enthusiasm to get going. With each passing day, the job becomes bigger and in time you truly dread the thought of cleaning your house.

How do you get moving? Assuming you’re not suffering from anything more serious than a motivational issue, here are some suggestions for getting motivated to clean your home.

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Visualization

Imagine your home looking clean and beautiful. Think about how nice it would be to get ready for work tomorrow in a squeaky clean bathroom and come home to clean floors and prepare dinner in a spotless kitchen. These images might just light the spark you need to get your fire going.

Spur yourself to action by picturing your awesomely clean home and keep thinking about it as you power through the job.

Reward Yourself

If that’s not the right approach to spur you into action, try a reward system. Set some cleaning goals for yourself and promise yourself a treat when they are achieved.

For example, if you are trying to lose weight, dangle a chocolate ice cream cone out on the horizon. You can have it after you clean your house. The calories burned cleaning will equal out with the ice cream. It’s a good trade-off.

Or, if you think a hair treatment you’ve been considering is too extravagant for your budget, calculate how much it would cost to pay someone to clean your home (the going rate is probably somewhere between $25 and $45 per hour) and then reward yourself with a trip to the hairdresser after you do the job yourself.

Take Baby Steps

If that’s not doing it for you, try taking baby steps. Instead of looking at house cleaning as a great big job, think of it as a whole bunch of little jobs. Then tackle one little job, and then, later on, tackle another. Work at whatever pace you want.

Doing one little job, no matter how small, is better than doing nothing at all. So today you might clean the inside of the microwave and tomorrow you might clean the stove and the next day the kitchen countertops and so on. Eventually you might even begin to get motivated by all you’ve accomplished, get some momentum going, and tackle a whole room in one fell swoop.

Since house cleaning is a job that can build on itself, this is a great approach to take to kick your cleaning groove into action. It’s never essential to clean your whole house at once. Cleaning it in smaller increments works just as well. At some point, you’ll get into a routine. Then, spending fifteen minutes a day will become half an hour and before you know it your whole house will be in tip-top shape. Take some baby steps and you’ll be running in no time.

Make Cleaning a Habit

Cleaning isn’t supposed to be fun. Getting motivated can be tough. Housekeeping is a difficult job. Another suggestion I have for you with regard to getting motivated is to make house cleaning a habit. Working out a regular routine and then integrating it into your life is the best way to keep your home in shape.

Ideally, break down the large job of keeping an orderly home into many small tasks and take it in stages throughout your week. You’ll have to concentrate at first, but after a little while it’ll be part of your routine and you won’t mind doing it because you won’t give it a second thought.

If you haven’t got the time to break it down, a once weekly or every other week full house run-through will net you the same results. The same approach will work as well. Make it a priority to devote a block of time to cleaning your whole house periodically. Each time you complete the routine, it will get easier. In time, your routine will be so routine you won’t even think about it.

Whatever approach you take, it’s essential to get back into your cleaning groove ASAP. Continuing to let things slide makes the job loom larger and larger. It’s often the case that once you get started, you’ll find your enthusiasm pick up.

Just Do it

So, as a last-ditch option, just do it. Get up right now and start cleaning your kitchen. Don’t think about it, just do it. Once you get going, you might just find that your will to clean comes back with a vengeance. Ten hours later, your windows will sparkle, your garage will be immaculate, and even your sidewalks will glisten. Hey, you never know.

The Cardinal Rules of House Cleaning

House cleaning, at its core, is very basic. The objective is the removal of dirt and grime from a home in order to promote the good health of its occupants as well as improve their quality of life. Regardless of whether you’re cleaning a two-bedroom cottage or a twenty-bedroom mansion, the cardinal rules of house cleaning will help you achieve these goals.

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Clean Regularly

Clean regularly to keep your home in the best possible condition. Integrating regular cleaning into your schedule serves several purposes.

First, it ensures that your house gets cleaned. Second, regular cleaning quickly becomes a habit. Third, the more often you clean, the less time it takes to complete the job. Fourth, regularly cleaning your home means you won’t get stuck spending an entire weekend playing catch-up.

Fifth, a clean home just makes you feel good, both because it smells and looks good and because you feel a sense of accomplishment at having completed the task.

Make House Cleaning a Priority

Make house cleaning a priority. This will ensure that important things get done before they get out of control, and less important things get done sooner or later as time permits. High traffic areas will get the attention they need before dirt and grime reaches toxic levels. Putting off house cleaning guarantees that it won’t get done.

Set up a Cleaning Routine

A set routine gets you into the habit of cleaning regularly, which ensures that all areas get cleaned from time to time.

Your kitchen, bathrooms, and other common areas will always be in good-enough shape. They’ll be nice and clean on the day after you clean, and by the end of the week they’ll again need attention but won’t be terrible. And some weeks the kitchen won’t demand as much of your time so you’ll get a chance to vacuum under beds or couch cushions.

A clean home is a healthy, happy environment. Plus, you’ll never be embarrassed when unexpected company shows up at your door.

Reduce Clutter

Reduce clutter to speed up the cleaning process and enhance effectiveness. Keeping clutter at bay makes cleaning quicker and easier. Dusting minimally-cluttered surfaces not only takes less time but also cuts down on dust in general because there are fewer surfaces on which dust can settle.

Having to work around or move multiple objects when vacuuming consumes time. Mopping is a nightmare when you’ve got to shift things around from space to space to even get at the floor. Plus, clutter-free spaces just look better.

Clean from Top to Bottom

Clean from top to bottom to make sure dirt always falls into areas that haven’t yet been cleaned. The first step to cleaning any space is dusting ceiling fans, light fixtures, and anything else up high. The last step is cleaning floors.

This principle should be applied continuously throughout the cleaning process so that dirt and dust fall down into areas that haven’t yet been cleaned. For instance, don’t sweep the floor before cleaning crumbs off of the kitchen countertops.

Clean in a Line

Clean in a continuous line so dirt doesn’t get tracked back into areas which have already been cleaned. Work from room to room in a continuous line as much as possible. Plot your course in a manner that will contain dirt and grime rather than spread it around. Tracking dirt back into areas you’ve just cleaned is counterproductive.

Use Tools

Use tools to maximize efficiency. For example, a good dusting wand with nubs that grab dust can be used almost universally throughout the house. A string mop gets into the corners and tight spaces that a sponge mop can’t reach. And never underestimate the usefulness of your vacuum cleaner. It’s one of the most versatile cleaning tools at your command.

Use the Right Stuff

Use appropriate cleaning agents in the correct amount. Know when to break out the tough cleaning agents. Mold, mildew, soap-scum buildup, grease, and mineral deposits are all most quickly eliminated by using chemical cleaning agents.

Conversely, don’t use stronger cleaners than are necessary. You’ll waste time rinsing away suds you didn’t need; furthermore, any residual cleaner left on a surface attracts more dirt. Sometimes less is more.

Use Entry Mats

Keep entry mats at doors to reduce the amount of dirt that gets tracked into the house. The biggest source of dirt on your floors is the feet of those who enter your home. Keep door mats at all entrances and encourage visitors to remove their shoes. Keep a towel near the door to wipe off paws, as well.

House cleaning doesn’t have to be a big deal. Taking the time to learn and understand basic tried-and-true principles will maximize outcomes while making the best use of your time and energy. Learn from those who have gone before you. These cardinal rules of house cleaning are tried and true methods of keeping your home shiny and clean.

Tips for Cleaning Cluttered Spaces

If you’ve read any of my posts heretofore, you’ll know that The Cleaning Pro frowns upon clutter. Clutter makes cleaning difficult, breeds dust, and conceals necessary items. However, the reality is that some people are simply not organizers, and cluttered spaces still need to be dusted and vacuumed and generally spruced up. These tips for cleaning cluttered spaces will help get you there.

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Put Dirty Clothes in a Hamper

Don’t throw your clothes on the floor. Put them in a laundry basket or put them away if they’re not dirty. As a last resort, pile them up somewhere, and don’t let the pile get so high that it topples over. It’s impossible to vacuum or sweep floors that are buried in clothes.

Don’t Pile Things Haphazardly

Make your clutter as orderly as you can. Put papers that belong with other papers into piles: bills with bills, junk mail to sort later with other junk mail to sort later, newspapers with newspapers, magazines with magazines.

If it’s all in a big pile of nonsense, you can’t find anything, and bills will go unpaid, your car registration will expire, important papers will be forever lost in the abyss.

Separate Important Paperwork

On a related note, get a basket for the important paperwork that you need to sort through. When the basket is full you have reached your deadline. Deal with it.

Don’t Save Junk

Stop saving clippings, newspapers, magazines, etc. that you will never look at again. If you can’t find anything anyway, isn’t it easier to toss it out now rather than allow dust to settle onto it for the next fifteen years?

Don’t let stuff that’s just plain trash pile up. Move your recycling to the curb or the dump. Old newspapers, magazines, food wrappers, and similar items have no residual value.

Keep Fishing Gear Out of the Living Room

Tools, gardening equipment, parts for the car belong in the garage or the tool shed or the basement. You can’t pile all your fishing gear in the middle of the living room and expect to be able to clean around it (or live there). I’m sorry, but this is where a line has to be drawn.

Christmas Only Comes Once a Year

Take your Christmas tree down by the end of January at the latest. Especially if it was a live tree.

Keep the Kitchen Clean

Keep the countertops in your kitchen as free of clutter as possible so they can be wiped off periodically.

Throw out food containers. Don’t save leftovers indefinitely. Go through the fridge once a week and toss out food that’s no good.

Pay attention to your nose and if you smell a funky odor, you need to root out its source. Now.

Bathroom Clutter is a Big No-No

In the bathroom, don’t let stuff pile up on the counters. Put toiletries into drawers or cabinets. If your drawers and cabinets are full, set aside an hour to go through everything and throw out what’s no good.

Or put all that clutter into a basket when it’s time to clean. You can’t clean countertops that are covered in stuff, and all that clutter collects dust which, in humid bathrooms, turns into a crusty mess.

Minimize Clutter As Much As Possible

While some clutter is tolerable, don’t let it get out of control. Bear in mind that clutter accumulates dust and there’s no way to vacuum or sweep cluttered areas. Unchecked clutter spreads from corners outward until entire rooms disappear. So do your best to keep it to a minimum so you can move freely enough through your living space to clean (and live).

Do Your Best to Keep it Clean

On cleaning day, do what you can with what you’ve got. Dust ceilings and walls for cobwebs. Dust all flat surfaces and dust over and around any piles of stuff. Clean the kitchen and bathrooms. Follow the advice presented here and do your best. It’s not easy, but it is possible (and necessary) to clean cluttered spaces.

The Benefits of Daily House Cleaning

Dirt and grime come into your home every day. It’s not realistic to expect that cleaning once every six months will keep your home in tip-top shape. Keeping a clean house is all about regular maintenance. One option is doing a little bit of cleaning every day. While this approach may not be for everyone, there are many benefits of daily house cleaning.

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Establish a Routine

Establishing a regular cleaning routine is the easiest way to keep your house clean and fresh. “Regular” is a subjective term; it might mean every day, or once a week, or once every two weeks, or even once a month.

Some people do a little bit of cleaning every day and then a full sweep once every week or two. Your schedule and circumstances will determine what works best for you. Whatever you decide should be a routine that will fit into your lifestyle so that you’re able to follow through consistently.

Daily cleaning has many benefits. Cleaning every day means your home will always be in great shape and it means that you’ll never lose hours at a time cleaning on a Sunday afternoon.

If it’s important to you that your home always be in prime condition to receive company, or if you’re a very fastidious type who can’t tolerate disorder, daily cleaning may be the way to go. If you’ve never got a large enough block of time to clean your whole house at once, breaking it down into smaller increments is a good alternative.

Cleaning Daily Keeps Your Home in Tip-Top Shape

Daily housekeeping will prevent deterioration to your home. For instance, when dirt and grime aren’t allowed to sit around, grit never gets the chance to erode floor surfaces.

Soap scum won’t build up, which means never having to use damaging chemical cleaning agents to facilitate its removal or scrub it away with erosive cleansers or scrubbers. Mold and mildew will never get the opportunity to cause permanent discoloration.

Spills won’t harden into congealed messes that become nearly impossible to remove without leaving scars behind.

Cleaning Daily Saves Time in the Long Run

Daily cleaning also saves time in the long run. It’s quicker to take half an hour every day to spot clean and touch up than to spend five hours on the weekend. By quickly cleaning the kitchen after meal prep and sprucing up bathrooms every couple of days, some of the more time-consuming jobs in a house cleaning regimen are eliminated.

As an example, scrubbing a shower clean can take fifteen minutes or more. It’s much quicker to squeegee the shower walls clean after each use and then apply a mist made from a vinegar and water mixture. This approach means it’ll only need a quick five-minute cleanup with a sponge periodically. No big deal.

Keeping entryway floors continually clean means that dirt doesn’t get tracked further into the house, which saves having to vacuum, sweep, or mop as frequently or as comprehensively. The same principle applies to spilled milk on the kitchen floor: a quick clean-up immediately after the occurrence prevents it from being tracked anywhere else.

Daily Cleaning Reduces the Need to Use Chemicals

Cleaning every day means never having to use smelly, toxic chemicals to remove tough grime because it’ll never get the chance to build up. It means never getting a sore back from scrubbing your shower or floors on hands and knees. It keeps dust from building up, which in turn means there will be significantly less dust in your air and on surfaces. Never having crumbs or spills on countertops or floors significantly reduces the likelihood of attracting the attention of unwanted guests like ants.

Daily cleaning isn’t for everyone. It’s one of many possible approaches to house cleaning. Any effective house cleaning regimen is based on simple diligence and regularity.

However, daily cleaning is one of the easiest methods if you’ve got the time. Repetition and frequency work to your advantage to quickly offset the daily intrusion of dirt and grime and the damage they can cause over time to your home. For this reason, daily cleaning is the ultimate form of cleaning maintenance, ensuring that your home is always in tip-top shape.

The Importance of House Cleaning

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Why Clean?

A clean home may not seem like a big deal. It’s something that many of us take for granted every day. And we shouldn’t. Every so often we should take time to appreciate the significance of the many little details in life that contribute to our overall well-being. A clean home is one of those details. Here are some great reasons to never underestimate the importance of house cleaning.

A Clean Home is a Healthy Environment

A clean home contributes to the good health of its occupants. Breathing clean air is infinitely better for you than breathing polluted air. Homes filled with dust, mold, or sources of bad smells are polluted. Your home should be your sanctuary, not make you sick.

A Clean Home is a Safe Environment

A clean home is a safe environment for children. In a clean environment, you can feel secure that kids will be safe doing kid things like playing on the floor and exploring.

Clean Equals Happy

A clean home makes people happy. Who doesn’t like their home better right after it’s been cleaned? It smells good, looks good, and makes you feel good.

Cleaning Saves Wear and Tear

Cleaning away dirt reduces wear and tear on a home and the objects it contains. Dirt on any surface is potentially damaging. For example grit on hard floors causes friction. Keeping rugs clean extends their life. Removing dust from under the refrigerator keeps it running efficiently.

Organization Pays Off

A clean home makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. Uncluttered,well-organized spaces help us keep track of things so we can find them when we need them. Having a hook or bowl for car keys right by the door saves time searching for them. Keeping a basket or bin for important pending paperwork means never having to scramble to find the car registration renewal that came in the mail last month.

Clean Homes are Never Embarrassing

Clean homes are never embarrassing when unexpected company arrives. Don’t be caught off guard. Keeping a neat and tidy domicile means always feeling comfortable inviting friends and family inside when they turn up at the door.

A Clean Home is Uplifting

Not everyone is able to clean their home. If you are able, appreciate that fact. For every one of us who finds house cleaning manageable (if a bit challenging at times) there is someone else who simply can’t keep up. Some are physically unable, some are overwhelmed, some simply don’t know how.

If you want to make someone’s day, help out an elderly or invalid friend or relative with house cleaning. Watch how happy it makes them to have things freshened up. For people who can’t do it themselves, having their home cleaned is beyond uplifting. So count your blessings, and never underestimate the importance of house cleaning.

Cleaning a Really Dirty Kitchen

Cleaning a really dirty kitchen from top to bottom can be a very satisfying activity when you’re done. The transformation of the room that is the heart and soul of your home will make you feel great!

So roll your sleeves up and get ready to make your kitchen sparkle.

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To Begin

Begin by removing rugs, window treatments, etc. as outlined above.

Do a thorough top-down dust and cobweb removal, starting with the ceiling, ceiling fans, walls, light fixtures, etc. Don’t forget the tops of cupboards and the top of the refrigerator.

Wash Woodwork and Windows

After you’ve removed as much dust as possible, wash woodwork, doors, cabinet doors, baseboards, window frames.

Wash the windows.

Clean Appliances and Countertops

Put some water and all-purpose cleaner or dish detergent in the sink or in a pail and, using a sponge or rag, start cleaning everything that needs cleaning, inside and out. Change your water as necessary.

Refrigerator

Clean the refrigerator outside thoroughly, then inside. Wipe down shelves, side walls, remove drawers and wash in your soapy water. Wipe gaskets. Clean door shelves. Also wipe out the freezer with a sponge moistened in warm water. Use a narrow dusting brush or yard stick with a rag tied securely around it to dust underneath.

Microwave

Clean the microwave outside, paying special attention to fingerprints on the keypad and handle. Wipe clean the inside and remove the glass tray at the bottom to wash in the sink if it’s dirty.

If there’s any kind of dried-on-gunky situation inside the microwave, heat a glass bowl or measuring cup of water to create a steam bath. This will loosen up the gunk so you can wipe it clean. You can even place a sliced-up lemon in the water if you want your steam to deodorize at the same time.

Range Hood

Not all kitchens have these, but for those that do: clean on top of the range hood using a degreaser. Remove the vent fan filter, if possible, and wash in hot, soapy water.

Stove Top

If it’s the type of stove top with drip pans, take it apart and wash the drip pans in hot, soapy water. If the drip pans are extremely dirty with cooked-on, blackened stuff, you can buy shiny new replacements. Sometimes scrubbing with steel wool pads, scouring powder, or baking soda will get them clean. Or you can try applying a baking soda and water paste onto them and letting it sit for a while to soak up the cooked-on mess.

If you’ve got a glass or ceramic cook top, remove any cooked-on messes with a plastic scraper. Apply a thick paste of baking soda and water to any residue and allow it to loosen up the mess.

Countertops

Use specialty cleaner on countertops made of granite, marble, or other surfaces that call for special treatment. Otherwise clean backsplashes and countertops with a solution of dish soap and water, all-purpose cleaner, or a stronger degreaser if necessary.

Clean countertop appliances, and shift small appliances side to side so you can clean the countertop underneath. Use a nylon scrubber or eraser-type sponge to remove any dried-on messes. Tackle stains with either an all-purpose cleaner containing chlorine bleach or an oxygen bleach and water solution.

Dishwasher

Clean dishwasher front, especially keypad and handle. If the inside is in need of attention, wipe clean whatever you can and then sprinkle a little bit of baking soda onto the bottom and allow it to set for a while. Then run the dishwasher on a hot cycle to rinse.

Cupboards

Wipe out cupboards and drawers. Use your vacuum if there are crumbs, mouse droppings, spilled flour, oatmeal, cereal, sugar, or anything else that would vacuum up more easily than wiping with a damp sponge.

Kitchen Sink

Clean the kitchen sink with all-purpose cleaner or a little dish detergent. Scrub stains with powder cleanser.

Some additional hints in the kitchen

Degreaser is your friend in the kitchen. If you start wiping down cupboard doors or trying to clean the countertops and run into a sticky film of any kind, try using a strong solution of ammonia and water, dish detergent in water, or any all-purpose cleaner specifically labeled as a degreaser. Spray it onto the surface and wipe clean. If that doesn’t do the trick, try scrubbing with a nylon scrubber
Deodorize your garbage disposal by running a chopped-up lemon through it.
Clean the garbage can. If it’s really dirty, take it outside, spray with bathroom cleaner, let soak, then hose off later.
To clean inside the toaster oven: first unplug, then de-crumb, remove racks and wash, wipe down the inside. To clean residue on the glass door, apply a thick paste of baking soda and water and allow it to sit for half an hour, then scrub and wipe clean.
Pulling out the fridge and stove to clean under and behind is an optional job. The fridge might be on casters, the stove probably isn’t. Be careful not to hurt your floor or yourself. You can also use a long, narrow duster to get underneath or wrap a rag securely around a yardstick.
Remove the cutting wheel on an electric can opener and wash in hot, soapy water.
Clean coffee or spice grinders by grinding up a slice of plain white bread.

All that’s left to do now is admire your handiwork. Job well done!

The Lowdown on Dusting Tools

Every home has dust. Getting the lowdown on dusting tools will help you understand how to clean it up easily.

Remove Dust to Reduce Dust

Depending on how quickly dust accumulates on surfaces in your home, it may have to be dusted only once in a while or every few days. The more dust that can be removed from the air, the less dusting there will be to do.

Dusting goes a lot quicker and is more effective with a tool that grabs and holds onto dust. Types of dusting tools include microfiber dusters, feather dusters, lambswool dusters, telescoping dusters, static dusters, and specialty hand dusters.

Microfiber Dusters

Microfiber dusters grab dust and lock it down so it isn’t released back into the air. Many can be washed and re-used; some are disposable.

Feather Dusters

Feather dusters are what our grandmothers used to swear by, or at when the feathers fell out all over the place. Some people still swear by them. And the feathers still shed all over the place. They don’t really grab dust as much as knock it down.

Lambswool Dusters

Lambswool dusters are great for getting dust off of baseboards, chair-rails, behind furniture, and for reaching cobwebs in corners and on ceilings and ceiling fans. These things last forever and come in lots of different styles. The drawback: they don’t hold onto the dust so much as knock it down.

Microstatic Dusters

Static or microstatic dusters look similar to feather dusters but have electrostatically charged synthetic fibers that grab dust then get shaken off outside.

Specialty Dusters

There are also specialty dusters for getting under appliances like the refrigerator or dryer, or for dusting ceiling fans, window blinds, and more.

If you have high ceilings, you can, and should, get a duster with an extendable (telescoping) handle to reach cobwebs and dust on light fixtures, ceiling fans, etc.

Dust With Your Vacuum Cleaner

Your vacuum cleaner will often do the best job of removing dust from places like louvered doors or the grated covers over heating vents or air exchanges.

Use the dusting tool attachment so the bristles grab the dust. If you have a thick layer of dust anywhere, your vacuum will do the best job of trapping it and locking it down.

Flat Surfaces

Figuring out what to use for dusting depends on what surfaces and/or areas you will be dusting. Lots of flat surfaces with little clutter are easy; use anything up to and including an old sock dampened with a little water and pulled over your hand.

Cluttered Surfaces

For surfaces with a lot of books or knick-knacks or uneven or cluttered areas, the job will go most quickly using a duster with fingers or nubs that the dust will cling to. This way every object doesn’t have to be moved. A microfiber mini-duster or microstatic or microfiber wand would fit the bill.

Baseboards and Moldings

To dust a lot of baseboards, chair-rails or other molding, wall sconces, or ridged areas like paneled doors, a microfiber wand or lambswool duster would probably be the best bet.

apartment architecture chairs clean — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Dust Often

When it comes to dusting, frequency is your friend. Using an effective tool that is comfortable to use and gets the job done quickly is the most efficient way to go.

The act of dusting removes dust from your environment, so there’s less dust floating around in the air waiting for the opportunity to settle down on your grandma’s china.