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These Lists Will Make Cleaning Easier

Jon Fesmire | July 22, 2019 @ 9:07 AM

When it comes to keeping your home clean, it can be easy to miss a step here or there. Business managers know this when it comes to keeping offices and work areas clean, which is why most companies have their cleaning procedures documented. This makes sure not only that everything gets done, but that employees all take the same steps and do the job right.

The same idea can work at home, especially if you have kids and you want them to learn the right way to help with cleaning. So, we’re going to help you create your own list of cleaning procedures for your place.

What follows is a basic list similar to what maids use when cleaning the homes of their clients.

The Living Room

  • Pick up items on the floor, on the coffee table, on the couch, and put them where they go. Dirty dishes in the sink, dirty clothes in the laundry, toys in the children’s rooms, and so on.

  • Search between couch and chair cushions. You may find a variety of items there which can be thrown out or put away.

The Bedrooms

  • Make the beds.

  • Put away items on the floor, dressers, and so on, similarly to what you did in the living room.

  • Organize things you brought in from the living room, or things that are simply out of place.

  • Fold and put away any laundry that goes in the room.

The Kitchen

  • Put away stray items.

  • Wash the dishes

The Bathroom

  • Put away stray items.

  • Place the bath mat in the shower.

  • Place the bath mat in the shower.

  • Take the garbage can and other items on the floor out of the room.

  • Remove soaps, shampoos, and so on from the tub and shower.

  • Open the window or turn on the van for ventilation.

  • Sweep the floor.

  • Wet the inside of the tub and shower with warm water, then spray tile cleaner to them. Let this sit while you get other work done in the bathroom.

  • Use a general-purpose cleaner to wipe down the counters and cabinets.

  • Add ¼ cup of general-purpose cleaner to mop bucket and fill with water. Let sit.

  • Stand on the bath mat in the shower and scrub the walls with a rough-backed sponge and a grout brush.

  • Apply more tile cleaner and scrub one more time.

  • Scrub the soap dishes and shower rack.

  • Rinse with water, then dry with an absorbent cloth.

  • If the bathtub is separate, repeat the above steps for the tub.

  • Spray the sink with tile cleaner and scrub it with a rough-backed sponge, and clean around the sink as well. Clean the counters again if necessary. Rinse out and dry the sink.

  • Mop the floor with the water prepared in the bucket. Start from the farthest corner and going back to the exit. Rinse out the mop after each four square foot area. Let dry.

Back to the Kitchen

  • Dump the mop bucket water down the kitchen sink.

  • Add ¼ general-purpose cleaner to the mop bucket, and add water. Set aside for now.

  • Sweep the floor.

  • Remove pans from the stove and soak them in warm water in the sink, with a few drops of dish soap.

  • Put away the dishes you set out to dry.

  • Wipe down the kitchen counters, appliance faces, stove top, and inside the microwave with a general purpose cleaner.

  • Scrub the pans in the sink and set them on the dish rack to dry.

  • Scrub the sink with tile cleaner and a rough sponge, and also clean around the sink.

  • Mop the floor, using the same procedure you did for the bathroom. Start in the far corner, ring out the mop every four square feet, and work back to the entrance to the kitchen.

Time to Dust

  • Turn off fans and, if it’s day time and you have enough natural light coming through the windows, the lights.

  • Start with rooms other than the bathroom and kitchen.

  • Use microfiber cloths for dusting. Swiffer products also work great.

  • Wipe down dusty surfaces like tables, window sills, the top of window frames, the top of doors, picture frames, light fixtures, collectibles, and shelves.

  • Close blinds completely and wipe down one side. Then, reverse their orientation and dust the other side.

  • Use glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth on screens and monitors.

  • When the kitchen and bathroom floors are dry, use the same dusting procedure there.

  • Replace the rubs, bath mats, and garbage can in the bathroom.

  • Dump the mop bucket out in the shower, then rinse out the shower and put the bucket and mop away.

Vacuuming

  • Vacuum all carpeted areas.

  • Vacuum all upholstered furniture, including between cushions. Use appropriate attachments.

Windows and Window Screens

  • Clean all windows and mirrors with a good, streak-free glass cleaner like Windex. Wipe them with newspapers or newsprint paper.

  • Remove screens from the window frames and take them outside. Scrub them with a bristle brush and a bit of general-purpose cleaner, and rinse with a hose. Put back in their frames to dry.

Keep in mind the less stuff you have at home, the less cleaning and organizing you’ll have to do. For all of your excess items, rent a storage unit to keep your home free from clutter.

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