House Cleaning Tips: Your Guide to a Sparkling Clean Home

The Problems With a Messy, Unclean Home

Before we get to the solutions, it’s important to identify the key problems that arise from an untidy, dirty home:

• Health hazards – Dust and dirt contain allergens, while food scraps and spills attract bugs and vermin. Germs and bacteria also lurk on unwashed surfaces. These can all lead to illness.
• Unpleasant odors – Smells from garbage, dirty dishes, pets, and more make your home less inviting.
• Disorganization – Clutter makes it hard to find important items when you need them. Misplaced belongings also contribute to a chaotic environment.
• Lowered mood – Humans psychologically associate mess with stress. A clean space promotes clear thinking and positive emotions.
• Difficulty relaxing – Dirty furniture and floors prevent you from comfortably enjoying your living space.
• Lack of motivation – Mess breeds more mess. An untidy home is demotivating and makes it hard to start cleaning.

The good news? With some effort and the right techniques, you can overcome these problems and transform your home. A clean, fresh house provides a happy and healthy habitat for you and your family.

Benefits of a Clean Home

Having a clean home provides many benefits including:

• Improved air quality by reducing dust and allergens
• Preventing germs and bacteria from spreading
• Easier to relax in a tidy, clutter-free environment
• Boosts your mood and mental health
• Makes entertaining guests more enjoyable

Deep Cleaning Your House from Top to Bottom

Deep cleaning your entire home thoroughly can seem like a daunting task. But with this room-by-room deep cleaning checklist, you can tackle the job methodically and efficiently.

Follow these professional house cleaning tips to deep clean your whole house:

Must-Have Cleaning Supplies

Having the right cleaning tools and products on hand will make your house and cleaning process that much faster and more effective. Stock up on these cleaning essentials:

Microfiber cloth

These are lint-free cloths that work great for dusting and cleaning windows, mirrors wood furniture, and other surfaces without leaving streaks. Dampen to clean countertops, sinks, and more.

Vinegar

White distilled vinegar is a natural cleaner that disinfects, cuts through grease, and removes mineral deposits. Mix with water in a spray bottle to clean most surfaces.

Baking soda

Sodium bicarbonate is a gentle abrasive that cleans, deodorizes, and scours surfaces. Make a paste with water to rinse clean scrub sinks and tubs.

Dish soap

Just a small amount of dish soap in hot water also works well to clean hard surfaces throughout the living room of the home without harsh chemicals.

Hydrogen peroxide

This mild bleach alternative disinfects surfaces. Keep it in a spray bottle diluted with warm water only.

Glass cleaner

Use a natural glass cleaner or mix equal parts vinegar and water for streak-free windows and mirrors. Newspapers work great too!

Disinfecting wipes

Keep Lysol or Clorox wipes on hand for quick disinfecting and regular cleaning jobs.

Disinfecting spray – An EPA-approved disinfectant kills germs on surfaces in bathrooms, kitchens, and other areas. Coronavirus-effective products are ideal.

Brooms & mops

Invest in good quality brooms and mops that are easy to use and can reach corners and crevices.

Vacuum

Choose a vacuum with strong suction and hose attachments to reach deep cleaned and under furniture and clean upholstery.

Having these cleaning supplies on hand will make regular cleaning and tidying up easy and allow you to spend hours together to deep clean your house thoroughly.

Living Room

• Dust all surfaces – Use a microfiber cloth to wipe dust off tables, shelves, lamps, windowsills, picture frames, TV screens, and electronics.
• Disinfect shower doors, light switches, and remotes.
• Vacuum upholstered furniture and rugs. Use the hose attachment to vacuum crevices and under furniture.
• Clean windows and mirrors using a glass cleaner and a lint-free microfiber cloth.
• Spot clean walls. Use warm water and a microfiber cloth with a small amount of dish soap to clean scuffs and dirt.

Kitchen

• Clear all countertops and sink.
• Disinfect surfaces – Use a multi-surface spray or hydrogen peroxide cleaner to disinfect counters, sinks, appliances, and handles.
• Clean inside microwave – Mix baking soda and water to make a paste. Scrub inside the microwave and wipe clean.
• Descale kettle – Fill the kettle with equal parts water and vinegar. Boil and let sit before rinsing clean.
• Clean cabinets – Wipe down the exterior with a microfiber cloth and all-purpose cleaner. Vacuum out crumbs.
• Scrub sink – Sprinkle baking soda and drizzle vinegar down the drain. Let sit for 15 minutes before rinsing. Use a damp cloth with dish soap to remove stains.
• Sweep and mop floors.

Bathrooms

• Clear surfaces and declutter.
• Disinfect all surfaces – sinks, shower curtains, counters, toilets, tubs. Scrub with a disinfecting wipe or spray cleaner.
• Scrub shower and tiles – Spray with equal parts vinegar and dish soap. Let sit before scrubbing and rinsing clean. Use a grout brush for tiles.
• Clean mirrors and windows with glass cleaner.
• Mop sweep the floors.

Bedrooms

• Strip bedding and wash.
• Vacuum mattress thoroughly including crevices and edges.
• Dust surfaces and window treatments.
• Vacuum floor and under furniture.
• Spot clean walls.
• Organize closets. Donate or throw out anything you don’t use.

Throughout the House

• Dust ceiling fans – Use a microfiber cloth secured to a broom handle for hard-to-reach areas.
• Vacuum and wash curtains, blinds, and upholstered furniture.
• Vacuum under furniture and cushions. Use hose and brush attachments.
• Vacuum vents, baseboards, windowsills, edges of carpet.
• Dust lighting fixtures, lamp shades, and lightbulbs.

Take your time working through each room systematically. Check high and low areas and move items to vacuum and remove dust mites from underneath. Deep clean each room before moving on to the next.

Daily & Weekly Maintenance

While deep cleaning your kitchen counters and entire home periodically is important, maintaining cleanliness on a daily and weekly basis prevents messes from building up.

Follow these speed cleaning sessions to keep your home clean and tidy home too:

Daily

• Make the bed
• Wash dishes right after use
• Tidy up clutter
• Sweep kitchen floor
• Disinfect bathroom sinks and counters
• Clean kitchen stainless steel sinks after dinner
• Take out trash

Weekly

• Sweep and mop floors
• Vacuum rugs and upholstery
• Dust all surfaces
• Disinfect doorknobs and handles
• Clean shower and tub
• Change hand towels
• Take out recycling
• Wash bathroom rugs and mats
• Wash sheets

Get in the habit of tackling these small spring and cleaning tasks and tasks each day and a few hours each week to stay on top of the mess. A little bit of effort pays off in keeping your home clean and clutter-free.

Dispose of Garbage Properly

Regularly cleaning your garbage disposal helps eliminate odors, prevents clogged drains, and improves performance. Here are tips:

• Grind up ice cubes to clean and sharpen the blades. The ice scrubs the interior.
• Flush with baking soda and vinegar – Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain then 1 cup vinegar. Let foam for 5 minutes before rinsing with hot water. This disinfects and deodorizes.
• Use lemon or lime peels – Grind up leftover citrus peels to freshen the drain and sharpen the blades.
• Prevent clogs – Grind eggshells to safely scour the drain. Avoid pouring grease or thick food scraps down the disposal.
• Remove odors – Grind a cut-up lemon. You can also freeze lemon peels in ice cubes to clean disposal when ground up.

Regularly maintaining your garbage disposal will extend its life and keep your plumbing clog-free.

House Cleaning Tips and Tricks

Use these clever house cleaning hacks to clean your house and work faster and smarter:

• Mix your own cleaning products from common pantry staples like vinegar and dish soap rather than buying expensive cleaners.
• Start at the top and work your way down when cleaning a room to avoid dripping dirty water on already-cleaned surfaces.
• Use a damp microfiber cloth to dust instead of chemical-laden sprays or dry cloths which just spread dust around.
• Give your microwave a steam clean by placing a bowl of water with lemon slices inside and microwaving for 2 minutes. Wipe clean.
• Freshen upholstery and carpets by sprinkling with baking soda, letting sit 30 minutes and vacuuming up. This also helps lift stains.
• Prevent soap scum buildup in the shower by squeezing dish soap on the walls around the shower head after use to let the water rinse it down.
• Clean windows and mirrors with a natural glass cleaner or 1 part vinegar diluted in 5 parts water for a streak-free shine.
• Use the hose attachment on your vacuum to easily reach under and behind furniture and clean edges and crevices.

With the right techniques and cleaning solutions, you can get your kitchen sink bathroom floors, and whole house sparkling clean faster and easier than you thought possible.

As cleaning expert Marie Kondo says, “The magic of tidying up lies in thinking how you want to live.” Visualize the clean, clear home you deserve, then take action to make it a reality. You’ve got this!

In Summary

While it may seem overwhelming, keeping a clean home doesn’t need to take up all your free time. With this complete guide to deep cleaning and maintaining every room, you now have all the most effective professional house cleaning tips and tricks.

The key is using the right tools and products like microfiber cloths, white vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap rather than harsh chemicals. Establish simple daily and weekly cleaning routines to stay on top of messes before they build up.

Be sure to do a thorough deep clean of your furniture and polish the entire home every month using half a cup or two to keep all surfaces wipe your house free of dust and grime. A clean, welcoming home provides comfort and improves your quality of life.

So break out the mop, fire up the vacuum, and remove dust, and get cleaning! With this comprehensive guide to professional cleaners, you can easily transform your home into a dust-free sparkling-clean oasis.