Items Needed
Step1
Keep the following cleaning products on hand:
Vinegar (good for cleaning just about anything--excellent on glass and wood surfaces)
Ammonia (good for cleaning floors)
Bleach (good for mold on window sills and in shower--do not mix bleach with amonia)
Cleanser
TSP--trisodiumphosfate (good for floor and walls)
Baking Soda (deodorizer and mild abrasive cleanser, also good to sprinkle down a funky smelly drain)
Lemon oil or a cheap furniture polish (add 1/2 lemon oil and 1/2 vinegar to make a great furniture polish)
Step2
Maintain the following cleaning tools:
Vacuum (mandatory to keep a house clean)
Broom and dust pan (optional)
Gloves (optional)
Scrubbing brush or pads
Toilet brush
Rags (T-shirts or old towels cut into 4-6 inch squares or hand-towel size)
Mop (optional)
Clean, dry paint brush (to dry dust baskets, knick-knacks, keyboards, lamp shades, pictures, doors, unfinished wood, and books)
Step3
Have one of the following for washing floors and large cleaning jobs like walls:
5-gallon paint-style bucket
Kitchen or other plastic waste container
Kitchen sink is also an option
Step4
Keep clear garbage bags on hand; they are great because you can see what is inside of them and they can store and sort the following items (in addition to garbage):
Recycling
Seasonal clothes
Blankets
Seasonal decorations
Wrapping paper
Step5
Reuse these items for cleaning/storage supplies:
Spray Bottles
Water bottles, cut to become a cup, can hold small household items like nails, paperclips, pens, toothpicks, razors, toothbrushes and art supplies
Pretty tissue boxes can store things like plastic grocery bags or rags under the sink or in laundry area.
Step6
Purchase a Sharpie pen to mark your bottles.
Start Cleaning!
Step1
Designate a cleaning day, and stick to it.
Step2
Start in bedrooms. Strip beds, lay sheets out on floor and divide laundry up on sheets. Gather household laundry and sort. Gather the sheets tie the corners, holding laundry inside. Carry the laundry to the laudry room or the car if you use a laundermat. The sorting of laundry is done and if you don't have to leave home to do it, start your laundry.
Step3
Gather cleaning supplies, including vaccuum. Fill bucket with hot water and cleaner of choice. Place cleaning items outside kitchen area.
Step4
Clear kitchen floor, dump garbage, clean dishes, counters, stovetop, microwave, fronts, tops and sides of appliances. Clean off kitchen table and chairs. If you have a kitchen window that gets dirty quickly, clean it. Sweep and mop floor.
Step5
Move cleaning supplies to bathrooms. Clear floor. Scrub sink, bathtub and toilet with cleanser. Clean shower doors, shower walls, mirrors and countertops (vinegar works well). Clean around base of toilet and toilet sides. Sweep and mop. Dump garbage when done.
Step6
Repeat for each bathroom. When finished with bathrooms, take trash to outside garbage, dump mop water and keep out only the glass cleaner, furniture polish, two rags and vacuum.
Step7
Clean furniture in living space and bedrooms.
Step8
Clean windows as nessesary.
