How to Clean a House

If you are a procrastinator, then you know that the downward spiral of procrastination can slowly lead to disaster. Even though you know you can avoid said disaster if you could just stop procrastinating, you simply can't get motivated. This is especially problematic when you procrastinate in completing all of your household chores. Before you know it, what was once a sparkling clean home has turned into a professional house cleaner's worst nightmare. At some point, you have to get to work and reclaim your home. Knowing how to clean a house makes the job less overwhelming and thus more likely to happen--so learn some tricks, get some motivation and clean that house!

Things You'll Need

• Cleaning supplies

Instructions

Cleaning a House

1. Take a tour of your house. Basically, you'll need to roam from room to room and get a handle on how big the job of cleaning your house is really going to be. It is possible that in the midst of all your procrastination you overestimated how badly your house was in need of a good cleaning. Take a good look around to give yourself a realistic idea what your cleaning spree will entail.

2. Assemble your cleaning arsenal. What tools and cleaning products will you need to get the job done? A vacuum, some rags, a bucket, some all purpose cleaner and a pair of rubber gloves are essential. You will also want several garbage bags to use for garbage and for containing items that you might recycle or donate.

3. Choose a plan of attack. Many people become so overwhelmed at the thought of cleaning a house that they don't even know where to begin. They start and stop several different tasks and then give up. You might decide to clean one room at a time by thoroughly dusting, vacuuming and straightening or you might decide to carry out one cleaning task at a time--dusting every room and then returning to vacuum every room, for example. Planning an approach to your house cleaning will keep you on task and ensure that you recognize the progress you have made.

4. Get rid of the clutter. Before you can get to the serious cleaning, you'll want to get rid of everything that you don't need and return everything you do need back to its intended spot. Grab a garbage bag and use it to get rid of all of the trash that may have accumulated. Grab another garbage bag and use it to tote all of your recyclable items out to the bin. Use a third to store all the items that you might like to donate to a local charity. Put all the other out of place items back where they live. Once these things are accomplished, you can get on with the serious cleaning.

5. Carry out the deep cleaning tasks for each room as appropriate. The bathroom will have its own ritual--disinfecting the toilet, shower and sink. The kitchen will need disinfecting too--the sink and counter tops are of special concern. The rest of the house will need a thorough dusting and a deep vacuuming. Don't forget to mop the hard floors with an appropriate cleaning solution.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't forget to vacuum along the base boards, behind doors and under furniture.

• Be sure to remove the dust from picture frames and lampshades as you dust.