How to "Detail Clean" Your House

Clean every nook and cranny when "detail cleaning."

Sometimes speed cleaning your house is good enough, but there are other times when you should pay extra attention to the details, like when you're expecting a visit from your mother-in-law, showing your house to potential buyers, or any time you want to impress. Some areas are easily skipped during speed cleaning, but when they get some attention, they make the difference between clean and sparkling.

Things You'll Need

• Vacuum cleaner with attachments
• Rubber gloves
• Bucket and mop
• Rags
• All-purpose cleaner
• Glass cleaner
• Furniture polish

Instructions

1. Clean your floors all the way to the walls. Get the vacuum cleaner attachments and pick up every crumb that regular vacuuming misses. Vacuum all the way under heaters, woodwork, behind doors, under cabinets, in closets, and under furniture. Consider shampooing carpet. For uncarpeted floors, wipe edges and corners by hand.

2. Wipe down all baseboards and molding.

3. Scrub trash cans and the walls behind them. In the kitchen, food tossed in the trash may leave splatter marks on the walls or cabinets around them.

4. Wipe cabinet doors, paying particular attention to the area near the handles. Check lower cabinets for splatter marks from mopping.

5. Dust thoroughly, including ceiling fan blades, the backs of electronics (which tend to attract lots of dust), accessories, artwork, under furniture and on all furniture surfaces.

6. Wipe down all appliances, inside and out.

7. Scrub down your exterior doors, which can accumulate dirt and debris.

8. Check the walls near all of your doors and door frames. Sometimes people unknowingly touch a wall when they walk through a door, leaving dirty buildup.

9. Clean your windows, including the windowsills and sash. If you have a cat that sits at a window, look at the wall below the window. It's common to find smudgy paw prints near the windowsill.

10. Polish all wood furniture.

11. Wipe kitchen and bathroom fixtures from top to bottom.

12. Scrub away any mildew near the base of the toilet and sink.

13. Replace or wash your shower curtain and liner.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have pets, check the floor and walls near their food dishes for stray splatters.