How to Clean Houses Right

Scrub brushes help keep bathrooms clean.

A clean house smells good, is pleasant to be in and is restful. There's no dirty floor reminding you to mop. The clutter is stored where it belongs, not out on the counters nagging you to be put it away. Cleaning a house right means starting at the top and working your way to the bottom. That goes for washing walls, dusting blinds, polishing furniture or cleaning cabinets. As you clean the dirt and dust falls to the floor, where it will be vacuumed away.

Things You'll Need

• Vacuum
• Duster
• Microfiber duster
• Cleaning tools
• Cleaning solutions
• Buckets
• Scrub brush
• Mops
• Paper towels

Instructions

Bedrooms and Living Areas

1. Remove all clutter. Put away items in their proper places. Empty wastebaskets. Get rid of old newspapers and magazines.

2. Dust ceiling fans and remove cobwebs from ceiling corners. Dust the tops of the shelves and furniture and work your way down to the lower shelves. Move the items on the shelves, dust underneath, dust the item and then return to the shelf. Use a microfiber duster for blinds. Close the blinds. Dust with the microfiber. Open and close the blinds the other way and dust again. Use a separate microfiber duster for window sills.

3. Change the bedsheets. Throw the bedspread and sleeping pillows in the dryer and replace on the bed after 20 minutes of drying on high.

4. Shake throw rugs outside. You can also throw them on a clothesline and beat with a broomstick.

5. Put decorative pillows in the dryer for 10 minutes on high to fluff.

6. Vacuum the floor. Start in the far corner and work your way out of the room.

Bathrooms

1. Remove clutter. Put toiletries away. Take towels down and put in the washer.

2. Spray surfaces, except the floor, in the bathroom with cleaner. Spray tubs and showers with bathroom cleaner. Let it set while you clean the toilets.

3. Sweep the floor. Wipe off the cleaner from surfaces. Rinse the cleaner from the tubs and showers. Use a damp mop to clean the floor starting at the far end and working your way out the door.

4. Replace towels with fresh, clean ones.

Kitchen

1. Remove clutter. Put any items that don't belong in the kitchen away.

2. Remove items from kitchen counters and place on the table or on one counter.

   Remove the electric coil burners from the stove top and set aside. Lift up the underneath metal pans and place in hot soapy water. Remove the grate pan supports from a gas stove and place them in hot soapy water. Spray the stove top with the appropriate cleaner. Spray the counters with cleaner. Wipe off the cabinets with a wood cleaner. Scrub off any food from the electric pans and gas grate pot supports and return to the stove. Plug the electric coil burners back in.

3. Wipe off cleaners from stove top and counters. If counters are tile and the grout is dirty, spray with diluted bleach cleaner. Rinse and then dry.

4. Wipe off each item you removed from the counters and replace.

5. Spray glass surfaces and appliances with window cleaner. Dry with a paper towel. Sweep kitchen floor. Mop and then dry.

Tips & Warnings

• A solution of 1 cup of white vinegar in 1 gallon of water removes water marks from tile floors.

• Give cleaning agents time to work. Spray, do another task and then come back to clean.

• Never mix cleansers. Ammonia and household bleach combine to make a toxic gas.

References

• "Talking Dirty With the Queen of Clean"; Linda Cobb; 2004
• Good Housekeeping: Home Speed Cleaning Guide
• Real Simple: Daily Quick Cleaning