Complete Guide for Keeping Your House Clean
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average Canadian spends one hour each day cleaning their home. Learning how to maintain a house clean can be one of the most difficult tasks we learn, what with job, errands, parenthood, and the craziness of everyday life. While it may be impossible to handle everything on your plate at times, there are a few quick and easy ways to keep your house (and your life) in order. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about keeping a house clean.
How to Keep a Clean House Tip #1: After you've finished using something, put it away.
This may sound like a no-brainer but forgetting to put your items away is the leading cause of untidiness. Do a cursory search as you travel from one room to the next to see if there's anything you can take with you. Make an effort to return whatever you wear, use, or move to its proper location. It's simple to leave a pair of shoes by the front entrance, a few shirts on your bed, and some dishes in the sink till the next day. Keep in mind that small stacks can soon evolve into large disasters. Consider DIY closet organization options like tension rods and shower curtain hooks if you're short on room. Extend the space in your bedrooms, bathrooms, and hall closets with over-the-door organizers. Decorative baskets can be used to organize your smaller goods, and a mail sorter can be used to manage your paper items. Remember, it takes considerably less time to put your items away each time than it does to hurriedly search for them when you need them!
How to Keep a Clean House Tip #2: Concentrate on one room at a time.
Cleaning one room at a time is the simplest approach to keep your entire house clean. You may do a little amount at a time instead of tackling every duty at once if you divide the cleaning by room (and by day).
How to keep a house clean by concentrating on one room at a time is as follows:
Bathroom
The bathroom will be subjected to a range of disasters during the week, from toothpaste dribbles and mirror stains to wet floors and shower grime. Because we use it every day, it's easier to clean up after yourself rather than waiting for a greater problem a few weeks later.
Focus on the following areas for a clean bathroom:
Disinfect the sink
Shower, tub, and toilet should all be scrubbed.
Remove any stray mirrors.
Mop the floors (pay special attention to the corners)
Are you looking for a simple, natural cleaner for your home? Cleaning your home with DIY cleansers is a cost-effective option.
Try this easy-to-make cleaner:
2 cups. liquid
A quarter cup of baking soda
2 tsp. liquid dishwashing
White vinegar, 3 tbsp
Essential oil (ten drops)
After you've finished using the sink or stepping out of the shower, spray the surface with your natural cleaner. Run the water once more to remove all of the cleanser. You've just extended the amount of time you have until you have to undertake a deep clean in your shower! For several days, the essential oil will keep the space smelling fresh. Ask everyone in your household to make this a habit for the best effects.
Bedroom
It's all about storage when it comes to keeping bedrooms clean. You'll be more inclined to maintain your personal space neat if you have designated areas for all of your clothes and accessories.
Invest in storage bins or baskets that can fit beneath your bed if you feel like you don't have enough space. It's also easier to change your linens while your other set is being washed if you have a complete change of sheets under your bed. Choosing the proper nightstand can also help you organize your space. In the drawers, keep your journals, novels, and publications. It can be used as a work desk if it is large enough.
Make the following measures a habit to keep your bedroom clean:
Make a clean bed
Blankets and throws should be folded.
Place clutter in appropriate places.
Desks, nightstands, and shelves should all be dusted.
Floors and area rugs should be vacuumed.
Kitchen
Dishes are usually the source of a cluttered kitchen. Do you have family members that enjoy letting dishes “soak”? Prepare one side of your sink by filling it halfway with water and a few drops of dish detergent. Adding dishes to the soapy side throughout the day will remove the majority of the fat and food from the dishes. The dishes will be clean by the time you wash or put them in the dishwasher.
The kitchen is an excellent area to put the 20-minutes-per-day rule into practice. Spend a few extra minutes cleaning up after each meal, and you'll never have to deal with a major mess in one of your home's most vital rooms.
When it comes to cleaning your kitchen, concentrate on the following areas:
Dishes must be put away—always have an empty sink!
Countertops that are free of debris
Organize your refrigerator and pantry.
Clean the floor with a broom and mop.
Appliances should be cleaned with steel cleaner.
In the Living Room
The living room is one of the busiest rooms in the house. It can easily become strewn with a variety of ordinary goods if you aren't attentive. Make sure that all of your belongings are in their proper places so that your living room may make a good first impression on your relatives and guests.
Simple measures to keep your living room clean on a regular basis:
Remove any clutter from the room (toys, games, books)
Pillows should be fluffed, and blankets/throws should be folded.
Coffee and end tables, as well as a dust mantel
Vacuum the carpets and sofas (particularly if you have pets!)
This section of your home will stay clean if you employ storage options like these:
Shoe Rack: If you have a carpeted living room, the regular foot activity can quickly wear it down. Before your family and guests tromp dirt and grass through your spotless home, make sure you have a place for them to put their shoes.
Storage that is hidden: Vertical shelving can help you exhibit objects like toys, books, and games in an organized manner if you don't have a home for them. Ottomans with storage are also great for hiding clutter and storing items out of sight.
How to Keep a Clean House Tip #3: Make a schedule and stick to it.
Giving each space a thorough cleaning is one thing, but how can you keep your home clutter-free every day of the week? Easily, believe it or not: a cleaning schedule. Make a list to keep on your refrigerator, wall, or desk to help you and your family stay organized. Not only should you write down what has to be done, but also when it needs to be done.
You can keep your house in tip-top shape all year long by breaking down basic housekeeping jobs into daily, weekly, and even monthly routines.
How to Keep Your House Clean on a Daily Basis
The majority of individuals wait until their home is in disarray before beginning to clean. The key is to make a tiny effort each day to maintain your home as clean as possible. These tiny yet efficient everyday actions serve as reminders of how to maintain a house tidy.
Six simple strategies to go to bed each night with a clean house:
Make a clean bed. Making your bed is the finest way to start your day. Making your bed every day will have a domino effect, allowing you to maintain everything else in order.
As you cook, clean up. Pay special attention to clutter in the kitchen as you learn how to maintain a house tidy. As you use them, toss out crumbs and empty packaging. While food roasts in the oven, wash pots and utensils. Before you sit down after a meal, make sure the dishes are put away. Cleaning as you go saves time and ensures that your kitchen is in excellent condition.
As you go, grab what you can. Make it a point to pick up your items whenever you leave a room to reduce clutter. Take a pair of shoes with you when you go upstairs, pick up the coffee cup from the counter, and bring soiled laundry down with you.
Clean up spills as they happen. Avoid leaving any spills or minor messes unattended. So you don't have to deal with set-in stains at the end of the week, take a few minutes to wipe them away with a damp towel.
Sort through the mail. Every day, we receive mail, the majority of which is junk mail. Sort it the moment you come in the door, rather than letting it pile up in your mailbox or on the counter. When you get your mail, put bills, coupons, and personal communication in their proper areas right away, and recycle unwanted mail.
Using a broom, sweep the kitchen floor. The kitchen receives more activity than the rest of the house, resulting in a lot of dirt and trash on the floor. Spend a few minutes sweeping the floor each day, and you won't see dirt dragged through the house for the rest of the week.
How to Keep Your House Clean on a Weekly Basis
Never underestimate the importance of cleaning once a week! You'll still have a few 20-minute jobs to perform once a week, no matter how effective you are with the tiny daily activities.
A weekly cleaning schedule isn't a one-size-fits-all approach, but it is a simple way to tackle one room at a time. You'll never feel overwhelmed if you stick to a regimen that allows you to focus on one significant area of your home each day. Cleaning your house will be nearly effortless!
A typical weekly cleaning routine would look like this:
Laundry and dusting on Monday
Tuesday: Vacuuming and cleaning the bathrooms
Wednesday: mopping and cleaning the living room
Thursday is dedicated to bedrooms.
Kitchen on Friday
Saturday: Administrative and other miscellaneous tasks
Aside from daily and weekly cleanings, monthly and quarterly cleanings should also be considered. Mattresses, lint lines, air filters, blinds, and other items may fall within this category. You can fill up the gaps with these larger, less frequent chores by starting with your lesser tasks.
How to Keep a Clean House Tip #4: Power Clean
Nobody wants to go to bed knowing that their home is a shambles. You can avoid mountains of clutter from growing in your home by spending 10-15 minutes on a nightly "power" cleanup.
The more family members you can include, the better! Set a timer, have some fun with it, and concentrate on your most important cleaning tasks. Prioritize the objects that are the most cluttered (whether it's your kitchen, kids' room, or foyer). Then focus on the locations with the most traffic.
Here are some crucial points to remember:
Shoes in the front door
Dishes are being washed in the sink.
Bathroom counter contents
Clutter on the coffee table
Toys strewn across the living room carpet
Keeping your House Clean Checklist
Maybe you're a cleaning Diva, or maybe you're a Debbie Downer when it comes to cleaning. Whatever the case may be, having a clean home is essential. Nobody likes it when they hear someone is coming over and then see their house is in shambles.
Break up cleaning into reasonable chunks to take the stress out of it. There are items you can clean on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis to keep your home fresh, and no duty feels too big.
Basic duties completed on time and on a schedule will keep disaster at bay, and you'll always be prepared for that unexpected visitor. After all, wouldn't it be better to accomplish a bit every day rather than spend the entire weekend in your cleaning clothes?
Here are some helpful cleaning suggestions and checklists for your entire home to keep you on track.
The Dining Room
The heart of the house is the kitchen. It is sanitary to keep a clean kitchen, and let's face it, you want to cook and dine in a clean environment. Daily cleaning of surfaces and dishes is the first step toward a clean kitchen but adding a deep clean once a month will have you happy every time you open the oven.
Quick Tip: Weekly cleaning does not imply that each room must be thoroughly cleaned on the same day. If it's more convenient to divide it up across the week, do the bathrooms on Monday and the bedrooms on Tuesday. Alternatively, dust the entire house one day and vacuum the next. Some folks enjoy doing all of their deep cleaning in one day. Make a cleaning routine that works for you and limit yourself to one hour of deep cleaning per day. Hopefully, you won't feel compelled to clean your house all of the time after that.
The Family Room
The living room takes the greatest abuse, yet it's also where you'll most likely entertain. Each family member should be responsible for clearing their own clutter. It only takes a few minutes to fluff and fold pillows and rugs to make a huge impact.
Keep dedicated baskets on the stairwell or hidden away in a closet as a quick tip. Put anything left behind by family members in these baskets, and then have them put it away at the end of the day or when the baskets are full.
Bathrooms
Isn't it a little unsettling? Toothpaste, toilets, and bathtubs...oh my! But, believe it or not, the longer you ignore the restroom, the worse it will become. After getting ready, take a minute to wash off the counters and instruct the youngsters to do the same.
The majority of the time, toilet cleaning is a weekly task. If you live with some of those people (and you know who they are), you should clean them every two weeks to avoid a full-blown case of the yucks. When you're down there, it may seem inconvenient, but you'll be relieved when you don't have to spend your entire Saturday cleaning toilets.
Quick Tip: For weekly cleaning, keep your cleaning products in a portable tote. This tote makes transporting cleaning items from room to room a breeze.
Outdoor/Bonus Rooms/Laundry Room
The initial impressions of your home are created by your porch and front lawn. Keeping things neat and tidy may be required by your community, but it should make you proud when you get home and see your home's curb appeal.
Spreading out your washing chores over the week will assist to lighten the load.
Cleaning for the Seasons
Check a few things off the yearly maintenance list when you're changing things up for the season or getting ready for all those holidays with family and friends. Not everything on the checklist has to do with keeping the house clean. They are also about ensuring the safety of you and your family. At the start of each new season, cross items off this list.
We hope you found these cleaning checklists and suggestions helpful.
10 Tools to Keep your Home Clean
We've put together a list of the most basic cleaning products that we believe no home should be without, whether you're just beginning started in a new place or looking to complete (or perhaps update) your cleaning kit. Invest on your favorite must-haves, borrow others from family members, and gradually assemble a collection of dependable house cleaning tools.
#1 - Central Vacuum
Central vacuums are permanently installed devices that use a motorized unit to generate suction throughout the house. The power unit, which houses the system's engine and dirt collection vessel, is usually kept somewhere out of the way, such as basements, garages, or utility rooms.
Central vacuum cleaners are an investment that pays off. The central vacuum system is made up of a tubing system that goes through a house's walls and connects the power unit to vacuuming wall ports. These outlets are deliberately placed for easy access from all rooms, so all you have to do to vacuum is connect a hose to one and switch on the system. The hose will gather dirt and debris from surfaces and the air and transport it to a hidden tubing system, where it will be deposited in a dirt collection container.
Unlike standard vacuum systems, you may only need to transport the hose and a few attachments; the suction device itself is stationary. Hide a Hose central vacuum systems feature retractable hoses that are hidden behind the walls, and you must pull one out and clean it. The typical vacuum system must be moved from one room to the next in its entirety, whereas central vacuums are already installed throughout the house. Cleaning debris from the dirt container in the primary power unit once or twice a year is the basic maintenance operation for central vacuums. Traditional vacuums, on the other hand, necessitate the replacement of vacuum bags, filters, and belts on a regular basis.
The Benefits of Using a Central Vacuum
Central vacuums are typically larger and have more powerful suction than portable vacuums. They often have three to five times the suction power of traditional vacuum cleaners.
You are not required to carry the main vacuuming unit with you. With a central vacuum, all you'd need to bring is a hose and a few light accessories.
Indoor air quality is improved with central vacuums. The dust is sucked in and transported to the central power system without coming into contact with the inside air.
Because the motorized power unit is located away from the main living rooms, the central vacuum cleaner is quieter than traditional vacuum cleaners.
The suction of traditional vacuuming systems generally diminishes as you vacuum more; the central vacuum does not lower suction until it is clogged.
A central vacuum system adds a few thousand dollars to the value of your property.
Vacuum pans can be used instead of normal dustpans. You may sweep dirt and debris from underneath cabinets into a vacuum container with a standard broom. It's just a dirt-sucking slit on the floor level that's mounted on the wall.
The Cons of Using a Central Vacuum
Central vacuums are more expensive, with installation costs ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 on average. The cost varies depending on the vacuum's size and strength, as well as the accessories you choose to go with it.
You'll still have to carry a long hose around if your system isn't a Hide a Hose. It all depends on whether lugging hoses and accessories or a 20-pound device is more important to you.
Portable vacuum cleaners are more energy efficient than central vacuum cleaners.
Depending on where your inlets are located, vacuuming stairs can be challenging.
Some homeowners who are dissatisfied with the way central vacuums clean wall-to-wall carpets claim that an additional battery-powered nozzle is required, especially for carpeting.
Why Should You Consider a Central Vacuum System?
Central vacuum cleaners will not wake up children or other individuals who are sleeping in the house.
If you or a member of your family suffers from allergies or asthma, the central vacuum system ensures clean indoor air. Central vacuums clean up better than traditional systems if you have dogs that shed fur.
Reasons Why a Central Vacuum System Isn't Always Worth It
A central vacuum may be unnecessary if your floor is largely constructed of tiles, stone, or wood. The best way to clean these surfaces is to sweep them regularly.
If your budget is too limited — between $1,000 and $3,000 –
If you don't clean frequently.
#2 – Cleaning Sponge
There are many different types of sponges available. It's always handy to have a sponge on hand, especially one with an abrasive side for cleaning grungy, dirty surfaces. Sponge cloths that span the gap between sponge and towel, spaghetti sponges (no soap required!), a Scrub Daddy that changes texture dependent on temperature, and silicone sponges that last virtually forever are all options if you want to explore your alternative side.
#3 – White Towels
You should have a large supply of white towels on hand at all times. You can get them almost anyplace, including the hardware store. They'll always match, you'll be able to tell when they're unclean, and they can be washed and disinfected without causing damage. Cut up old t-shirts are an eco-friendly alternative.
#4 – Microfiber Cleaning Cloths
Getting a few of them to keep on hand can help you clean more effectively, just like white towels. Microfiber can clean surfaces on its own or with just a little water, and it won't scratch or create stains (it's fantastic for windows).
#5 – The Trusty Squeegee
These handy gadgets are essential for keeping showers free of mold and mildew. They're also wonderful for cleaning windows if that's something you do on a regular basis. Make sure you protect the blade of your squeegee when using and storing it to get the most life out of it. You'll know it's time to change the blade if your squeegee is leaving streaks or isn't operating as well as it once did.
#6 – A Plain Old Bucket
A large bucket can be used for mopping and a variety of other domestic duties in addition to storing cleaning supplies. Definitely a must-have. You can buy one online, but most people just go to their local hardware store and get one.
#7 – Spray Bottles
If you ever need to rinse something off with water or try your hand at producing your own cleaners, have spray bottles on hand. Glass bottles are durable and may be purchased individually for less than $10 or in multi-packs for greater savings.
#8 – Scrub Brush
Keep an all-purpose scrub brush on hand to use on tile, tubs, fixtures, and difficult stains when a sponge or cloth won't cut it. You can either utilize an old dish brush that has seen better days or get a heavy-duty cleaning scrubber.
#9 - Toothbrushes
A toothbrush is a terrific alternative when you need something a little more detailed than a scrub brush. Disinfect some old toothbrushes and use them to clean grout, sink rims, and other nooks and crannies throughout your home. You may even bend the heads of old toothbrushes by boiling them in water to make them better at reaching hard-to-reach places.
If you don't have an extra toothbrush, you can get a special detail cleaning brush that will do the same (and possibly better!) job.
#10 – Brooms and Mops
To clean hard surfaces such as wood, tile, cork, and linoleum, you'll need the right tools. Different guidelines should be followed for different types of floors, although most people can get by with a broom and dustpan and/or a dust mop. If you have pets or children, you may also want to invest in a wet mop, which will offer you more power to wipe up spills and scour filth off the floor.
If you live in a tiny flat and don't generate a lot of messes, a big broom can be replaced with a hand broom and dustpan.