How to Deep Clean your Home

Has the housework gotten the best of you?

Use my deep cleaning tips to make short work of the house work.

Your home will be spic and span, sparkling and shining clean in no time.

Deep cleaning is a top to bottom, thorough and complete cleaning which you can follow up with standard or more routine cleaning tasks

Deep cleaning entails moving all your knickknacks and moving the furniture to clean under it. Everything is touched, all the way from the top of the ceiling, down to the baseboards and the floor. Everything from the top to bottom and in between is scrubbed until it is free of dirt and dust and shines like new.

Even the most-cared-for home needs an occasional deep-cleaning, so here’s a simple list to help you get your home in tip-top shape.

The Cleaning Basics

We all know that chores can pile up to the point where you don’t know where to begin. The house cleaning tips from Mrs. Clean below will help you get the job done right, and more efficiently, so you can get back to enjoying your free time

The first step in house cleaning is to look at each room and make a checklist of your priorities. Identify specific tasks you would like to accomplish and as each job is completed, cross it off your list.

1. Put all your cleaning supplies in a tote so you can carry it with you
2. Have all necessary cleaning tools with you
3. Begin in the back of your home, and work your way to the front, room, by room.
4. Clean left to right, back to front, and top to bottom for maximum efficiency
5. Start at the top of a room and work your way down as you clean and straighten.
6. If it’s dirty, clean it now. It takes less time to remove fresh dirt than caked-on dirt.
7. Make your every move count. Get organized before you start with that cleaning tote.
8. Focus on the job at hand. You are cleaning the house, and distractions will drag out the job.
9. Try to clean regularly. It’s easier to do routine cleaning and maintain a high shine if you are on top of it.

Minimize Distractions

• Turn off the TV.
• Don’t talk on the phone.
• Put your computer to sleep! Ignore your email.

Clean as You Go:

• If it’s dirty don’t wait to tackle the project. It takes less time to remove fresh dirt than caked-on dirt.
• Have all family members help.
• Keep a clothes hamper in every bathroom.
• Pick up the family/living room and run the dishwasher each day..

Eliminate Clutter

• Organizing and de-cluttering can make even a older home look good.
• Regularly go through closets and cabinets to identify items that you no longer need or use.
• Donate old clothes, appliances and furniture to charity.
• Keep a basket in the kitchen for the mail, newspaper and car keys so that they’re always in the same place.

Kitchen:

• Vacuum, mop and wax the wood floors.
• Vacuum and then mop your linoleum or your vinyl floors.
• Wash and clean the baseboards.
• Clean the inside and the outside of the refrigerator.
• Change the shelf liners.
• Clean out the junk drawer.
• Wipe inside and outside the cabinets.

Bathroom:

• Wash the windows.
• Dust the windowsills.
• Clean window tracks
• Clean the window screens

Window:

• Vacuum or dust the draperies.
• Wash or dry clean the blinds.
• Clean the windows
• Clean window tracks

Furniture:

• Polish the wood furniture.
• Vacuum cloth upholstery. Clean and condition leather upholstery.
• Vacuum under and in between cushions.
• Clean under the couches.

Closet:

• Donate clothing you no longer use to charity.
• Vacuum the floors.
• Dust the walls and the shelves.
• Place cedar blocks in the closet to freshen the air and prevent moths.

Cleaning Base Boards:

• Grab a clean absorbent rag and dampen it in a soapy solution, wringing it as dry as possible.
• Start at one end of the baseboard and wipe all the way along the top and the sides. Go around the room.
• By the time you finish, the cleaned baseboard should be dry.
• Go over the baseboards again with a used fabric softener tissue from your dryer. This will help prevent dust from settling on the clean baseboard.

Floor Cleaning:

• Sprinkle baking soda on your carpets to absorb stale or musty odors. Vacuum after 1 hour.
• Buy floor mats for every entrance. They do help reduce tracked in dirt.