How to Deep Clean Your House
Now is the time to deep clean and restore some order to your home (since coronavirus has you quarantined at home, anyway). Whether you need to clean up from months of neglect, vacuum up the never-ending pile of pet hair, or just get your house looking like new again, we’ve got you covered with this 5 step deep cleaning checklist!
1. Deep Clean, Then Disinfect
The kitchen is the best place to start using the two-step method – clean then disinfect. Start with the appliances that did the most heavy-lifting over the past few months. Give your refrigerator a deep clean by getting rid of leftovers, spraying the inside with distilled white vinegar and then wiping it down with a clean microfiber cloth with warm water. Throw out expired condiments. Make sure to check your oven and microwave for food residue. Try an oven or stovetop cleaner, so you don’t have to scrub as long. Most cleaners can be sprayed on any type of food, left for a few minutes, and then easily wiped clean.
2. Clean ‘High-Touch’ Surfaces
Kitchen cabinets are not only one of the highest-touched surfaces in your home but also tend to accumulate layers of grease, dust, and grime. Wiping down your cabinets with a damp cloth daily or weekly, depending on how often you cook, can go a long way to making sure your cabinets stay clean. If you can’t keep up with this routine, you may be stuck with a mixture of grease and dust which makes it hard to remove. Don’t fret! Try an all-purpose cleaner or oil to help degrease your cabinets and cut through the grime. Once you have the grease removed, use a wax or polish to really make your cabinets shine! In two simple steps, you’ll have your kitchen cabinets looking like brand new again. Don’t forget the inside of your cabinets! You can use a damp rag to wipe down the insides. It’s recommended to wipe the inside of cabinets every few months. Doing so ensures you don’t have crumbs or other debris build up, creating a welcome invitation for bugs and other pests.
3. Wash Cleaning Cloths Thoroughly
The one place in your home that can always use a deep cleaning is the bathroom. Just remember not to use the same cloths used in the kitchen for the bathrooms and make sure to wash your cleaning cloth constantly as you do not want to move bacteria from one spot to another. Microfiber cloths are great for rinsing out thoroughly with some warm water to get rid of almost all bacteria that may have built up in the cleaning cloth.
Start by removing everything from its normal spot, then dust and sweep. Use a cleaner in the shower and bathtub so it has time to soak while you can clean the rest of the bathroom. Clean the rest of the bathroom working from the top to bottom or left to right, so you get everything. Use a sponge or cloth with your all-purpose cleaner or distilled white vinegar, then wipe down with a clean microfiber cloth with warm water to remove any grime. Head back to the shower and bathtub to remove the cleaner. A light scrub should easily remove any of that unwanted buildup. Wipe down your vanity top with an all-purpose cleaner and lightly scrub the top, sink, and the mirror. Finish with your cabinet doors using a damp rag to remove any dust. Use a glass cleaner while practicing slow, even strokes for a streak-free shine. Clean the floor last with a bucket full of warm water and a cleaning solution like Pine-Sol. If you have tile floor, Goo Gone Grout Clean & Restore is a great option to really make your grout shine.
4. Protect Your Home’s Air Quality
Furnace filters should be replaced often, but how often depends on the size of your filter and if you have any animals in the house. For a four inch filter, you should replace it every two months while a five inch filter should be replaced every three month. If you have one or more pets in your house, it’s best to change the filter every two months or less no matter the size of your filter. Other factors that affect your filter include the amount of dust that’s naturally in your home, whether you run heat or the air conditioner nonstop, or even if you have the windows open. All three can be reasons to change your home’s filter even more often. Another way to ensure your home’s air quality is safe for your home is to regularly clean your vent covers. You can do so by removing the covers and putting them in hot, soapy water. Let them soak for a few minutes to remove any dust or allergens. Once they’re clean, make sure they are completely dry before replacing.
5. Wash Your Blankets and Duvet
Bedding should be washed using the hottest water setting to kill any unwanted critters and followed with the drier on high heat. It’s best to wash the comforter by itself because of the size. To clean your mattress of any surface debris, simply remove the bedding and begin sweeping the entire surface. Next, treat the stains with a stain remover and deodorize the mattress by sprinkling baking soda over your mattress. For best results, leave the baking soda on for 24 hours. This requires you to sleep elsewhere, so if that isn’t an option for you just be sure to leave it on for as long as possible – the longer you can leave it on the better! Once you’re ready to remove the baking soda, simply sweep the baking soda off and then rest in peace knowing you’re once again sleeping on a clean bed!
Following these simple steps will help you clean your home faster and keep your family healthier. You can make it even easier by picking one room a day to clean. Tackling your whole home room-by-room is just plain easier, and you can always enlist help from your kids!
Copy courtesy of Do it Best Corporation
Pictures courtesy of Unsplash
