You’ve got company coming over this weekend, and your home looks like a typhoon went through it. Your cabinets are greasy, your tub and toilet need some serious TLC, and you haven’t vacuumed in a hot minute.
How are you supposed to get done on time? It can seem like a daunting task, but it’s not that hard to deep clean a house. You only need to know how to approach it the right way.
If you have a plan in motion and the right cleaning products, you can take care of the problem within a few days. Check out this guide to learn how to tackle that grime.
Come up With a Plan for Success
Before you delve into work, come up with a plan for how to clean a house. Figure out which rooms need the TLC the most and how long you think it will take you.
Keep in mind that Rome wasn’t built in a day. If the task ahead of you feels too daunting, don’t be afraid to break it up into a few days. If you really don’t think you’ll get done in a reasonable time, you can enlist in a little help, too.
Gather Your Tools
Now that you’ve got a nice game plan in mind, it’s time to gather your tools. You don’t want to waste time looking for your window cleaner every time you have to clean a mirror.
Pick up a cheap caddy from the store and put all your tools in there. You’re going to need basics such as rubber gloves, an all-purpose cleaner, dish soap, a few sponges, and maybe a microfiber cloth or two.
If you don’t like the idea of working with toxic chemicals, you can make your own cleaners out of baking soda and vinegar, or visit purbloc.com to see a few natural alternatives.
Declutter First
When you’re staring at all the clutter around your home, the task ahead of you is going to feel a little daunting. Grab a bucket and visit each of your rooms.
Pick up anything that doesn’t belong and place it in the bucket to put away later. If you try to do it at the moment, you’ll get too distracted.
When you’re done, you should start to see some semblance of tidiness. That provides some nice motivation to keep cleaning a house.
Focus On the Entire House
People will tell you to tackle your home room by room, but that’s not an efficient use of your time. Instead, pick a single task such as dusting, and do it across the entire home.
When you spray down your toilets and tub, don’t wait for the cleaner to set in before you move on. Go ahead and clean something else.
Not only will this make you feel like you’re actually getting something done, but it will also stop you from tiring out quite as fast.
Start With the Ceiling
Basic house cleaning tips dictate that you start high and work your way down. Grab a microfiber mop to take care of those high-up, hard-to-reach places.
Once you handle the ceiling and trim, move on to the light fixtures. All you need to do is give them a light spritzing with a vinegar and water combo. While you’re up there, replace any of your burned-out light bulbs.
Cleaning Your Windows
Over time, your window sills collect a lot of dirt and debris. You can take care of this with a vacuum. Spray the glass surface with a cleaner and let it sit for a moment before you wipe it away with a squeegee.
Give both the inside and outside of these windows this treatment for that gorgeous streak-free shine. Make sure you also squeegee in a single direction.
Take Care Of Those Dust Bunnies
For surfaces such as your coffee table and side tables, you can handle it with a furniture polish and microfiber cloth. If you need to clean it in a hurry, instead of doing the whole polish treatment, you can place a sock over your hand.
Wipe the surface with one hand and move things out of the way with the other. Lampshades can be annoying to dust, but anything is possible with the power of a lint brush.
Tackle the Floors
Now it’s time for the big job. You’ve got to take care of your floors. Before you begin, you’ll need to move all the large pieces of furniture out of the way.
When you get that done, congratulations. That was the hard part. If you don’t have that much muscle mass, you can make it a little easier by picking up a few furniture slides.
Before you tackle the actual floors, give your baseboards some love with your vacuum’s crevice attachment. Once everything is swept and vacuumed, take a microfiber mop to your wooden floors.
You can rent a carpet cleaner from the store to handle your carpets. If you have pets, however, we recommend investing in your own.
Deep Clean a House and Make It Shine
Are you faced with panic cleaning your entire home before the weekend arrives? Take in a breath and calm down. It’s not as hard to deep clean a house as you would think.
As long as you play it smart and come up with a detailed game plan, you can get the job done within a few days. So, grab your bottles of cleaners and sponges and get started. If you get too overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to call in the professionals or bring in some generous family members. Are you looking for more ways to make your chores easier? Check out the Home section of our blog for all the latest tips and tricks.
Danny White is a freelance writer who offers to ghostwrite, copywriting, and blogging services. He works closely with B2C and B2B businesses providing digital marketing content that gains social media attention and increases their search engine visibility.
