The world seems to be moving faster than ever, and for the adult responsible for the cleanliness of the home, sometimes housekeeping can quickly move to the bottom of the list of priorities. However, keeping a healthy home means keeping a clean home, and when cleanliness moves to the bottom of the list, the cleanliness of a home can become a safety issue. Keep reading to learn some house cleaning tips that can help you keep your home safe and squeaky-clean.
House Cleaning Tips: Setting Your Standards
Whether you want to open a door without pushing a mountain of clutter out of the way, or to see your reflection in your kitchen counters, you will need to decide what level of cleanliness best suits your preferences, but Tidy and Clean do not mean the same thing. Tidy means picking up around the house and making it look nice. This article will focus on keeping the home environment healthy and clean, eliminating germs from every-day living.
If you were to take a step back and try to determine what the dirtiest room in your home is, you may think it is the bathroom. You would be wrong. The 2011 NSF study found that the kitchen contained the highest concentration of the Coliform bacteria – the family of bacteria to which E. Coli and Salmonella belong! When listing the cleaning priorities of the home, begin with the kitchen.
Read More: Cleaning Without Chemicals
Getting Started: Start From The Top
Regardless of which room you are cleaning (not de-cluttering) in your home, the #1 tip for cleaning your home is the Top-Down method. This method is ideal for effectively cleaning while saving time and energy. Always start at the top so that you don’t have to go back and re-clean/dust areas later (thanks, physics).
Using the kitchen as an example, here is a list of how to get your kitchen squeaky clean in the shortest amount of time. You will need:
- Cleaning Cloths
- Your favorite all-purpose cleaner
- A microwaveable container
- Lemon juice
- White distilled vinegar
- A stool (as needed for the high spaces)
- A broom and dustpan OR your favorite vacuum
- A swiffer, or a mop of your choice.
(Make sure the dishes are either done or in the dishwasher. An empty sink is a great tool when it comes to cleaning the kitchen!)
5 Steps To A Clean Kitchen
- What is the highest point of your kitchen? Is it the top of your cabinets? Perhaps a window valance? Or, is the highest point of your kitchen the faucet? Whatever it is, wipe it down! Spray and wipe, and repeat as needed.
- Put your soaps, sponges, canisters, or cookie jars in the empty sink for a quick wipe down. Once the counters are wiped down, you can give these items a quick clean as well and put them back in their place.
- Take your microwavable container (Pyrex 1 Cup measuring cup is my go-to) and fill it with 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup lemon juice. Put it in the microwave for 5 minutes. It will boil over, and the acidity of the vinegar and lemon will eat away at the grime and food, making wipe down easy and saving you time and energy.
- The remainder of the vinegar/lemon solution can be used to disinfect a garbage disposal or clean baseboards. Just make sure the water has had time to cool before you apply it elsewhere.
- Once you have finished disinfecting everything from the top down, use your broom or vacuum to remove everything from the floor. Then, mop.
5 House Cleaning Tips for Dusting
Dusting is not impossible, and it doesn’t have to take all day. Here are some house cleaning tips to make dusting a breeze:
- When dusting the bathroom counters, remember to dust corners and the tops of light fixtures. This will reduce the number of allergens you and your family are exposed to in these small rooms.
- Use an old sock to dust blinds. Use it as you would if it were a sock puppet. Spray the sock with a dusting solution before wiping down to leave a shine and a fresh scent.
- If you don’t have cleaning solution, laundry sheets are effective dusting tools, and the pleasant scent is an added bonus! (Laundry sheets are also great at cleaning baseboards.)
- Fan blades collect dust quickly. Use a pillow case to remove dust from fan blades by slipping the pillow case onto the blade, squeezing the pillow case around the blade, and pulling down.
- Use makeup brushes to dust those hard-to-reach areas, and remember to clean your makeup brushes before getting dolled up again.
Read More: 7 Great Cleaning and Organizing Tips
5 House Cleaning Tips For Bathrooms
Bathrooms are often considered the dirtiest room in the house for pretty obvious reasons. The good news is that we now know that to be untrue. The bad news is we still have to clean our bathrooms. Here are some house cleaning tips to help you keep your bathroom healthy for your family.
It is always best to wipe the tile and shower/bath tub down after each use, but bedtime routines and work schedules can prevent us from making that dream a reality. Because of this, grime and soap scum can build up quickly, and deplete our supply of elbow grease in record time. If you have not used Mr. Clean’s Magic Erasers in your bathroom before, then get ready for a real life-changer. These sponges are made of melamine foam, typically used as an insulator and sound-proofing material, until a genius life-saver discovered it was an excellent abrasive cleaner! Using these magic erasers quickly and effectively cleans soap scum and germs from tubs, sinks, and tiles, and leaves metals shining, as well.
- If you have little ones, then the toys in the tub can become a health hazard if mold and mildew come into play. Using a solution of water and vinegar gently disinfects bath toys without using harmful chemicals, keeping bath time safe and fun!
- Wash your bathroom rugs and counters at least once a week.
- Remember to sweep/vacuum your bathroom floor, and mop it! Doing this the same time as your kitchen will save time and energy. What’s another 1 or 2 rooms?
- Spray your shower with an after-shower cleaner to keep germs at bay and space out deep cleaning.
- If you keep your toothbrushes in a cup, clean this cup out with soap once a week.
Moisture Control
It doesn’t matter what state you’re in, the bathroom gets humid and moisture can get stuck. Where there is moisture, there is bacteria that can build up into unattractive stains or spots, and can even become harmful to our health.
- Always allow your shower curtain to dry properly.
- Wash towels and floor mats regularly.
- Wipe down wet surfaces after each use.
- Clean up soap or other products from tile or the tub as mildew feeds on these chemicals and can become harmful to our respiratory functions.
- If your bathroom still smells of moisture, check the corners of the tub or shower for cracks in the caulk, as moisture can find its way in and become a problem. Re-caulking is an easy weekend task that can help protect against mold and mildew.
- Also, placing a product like Damp Rid of some other moisture control alternative can help.
Products and Hairspray and Dyes…Oh My!
Let’s face it: People don’t have to be considered high maintenance to have a buildup of product in their bathroom. Ranging from toothpaste to hairspray, deodorant to powder, the bathroom is exposed to the products that keep up smelling and looking good, and these products have residual spray or overflow that can build up after awhile, making our bathrooms look a bit on the grungy side. Check out these tips and tricks for cleaning up after your beauty routine:
Read More: Cleaning House With Kids Underfoot
6 House Cleaning Tips For Bedrooms
The great thing about bedrooms is that they are our own and we get to be ourselves there – comfy, cozy, and confident in the way we choose to live our lives, messy or tidy. However, tidiness does not equal cleanliness, and while we may not mind stepping over piles of laundry on the floor, germs and bacteria will always find a way to interrupt our lives. House cleaning tips are here to keep our homes healthy, so check out these tips on keeping your bedroom a safe haven for mind AND body.
- Good Housekeeping recommends changing sheets every two weeks. If you have night sweats, then move that up to once per week.
- Your mattress collects dust, skin, and hair particles. Use the upholstery attachment on your vacuum to clean your mattress before you put the fresh sheets on.
- Lysol spray can be used on furniture, and homes with children are always filled with lots of different germs. Spray Lysol on your mattress and let it air out before applying your new sheets.
- If you have a window in your room, open it once a week for an hour or so to air out your room.
- Vacuum once a week, as you track dirt and germs in from the outside.
- Keep surfaces wiped down with disinfectant cleaner.
If you prefer non-toxic approaches to cleaning, check out these ideas for cleaning your bedroom using essential oils.
Remembering that a clean home is a healthy home is a great motivator. Choosing one task per day can help you keep your home cleaner in the long run, without feeling bogged down or overwhelmed with the responsibility of house keeping. If there is more than one adult in the home, share tasks and decide on fun rewards for each other for completing your end. If there are children in the home, learning the responsibility of keeping their homes happy and healthy is an invaluable lesson that they will carry with them their entire lives.
WANT TO READ MORE?
Do you have children who are eager to help, but aren’t sure where to start? Daily Mom has you covered! Learn all about teaching your toddler to help here.
Photo Credit: Pixabay Unsplash
