Summer is ending, which means it’s time for a general cleaning with washing windows and walls, washing curtains, cleaning furniture and radiators. Do you want to clean your house 100% clean and fast?
General cleaning of an apartment of up to 1200 sq. ft. for one professional cleaner takes up to 8 hours. The secret lies in a proven technology that you can use. But first read the following general principles of cleaning. Basic principles of general house cleaning In most institutions, such as schools and hospitals the general cleaning is made once a week. In the home, general cleaning is less frequent, once every quarter or six months. If asthmatics, allergists, pets live in the house, as well as if the apartment is located in a dusty city with a bad environment, the general cleaning can and should be done more often. House cleaning always starts with the farthest room and then moves clockwise or counterclockwise. The circular motion will keep you from missing anything. Usually cleaning starts with the farthest bedroom and living rooms and ends with the kitchen and bathroom. When cleaning the room, stick to the same rule: start from the farthest point from the entrance and then move in a circle. The second important rule: cleaning always moves from top to bottom. In other words, we should first wipe dust off all surfaces, clean the room, and only then begin to clean the floor. The same principle is valid for cleaning any vertical surfaces: spray detergent from top to bottom, then distribute it with a sponge also from top to bottom, and finally wash and rinse the surface from the top to the bottom. The general cleaning of the room should be dry first and then wet.
So, gather all your cleaning tools and equipment in one place, change into comfortable clothes, gain enthusiasm and follow the 8-step instructions from a professional cleaner.
Step 1: Open windows
It’s a good idea to start your general cleaning by ventilating so you don’t breathe chemicals and allow the air to clear naturally. If it is cold outside, each room can be aired for 10 minutes, while you are in another room. For example, while you are cleaning the bathroom.
Step 2: Start cleaning with a “clean slate”
In this step, you need to: Remove all curtains and drapes and send them to the washing machine (while they’re washing, we’ll wash the windows); Collect all the dirty laundry in the house (including bedding, table and bath textiles) and send it to the laundry basket; Collect all the trash in the house (spoiled food, empty cans in the bathroom, torn socks, broken and just plain outdated items) and then take the bags outside the apartment or leave them in the hallway for a while; Collect all the dirty dishes in the house and load them into the dishwasher/sink; Collect the things that are not in their places and lay them out neatly; Remove cobwebs under the ceiling if there are any.
Tips:
Remember to act decisively, trying not to look at things unnecessarily, or the process will drag on;
To quickly collect all the dirty laundry in the house, use one basin or basket. Bags will be needed to collect the garbage. Also use a basin or basket to collect things that are out of place, such as children’s toys;
If you don’t want to wash curtains and drapes, cheat by “knocking” the dust out of them with a damp towel;
It is better to arrange the scattered things by category. Suppose that in the bathroom you found a chaos of creams, gels, shampoos, combs, hair dryer, curling irons and towels. What to do? Work quickly, following the principle of “similar to similar”: put your hair dryer and curling iron in the same tray, put combs somewhere near it, group separately body care products and face creams, put shower gels next to shampoos, towels hang or stack by color or size.
Step 3: Clean the windows.
So, while the curtains and drapes are being washed, let’s take care of the windows. First wash them with a normal soapy solution, then with clean water and finally wipe them with a clean, dry microfiber cloth.
Step 4: Wash the walls
First, we remove everything that hangs on the walls. Next, wrapping the mop with a damp rag or towel, we go over the walls with it.
Tips:
If you have a vacuum cleaner with an aquafilter, you can use it;
To avoid damaging the wallpaper, you need to vacuum on the weakest mode.
Step 5: Wipe up the dust…everywhere
Here’s a checklist of everything that needs to be damp cleaned:
- All lamps, light fixtures and chandeliers;
- Window sills;
- Radiators, pipes;
- Mirrors, glass surfaces;
- Accessories and furnishings (vases, frames, etc.);
- Facades and interior surfaces of cabinet furniture;
- Household Appliances;
- Curtain rails;
- Baseboards, doors, platbands;
- Upholstered furniture (vacuuming with a special nozzle, wash leather upholstery with a special mild agent);
- Entresols;
- Leaves of plants.
Tips:
Use a microfiber rag for dusting, it’s the fastest way to do it. If you don’t have microfiber, use a cotton rag. But using terry towels and synthetic fabrics is best avoided.
Upholstered furniture and mattresses should be vacuumed with a special nozzle. Leather upholstery should be washed with a special mild detergent.
Step 6: Clean and disinfect the kitchen
After cleaning the living space, you can start cleaning the kitchen. To do this, defrost the refrigerator beforehand, and then begin a decisive cleanup in about this order:
- Sink and faucet;
- Microwave oven;
- Small appliances;
- The cooker hood;
- Cabinets and drawers;
- Facades;
- Apron;
- Countertops;
- Dumpster;
- Stove and oven;
- Refrigerator;
- Dining table and chairs.
Tips:
Problem areas like the sink, stove and oven should be cleaned this way: spray the cleaner with a spray gun or spread evenly with a sponge, let it sit for 10 minutes and only then proceed with cleaning;
At this stage, it is important to use effective cleaning agents and tricky ways of cleaning. For example, to clean the microwave from grease, you need to arrange her “acid bath”, and to remove limescale in the kettle, apply the method of Jacuzzi with citric acid.
Step 7: Clean and disinfect the bathroom
Cleaning the bathroom always involves preliminary preparation, which we have already mentioned above. It consists in soaking the following areas with cleaner for 7-10 minutes: toilet bowl, sink with faucet, shower stall or tub. So the chemicals will do the dirty work for you, and you will only have to wipe everything clean and dry. While the cleaners are “working,” we can leave the room (to avoid breathing the harmful fumes) or get busy cleaning the walls, tile joints, mirrors and cabinets.
Tips:
To clean tile joints, use an old toothbrush; To clean rust and lime deposits from the faucet, shower screen and other surfaces, use 9% vinegar diluted with water (1:1).
To clean a faucet, use this trick: soak a rag in a vinegar solution, wrap it around the faucet and leave it for 10-60 minutes, then wipe it clean. You can also just spray the vinegar solution with a spray gun and leave it on for a while.
Step 8: Vacuum and scrub the floors
Yay, you can proceed to the last step of the general cleaning – washing the floors. But first, the floors and carpets need to be thoroughly vacuumed or swept.
