HOUSE CLEANING CHECKLIST
Use our house cleaning checklist to clean your home efficiently and thoroughly:
Before you start going room to room, pause first to put on some great, lively music. That’s better. Now pick up clutter, and as you go, feel free to second-guess your belongings. The less you have, the less you have to put away, clean, and dust: scrutinize books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs, furniture, toys the kids have outgrown, old computers you’ve outgrown, old clothes and shoes in the closets…is it time to donate and recycle? Turn off light bulbs and ceiling fans as you go for the upcoming dusting work.
Speaking of closets, if you have any that you’re afraid to open, face your fears it’s time to minimize and organize.
Dust (go left to right, top to bottom) with microfiber cloths. This will lower allergens and improve the air quality in your house. Dampened cloths tied to the ends of mops and brooms work great for removing cobwebs. For slatted blinds, use the string to close them one way and dust, then close them the other way and repeat…it’s effective and a lot more efficient than trying to do one slat at a time. Don’t forget to hit the tops of doors, fans, light fixtures, picture frames and yes, each of your knick-knacks (keep them in display cases to reduce dusting work). For the face of framed photos, TV screens, and computer monitors, use glass cleaner on your cotton cloth or microfiber to avoid streaking.
Vacuum. Make sure your bag/compartment isn’t already full, and use the right settings and attachments. Hit the floors in the whole house, and upholstered furniture. Be amazed at all those missing items (socks, your favorite pen) that you find under your couch cushions.
Sweep/mop/treat floors (except kitchen). For mopping, start at the farthest corner of the room and move back toward the entrance. Rinse mop after completing each 4 x 4 foot area.
Furniture freshening. Every now and then, some wooden furniture needs a good waxing.
KITCHEN CLEANING CHECKLIST
Wipe down countertops and cabinets (start at immediate right of the stove).
Clean face of appliances (refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher).
Wipe down stovetop.
Clean inside of microwave.
Soak stove drip pans and knobs in sink.
Clean inside and around sink.
Sweep and mop floor (go light on cleaning product in the water to avoid build-up).
More kitchen cleaning tips.
BATHROOM CLEANING CHECKLIST
Remove rugs/wastebaskets (if you haven’t already when vacuuming earlier).
Remove everything from tub/shower.
Place bath mat in tub/shower.
Wet tub/shower walls with warm water.
Apply tile and grout cleaner, allow to sit.
Spray/clean everything with all-purpose cleaner except toilet, vanity, shower/tub, mirror.
Fill bucket with ¼ cup all-purpose cleaner and water to prep for floor cleaning.
Stand on bath mat and scrub tub/shower walls and door (use grout brush in-between tiles as needed).
Apply tile and grout cleaner to tub/shower floor and scrub.
Clean shower rack/soap dishes.
Clean shower track.
Rinse off walls of tub/shower and dry with cloth.
Vanity: spray tile and grout cleaner in sink, soap dish.
Spray countertop with all-purpose cleaner.
Scrub sink.
Use grout brush along faucet and drain.
Rinse the sink and your rag.
Wipe the vanity countertop.
Wipe down cabinet fronts.
Clean mirror: spray glass cleaner on soft cloth and buff.
Shine the faucets.
Wash the floor with solution in the bucket and allow to dry.
Replace rugs, bath mat and wastebaskets.
More bathroom cleaning tips.
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO WEEKLY HOUSE CLEANING
It never fails. When I get a call for a quote, and I head over to the house, I always get asked the same question, “How long will it take to clean my house?” When we get hired to clean, what folks often don’t understand or realize is we have a game plan as soon as we walk into your home.
It takes a professional far less time to clean your home than it will you because we have one goal in mind: to clean your home in the most efficient way possible. We have a strategy that takes on cleaning in a systematic, organized way.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Professionals clean all day long. You don’t. But if you want to clean like a professional in the shortest amount of time, this cleaning strategy will help you accomplish that goal.
Get In the Mood
Before you start going room to room, pause first to put on some great, lively music. Most of my staff work with a headset on because music makes everything better.
Pick Up Clutter
Now pick up clutter, and as you go, feel free to second-guess your belongings. The less you have, the less you have to put away, clean, and dust: scrutinize books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs, furniture, toys the kids have outgrown, old computers you’ve outgrown, old clothes and shoes in the closets…is it time to donate and recycle? We’ll tackle the art of de-cluttering next week.
Household Disinfection: How Much Disinfecting Is Too Much?
Making sure your home is safe and healthy—and keeping it that way—is on everyone’s mind these days. To achieve and maintain a healthy home, both cleaning and disinfecting are necessary and important. Cleaning and disinfecting are often used interchangeably, but these two words actually have different and distinct meanings and functions.
Cleaning physically removes dust, dirt, and soil from surfaces, often taking away some germs in the process and reducing the amount of pathogens present. However, cleaning does not fully disinfect the surface—that is, germs are still present and viable. When it comes to disinfecting, it’s important to consider how frequently it should be done and how much disinfectant should be used to effectively kill germs.
Regularly Disinfect High-Touch Surfaces
How often should you disinfect your home? First you need to determine which surfaces require disinfecting. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends disinfecting surfaces considered “high-touch” on a regular basis. High-touch surfaces are those with which you and your family make frequent contact, like light switches, door knobs, counter tops, faucets, remote controls, and other things of that nature. Once you know your high-touch surfaces, you can decide what a “regular basis” means in your home. This can depend on your environment, how often you and your family come into contact with people or places outside your home, and how often your family touches those high-touch surfaces.
Proper, Effective Use of Disinfectants
Since pathogens can reside on surfaces and multiply, you might think using even more disinfectant across the entire home should reduce the risk of infection even further, right? False! Though it is true that cleaning and disinfecting can drastically reduce the amount of pathogens on surfaces, you should consider the following questions before embracing a more-is-better approach.
How frequently is the surface touched by someone’s hands?
We’ve already discussed the CDC’s recommendations for thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces. However, for areas that are not frequently touched, the CDC recommends regular cleaning with soap and water. It’s not usually efficient or economical to disinfect areas like walls, ceilings, the top of the refrigerator, baseboards, etc. The International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH) lists those “low-touch” areas as having the lowest risk of infection. By limiting disinfection to only the surfaces most likely to contribute to disease transmission, you reduce the risk of misusing the disinfectant, as well as reducing the cost of maintaining a safe and healthy home.
Expert Cleaning Tips
Have you ever wondered how professional cleaning companies turn even the dirtiest homes into beautiful masterpieces that sparkle? Some of the distinct advantages are teams of trained cleaning experts, state-of-the-art equipment, and commercial grade green cleaning solutions.
Your House Cleaning Guide by Room
Whether you are looking to clean your entire house or a particular room, we have guides to help you out.
Kitchen: From countertops to cabinets to floors, here are our best kitchen tips
Floors: Whether you’ve got hardwoods, laminate, carpeted or linoleum floors, here are some tested methods for getting your floors to sparkle.
Bedroom: Keeping a tidy bedroom can be a challenge, so these tips will help you tame the beast that is the bedroom, including how to fight allergens.
Bathroom: From beating grime and mold to getting the grout clean and the porcelain shining, bathrooms present a unique challenge. Here are some of our best bathroom cleaning tips.
Living Room Solutions: Eliminate dust and clutter with Maid Brigade’s living room solutions.
Spring Cleaning: When it’s time to clear your space with
a deep clean, Maid Brigade’s spring cleaning guide comes to the rescue.
For The Do-It-Yourself Homeowner
Whether it’s an unexpected visit from friends or relatives, untimely spills on the carpet, or simply in case “life happens”, we’re here to help, even if we aren’t the ones doing the cleaning. Because you need to know right now, we’ve compiled a list with some of our most popular house cleaning tips.
these household cleaning tips have your health, that of your family, your pets and our maids in mind. Our goal is to help rid your home of the dangerous toxins used in many everyday household products. Some of those include, but are not limited to:
Furniture Polish
Air Freshener
Dishwashing Detergent
Oven Cleaner
Floor Cleaner
Disinfectants
Glass Cleaners
Bug Repellents
Fabric Softener
to Keep Your Home Clean and Green
Practical green cleaning tips can help every homeowner keep their home organized, clean, and safe from toxins to ensure a clean and safe living environment. From using microfiber to making your cleaning products, these tips can contribute to making your home and the environment safer.
Free House Cleaning Guide: Insider Secrets For A Clean And Beautiful Home That Shines
Having a clean home is one of the easiest ways to immediately improve your day-to-day quality of life. And it makes having company over fun and stress free.
Your home, condo, or chalet is probably the biggest financial investment you’ll ever make so why not maximize the enjoyment you get out of it?
In it you’ll discover:
Where to start
How to avoid “multi-tasking paralysis”
The relationship between a clean home, organization, productivity and stress
How to create a healthy environment for your family
The cleaning products I recommend for the best possible results
The “little things” that set your home apart
How to clean your oven without creating even more mess
How to clean stainless steel without ruining it
If you follow every step in this guide, I guarantee you’ll have your house looking so good your guests will compliment you every time they come over. I put this guide together for those times when you’re feeling motivated to clean your home and want to capitalize on your will power but aren’t sure where to start.
Not only will I show you how to clean your house properly, I’ll also show you some important things to avoid so you don’t ruin any of your furniture or appliances. When I originally designed this guide, it was created as a training manual for my crew. As I was putting it together I had the goal in mind that “if we clean a house on a regular basis, the client should never have to clean anything.”
