Whether you constantly clean your home, or just give it a quick tidy before guests arrive, knowing a few useful cleaning tips can help make the process easier and more efficient. However, the list below are not cleaning tips, but actually what we call “The Golden Rules.”
1. Clean it up sooner than later
Spills and stains are generally much easier to clean up when you attack them right away. Otherwise, it can seep into things you wouldn’t want it to seep into. When you treat that tomato sauce splatter on your dress shirt without delay, for instance, it offers little resistance. If you wait until the next day, you’ll be sporting a permanent-looking red spot that will take longer to get rid of. Similarly, clothing or carpet stains are easiest to remove when they’re fresh. The longer you wait, the more chance the stain has to set.
2. Clean from the top down
Don’t fight gravity when you clean. Don’t forget the laws of gravity and what this means in your cleaning. You’ll lose. Working from high to low almost always works better in cleaning situations. When you’re cleaning the entire house, start on the top floor and work your way down to avoid tracking through rooms you have already cleaned. Dust the ceiling first. Then dust the ceiling fan and light fixtures, followed by window frames and wall hangings. Moving downward, conquer the furniture, baseboards, and floors. This ensures that any dust shaken loose from on high does not settle on something you’ve already cleaned below. You don’t want to dust the room twice, do you?
3. Think dry, then wet
When you’re cleaning a room, start with the cleaning jobs that require dry methods (dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming, for instance). Then move on to wet methods (using an all-purpose cleaner and glass cleaner, mopping, and the like). This way, there will be less dirt floating around in the room to cling to wet surfaces.
4. Be careful with vulnerable items
When you clean an item that could be harmed by a liquid cleaning product (electronics, computer screens, framed artwork, or framed photographs, for example), first spray the cleaner on your cleaning cloth and then wipe. Don’t spray cleaner directly on the object you’re cleaning. Cleaner dripping into your electronics could do damage, and cleaner dripping into a frame and soaking the matting could harm your artwork.
5. Protect yourself
Last but not least, take care of yourself. Many cleaning products contain acid, bleach, abrasives, and other ingredients that can damage or irritate your eyes, skin, nose, and even your lungs. So make sure your cleaning kit includes a pair of rubber gloves and protective safety glasses. If it’s not too steamy, wear old long pants or sweats and an old long-sleeved shirt to cover your arms in case of spatters from cleaning products. Make sure you don’t wear anything you will be sad about if it gets ruined.
So, here you have it. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most effective house cleaning rules out there. These will help take some work out of your chores by saving you time and money and making your life just a tad bit easier (if you follow them!)
