Your Cleaning Checklist with Easy Tips

Having a clean home is a source of comfort and leads to a less stressful life. So don’t waste time – improve your day-to-day mood by learning how to clean efficiently. That way, you can completely relax afterwards. Just follow this simple step-by-step guide.

GENERAL TIPS

One room at a time.

Seriously. If you try to clean multiple rooms at once, it can get overwhelming fast. Start in one room and stay ‘til it’s finished. Then, clean the rest of your home one room at a time.

Make room.

Move everything out of your way and clear a path for you to safely clean. Pull all your furniture away from the walls. Find a partner and have them watch the floors if you need to. The less clutter to clean around, the smoother it will go.

Go section by section.

Break the room up into sections that you can comfortably clean one at a time: counter area, dining area, etc. This will prevent you from cleaning the same area twice.

Save time, clean clockwise.

Start moving from left to right and top to bottom as you go about the room. Pick a corner and work your way down and clockwise through the room.

THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Vacuum. Don’t use a broom.

Vacuum the floors with your floor attachment. Don’t use a broom as it will stir up dust. Move through the room and vacuum small sections, putting things back in place as you go. Make sure to get all hard surfaces, ledges, baseboards and windows. Also, don’t wipe before you vacuum – wiping wets the dust and will make a mess.

Water + Tide.

Fill a bucket or your sink halfway full with hot water and add about 1 teaspoon of Tide Powdered Laundry Detergent. Get a microfiber cloth. Then, wipe the walls, baseboards, and other important surfaces as you move through each section of the room. When it looks funky, dump out the dirty water and cloth and start new.

Spin it to win it.

For hard floors of all types, use a spin mop. Just fill the bucket to the line with hot water and 1 teaspoon of Tide Powdered Laundry Detergent. Then, mop the areas of the floors you have already vacuumed. Remember to let it dry before you put the furniture back.

ROOM BY ROOM

KITCHEN

If you have slatted blinds in your kitchen, add some dish soap to hot water to make wiping easier by helping to cut the grease.
Once you’ve cleaned them, line your cupboard tops with parchment paper for easy future clean up.
Line your fridge drawers with paper towels for easy future clean up.

CLEANING SUPPPLIES
Dish Soap, Swiffer, multipurpose cleaner, cleaning pads, and gloves.

AREAS TO FOCUS ON:
Stove, oven, sink, microwave.

BATHROOM

TIP #1: Vacuum first to remove hair and lint from floors, counters, tubs and toilets.

TIP #2: Close the seat on your toilet scrub brush to help it drip dry.

TIP #3: Put a plastic bag over your shower head filled with Elastic vinegar and water and let sit. Make sure to cover all nozzles.

CLEANING SUPPPLIES
Vacuum, Bleach, glass cleaner, multipurpose cleaner, cleaning pads, and gloves.

AREAS TO FOCUS ON:
Toilet, sink, tub/shower.

BEDROOM

TIP #1: Use the brush attachment on your vacuum to dust and clean hard surfaces.

CLEANING SUPPPLIES
Vacuum, Duster, Swiffer, glass cleaner, and gloves.

AREAS TO FOCUS ON:
Under bed, behind bed, tops of dressers.

LIVING ROOM

TIP #1: Use the brush attachment on your vacuum to clear baseboards before you wash them with a Tide and water combo.

TIP #2: Vacuum hard floors before and after mopping.

CLEANING SUPPPLIES
Vacuum, laundry detergent, Swiffer, mop, and duster.

AREAS TO FOCUS ON:
Lamps, tables, under cushions.

LAUNDRY ROOM

TIP #1: Organize pacs, detergent, and fabric softener with clear bins to easily see and access your favorite cleaners.

CLEANING SUPPPLIES
Mop, bucket, duster, and organization bins.

AREAS TO FOCUS ON:
Organization.

GARAGE

TIP #1: Use hooks to hang tools and brooms for easy access.

TIP #2: Line the walls with cabinets and shelves for extra storage to keep things off the floor.

TIP #3: Don’t forget to sweep to cut down on the dust.

CLEANING SUPPPLIES
Broom, duster, gloves and organization bins.

AREAS TO FOCUS ON:
Organization, sweeping.

FINISHING TOUCHES

Put it back.

Movng clockwise through the room, start putting things back in their place and eventually you’ll end up where you started at the beginning of the room.

Stage it.

Make the room feel inviting by staging the scene and putting pillows, pictures and other items in specific places. Clear the clutter and get rid of anything that doesn’t belong.

Vacuum again.

After staging the room break out the vacuum again and give the entire room one final sweep. If you have carpet, go over each area a few times to make sure you are sucking up all the deep- down dirt.

Mop again.

Give your hard floors a once-over with your Tide and water combo. Go with the grain if its wood and use the mop to push anything the vacuum didn’t get to the corner of the room for easy cleanup. After mopping and letting it dry, one final pass with the vacuum will ensure a clean floor.