Home Cleaning Tasks You Should Be Tackling Regularly
Every houseproud homeowner (or renter for that matter) wants their house to be sparkling clean. It makes a great impression when family and friends pop round for a visit. besides which dirt, dust and grime can be a health hazard. However, keeping your home clean can be a challenge. This is especially true given our fast-paced modern lifestyle – and it can become even more of a challenge when there are kids or pets in the house. But with a bit of planning and a logical schedule, even those who are pressed for time can handle the myriad of tasks that are required to keep your home in a pristine state of cleanliness.
Here is a schedule that will give the proud home dweller a guideline on how often cleaning tasks should be undertaken.
First, there are those daily tasks. But they needn’t take hours. Most daily cleaning tasks can actually take under 10 minutes – it’s just a case of doing them every day and not letting them pile up. In fact, with a bit of care and attention, you can reduce those daily tasks down to a bare minimum. In the kitchen clean as you go. it’s a hard and fast rule in restaurants – and those are business establishments where time is of the essence. When you’ve cooked wash the dishes and wipe down work surfaces. Pack utensils away. When you’ve finished showering use a squeegee to wipe down tiles. A diluted vinegar or bicarbonate of soda solution makes a great natural cleaner. Pretend you’re in the military and make your bed prior to leaving the house.
There are tasks that should be undertaken twice a week. Use a dust mop to remove dust from hardwood floors – it prevents scratching. Use a mop to clean floor tiles. It prevents stubborn grime from building up. If there are kids and pets break out the vacuum cleaner.
Then there are those monthly tasks. Buy a vacuum with an attachment that will allow you to clean upholstery and drapes’ blinds. Head outside and sweep the walkways and drive. If your garage sees heavy use then get hold of some industrial grease remover solution and go at it. Select one room each month and clean ceiling corners and light/fan fixtures – they gather dust and cobwebs faster then you might think – especially on their upper surfaces.
Four times a year it might be time to tackle those more labor-intensive jobs. If you have wooden furniture it might be time for a polishing session. Change your air conditioning filters and clean the oven, microwave and refrigerator. Once again a dilute vinegar solution can be your best friend.
Every six months clean windows and rotate mattresses. And while you’re busy in the bedroom remove the pillows for a good airing. Flip over your area rungs and clean the underside – and if you have non-slip rug pads hive those a good going over. Once a year wash your walls and move furniture to vacuum those often neglected spaces. Remove curtains and either take them to a dry cleaner or (if the approach is suitable) wash them yourself. If you have glass or crystal light fittings there are several cleaning products on the market that deep clean these and return them to their sparkling best – get busy.
With a firm schedule and some planning maintaining a spotless home can be easy. Just set aside a little time and you will be amazed at the results. However, neglect those simple cleaning tasks and when you do finally get around to them they’re going to be a headache.