Emma Miller
All housewives have to do general cleaning sooner or later. This is a long and energy-consuming process, the fans of which are quite difficult to find. Usually, general cleaning is done several times a year before major holidays or once or twice a month.
General cleaning on points – a detailed checklist
If you want to spend as little time on cleaning as possible, then follow the prescribed rules and stick to a cleaning plan that will save you a lot of time.
Your cleaning schedule should be “bottom-up,” meaning “surfaces to floors.” In addition, it is better to clean in the following order:
- windows;
- kitchen;
- bedroom;
- living room;
- toilet and bathtub;
- hallway and lounge
This plan is written for a reason – it will help you evenly distribute the load, alternate heavy work with light work, and thus quickly clean up the room, but, at the same time, not so quickly get tired.
Many people prefer to “generalize” in one day, but this is not the most effective method. Different areas in the apartment get dirty in different ways, so they need to be cleaned at different times.
Cleaning the house – tips for speeding up
If you do not want the cleaning to take a huge amount of time or end up being ineffective, write yourself some simple recommendations.
The right cloth is the key to success
Don’t use gauze or rags to remove dust from surfaces. Microfiber is ideal. Such rags are good because they don’t leave lint, don’t shed, absorb water, and are easy to wash and dry quickly.
Leaving dishes behind is a bad idea
A major problem with some hostesses is that they leave dishes “for later.” Sure, you can buy a dishwasher, but not everyone has that option, so the advice is to wash dishes right after you eat, rather than building a mountain in the sink.
When cleaning the kitchen, wash the stove at the end
More often than not, the dirtiest place in the kitchen is the stove. At the very beginning of the cleaning process, pour detergent on it and leave it that way, while you do other things. When you’re done, all the dirt will “fall off” the surface of the stove and you’ll have an easier time cleaning it.
IMPORTANT: If you use hob cleaners, be sure to wear gloves, because these cleaners are very aggressive and can damage the skin on your hands.
Take care of your plumbing
Regularly wipe the toilet bowl and bathtub with a sponge soaked in detergent – it’s not difficult, but in the future, it will save you from having to deal with dried-on dirt. Moreover, the regular presence of cleaners in the plumbing will save it from a large number of pathogenic bacteria that can settle there.
The bathroom curtain, by the way, also needs to be cleaned, so it is advisable to wash it periodically by hand or in a machine – as you like.
Clean excess jars in the bathroom
Establish a rule for yourself – if in the bathroom there are products that you use less than twice a week, then they should be in closed cabinets. This way less dust gets in, and cleaning will take less time – you won’t have to wipe down every jar and bottle.
Rummage through things regularly.
Cluttered closets are a common problem for many Ukrainians, but it’s better to make it a habit to do so. Take out of the closet a few things you wear regularly, put the rest in a box, and find an excuse to wear it all in the near future. If it doesn’t work out, sell it or give it to charity.
Don’t skimp on the mop, vacuum cleaner, and detergent
First, a good vacuum cleaner and mop is 50% of a successful cleaning, as cheap appliances perform poorly, eventually leaving debris, lint, or streaks. Secondly, try to wash the mop thoroughly and clean the dust canister on time, otherwise, the cleaning process will lose all meaning.
Quality detergents are also an important factor because if you use household chemicals of dubious type, the result will be the same. As an alternative, you can use folk remedies – they are more environmentally friendly and cheaper, and sometimes even surpass store products in effectiveness.
