Expert tips to quickly deliver a clean home

This article provides a wonderful insight into some quick and simple ways your cleaning routine can be tweaked to adopt tips from fellow cleaning professionals who know all too well that having a process for cleaning a home is far easier than stumbling your way through a clean and hoping for the best. Here’s what they had to say…

Follow these 7 steps and the whole house will begin to sparkle before your very eyes:

The Plan of Attack: Top-to-bottom, left-to-right

A good place to start is the upstairs bathroom if there is one. For each task, start at the highest point in the room (if dusting, this might mean high shelves), and move from left to right across the room. This way, you don’t miss anything, and you won’t accidentally knock dust onto already-cleaned lower shelves.

Step 1: Dust

Dust each room, including the topsides of all the furniture, undersides of shelves, and all handrails, as well as picture frames, TV screens and knickknacks. To get rid of fingerprints, dampen a microfibre cloth with warm water. Pro tip: Look up top. People don’t dust up on the very top of furniture, and that’s where all the dust collects and then falls off.

Step 2: Furniture Fabric

Go through the house and strip and remake beds; neaten any pillows or furniture blankets. Brush furniture surfaces with a vacuum extension as needed.

Step 3: Mirrors and Glass

Wipe down mirrors and windows throughout the house. Pro tip: Using one wet and one dry microfibre cloth won’t leave streaks.

Step 4: Surface Cleaning

Wipe down all surfaces and counters throughout the house, disinfecting as necessary. Pro tip: Be sure to wipe down all places that fingers touch, like door handles, light switches, TV remotes and phones. Those are the places that people forget, and they really hold germs.

Step 5: Kitchen and Bathroom

Walk through and spray cleaner on tubs, sinks and toilets. Return and scrub. Then, in the kitchen, wipe down the inside of the microwave, and cabinet and appliance doors.

Step 6: Floors

Sweep, then mop or scrub the bathroom and kitchen floors, and any other floor that needs it. Remember to clean often forgotten areas, like behind toilets, so you know they’re 100% disinfected.

Step 7: Vacuum

Finally, finish with a thorough vacuum of the house. Vacuum your way out the bedrooms, down the stairs or hall, through the living room and out of the house.

Overhaul Your Cleaning Kit

Here’s some more tips when it comes to products and equipment, especially useful for our one-off Cleaners and for homes requesting equipment supplied by you:

No pro cleaner likes to carry around too many supplies. Their five must-haves:

1. A 20-pack of microfibre towels (wash them as needed).

Make sure to buy good-quality cloths, usually around $1 per cloth from a hardware supply store, and never wash with dryer sheets or fabric softener. Pro tip: Before using a cleaning product for dusting, try just warm water and the microfibre.

2. A microfibre mop.

On a tight budget, it’s cheaper and less wasteful than disposable mops. Pro tip: Great for picking up dust in high and low corners.

3. A nylon-bristle broom.

It doesn’t splatter walls or lose its bristles. Pro tip: Sweep your rug. It often works better than a vacuum.

4. A Shammy.

A synthetic version of the traditional chamois cloth, this rubbery, hyper-absorbent towel is great for soaking up water and quickly buffing counters and furniture. Pro tip: Run a dry Shammy over a couch or floor to pick up pet hair.

5. Vacuum extenders.

Professional cleaners love to use extension tools on a vacuum cleaner. Pro tip: Look beyond the floor. It’s easy to quickly vacuum shelf surfaces, mantels, railings and inside drawers if you use lightweight hand extensions.