Fall Cleaning - How To Clean House

Most of us don't have a live in butler that is going to do our cleaning for us. So, what we need to do is have a system so that we can work smarter and be efficient.
 
 

You want to start in a room that will be the easiest and fastest room to clean. That will be a bedroom, hall, study or living room. These rooms are usually less cluttered and less dirty.

Never start in the bathroom or kitchen. Do these rooms last. We will be tracking in and out of the bathroom and kitchen for water and supplies.

If you store all your cleaning products and supplies in the laundry room, basement or another storage area - go get them. Gather all your tools and supplies and place them in a closet or cupboard in the kitchen, the bathroom or both.

You have selected the supplies you need from the first module of Fall Cleaning. You have filled your spray bottles. If you need a reminder regarding the list of supplies - Go Here: Fall Cleaning Is Better Than Spring Cleaning

You will need a handyman's apron for carrying your small cleaning supplies. These aprons are sold at hardware stores or you can make one yourself.

The room that you will be starting in first has been selected. Take all the supplies you will need for that room with you. This will cut down on a lot of back and forth traffic. You should only need to leave the room for a fresh pail of water.

Now the age old question. Are you going to start vacuuming first or are you going to dust first? You will start with the dusting.

If you vacuum first your clean floor will catch all the dust and dirt from the dusting.

Dusting is more than running a cloth over your picture frames.

Dusting is getting rid of old dead bugs on ledges, wiping up food spills and crumbs or any other loose dirty particles.

We know that you are going to dust first. Start at the top and work your way down.

This Is The Order Of Cleaning Your Room
1. Ceilings
2. Walls
3. Woodwork
4. Windows
5. Furniture
6. Floors
7. Rugs

Using the right dusting tool for each job will save a lot of time and clean the area better.

Don't use a feather duster. It will just blow and spread the dust to another location.

A lambs wool duster, a fluffy ball of wool, on a long stick is very good for high places. The lambs wool duster seems to magically pick up the dust. When it becomes too dusty just vacuum the dust off.

A lightly damp piece of terry cloth is good for all surfaces.
 

Have plenty of cleaning cloths by either making them or purchasing them. Rotate your cloth often, when it becomes too dirty use another cloth.

1. A lightly damp cotton cloth is good for most surfaces, just buff behind with a dry cloth. Cotton cleaning cloths can be washed and used again.

2. A treated cleaning cloth will be able to magically pick up small particles and dust. These work well on furniture and leave a nice sheen to the surface. When they become dirty you just toss them out.

If you have wall to wall carpet you will need to set up a vacuuming schedule. A regularly vacuumed carpet will save you cleaning time in the long run.

Vacuuming will keep dirt and grime from penetrating the carpet. Don't wait until you see dirt on the carpet. The life of the carpet will last longer, look and feel better. Plus you won't have to spend so much time shampooing dirty spots out.

Purchase a good vacuum cleaner. They can easily pick up and remove litter and debris from your carpet.

Before doing a major wall washing job check to see if you really need to wash your walls.

A dry cleaning sponge is perfect for deciding if your walls need cleaning. This is a treated sponge that acts like a rubber eraser. It removes soot and dirt film without any water. If you put this sponge in water you will ruin it.

A dry cleaning sponge is good for cleaning walls and to use on wallpaper. But it will not clean greasy surfaces or enamel.

Run a dry cleaning sponge across your wall. If you can't see the path that you just took with the dry cleaning sponge, your walls don't need cleaning.

If after running the dry cleaning sponge across your wall you see a path where the sponge has passed, it does need cleaning.

Go over your entire ceiling and walls with the dry cleaning sponge first. You will be amazed with the results. In some homes after the dry sponging the ceiling may be perfect and you won't need to do anything more.

Dry sponging your walls prior to washing them will greatly reduce the washing time. Plus the results will be better.

When the dry cleaning sponge turns black on both sides, throw it out. They can't be cleaned.

Supplies For Cleaning Walls
1 empty pail
1 pail half filled with warm water and an ammonia solution or a neutral cleaner mixture.
1 sponge
several dry cleaning cloths
Step 1:
Dip the sponge about 1/2 inch into the solution.
Step 2:
Start at the top of the wall. Move the sponge downward over the wall to dissolve the dirt.
Step 3:
Go back over the wet area with the sponge and remove the dirt.
Step 4:
Take a folded cleaning cloth and wipe the recently sponged area.
Step 5:
Take the sponge and squeeze the dirty water into the empty bucket.
Step 6:
Dip the sponge into the cleaning solution and repeat the above steps, for the rest of the wall.
Step 7:
You should be finished now. Your once empty bucket will now be filled with dirty water. The cleaning solution bucket should still be clean.

If you want your windows to be clean you are going to have to stop using the glass shine stuff in the spray can or bottle. Most of those products leave a layer of transparent waxy material on the window. It will create an impossible cleaning situation.

You need to clean windows the way a professional cleans windows.

Supplies
A professional quality squeegee in several widths - depending on the size of your windows. Only use these squeegees for your windows for best results.

Window Cleaning Solution
Ammonia or ordinary liquid dish detergent.

1. Put only a cap full of ammonia or dish detergent in a bucket of warm water. Using too much solution will leave a residue and cause streaks.

2. Lightly wet the window with solution using a clean sponge. If the window is really dirty you may need to over it again.

1. With a damp cloth wipe the rubber blade of the squeegee.

2. Tile the squeegee at an angle so the blade touches the top of the window pane. Pull the squeegee down the window from top to bottom.

3. Start at the top again for the next stroke. Each new stroke should over lap into the dry clean area. This prevents any water from running into the cleaned area.

4. To remove the water puddle at the bottom pull the squeegee horizontally across the bottom of the window.

5. Wipe off your blade with a damp cloth.

1. With a damp cloth wipe the rubber blade of the squeegee.

2. Tilt the squeegee at an angle so the blade touches the top of the window pane. Pull the squeegee across the window left to right - horizontally.

3. Do this for the total window. Remember that each new stroke should over lap the other area.

Cleaning windows will be fast once you learn the squeegee technique.

Caution
If you see any tiny, little, bitty beads of water or a little moisture - Don't touch! They'll evaporate on their own and disappear.

Don't try to be a perfectionist a few tiny drips or smudges wont show that much. It's not worth the time or stress.

The Third Part Of This Series: Fall Cleaning More On How To Clean House http://www.squidoo.com/more-how-to-clean-house