Ever gotten a little too busy with your routine that you forget to perform the daily cleaning and noticed the dust gathering on the surfaces and grime accumulating on the floors? There is no shame in admitting that we have all been there and it is best to rectify the situation as soon as you realize your house needs a thorough cleaning. You should make it a habit to clean out every inch of your house once a month to help prevent the accumulation of bacteria, keep the place neat and ensure a longer lifetime of all the appliances and accessories.
Once you have made up your mind to take on this mammoth task you will need to organize your activities to be able to make sure nothing is missed. That is why Hardy Home Cleaning Service has prepared a house cleaning checklist to help you stay on top of the chores and get them done in an efficient and proper manner.
Declutter and Reorganize
The first item on the house cleaning checklist is getting rid of the clutter and rearranging all the closets, tables and desks. This means you will have to throw out or donate some of the things that you don’t need anymore. A good rule of thumb is discarding any item that you have not used in at least the last six months. If you are unable to throw out anything because of the sentimental value attached to it, then consider keeping it in a storage room.
Below is a room-by-room house cleaning checklist that you can use to begin the process.
Bedroom and Living Room
- Tidy up the room and pick up any stray items on the floors, tables, chairs, bed and put them back in their place. This includes the space under the bed, armchair and tables where lost items and knick-knacks can gather.
- Remove the drapes, curtains, cushion covers, rugs, sofa covers, throws and any other linens and throw them in the washing machine. Dust gathers on the fabrics as well and it is necessary to wash them at least once a year if not every six months.
- Begin dusting the entire room starting from the top and then making your way downwards so the dust does not gather on the areas once they have been cleaned. This process involves wiping all flat surfaces with a wet towel and dusting the decorative items, photo frames and other things kept on the shelves with a feather duster or clean rag. Do not forget to clean wall-hangings when you are doing the dusting.
- Other than the horizontal surfaces, the light fixtures and ceiling fans also have to be wiped down. To clean a ceiling fan, you can place a pillowcase over its blades and run it along the length, so the dust falls inside the case instead of all over the room. The doors, window walls, window ledges and baseboards need to be dusted as well.
- Use a spray glass cleaner and dry cloth to clean the front of the photo frames and rehang or replace them once they have dried.
- Use a window cleaning agent and viper to clean the windows from the inside. Use the same technique for any coffee tables, glass doors and fixtures in the room.
- We often forget the lamps while cleaning which includes the light bulb as well, so this house cleaning checklist will help you remember. Make sure the lamp is switched off and bulb has cooled down before you wipe it with a cloth. Use a lint roller to clean the inner and outer surface of the lampshade as well.
- Wipe the wooden or plastic surfaces of all furniture and then polish it using a wax. It is also a great time to cover up the scratches on the surfaces using paint or varnish.
- Vacuum the upholstery and mattresses from the top and bottom side. If there are any stains, then use a detergent to clean them and fix any rips or tears in the covering.
- After you have performed all of the tasks on the house cleaning checklist you can move the furniture and vacuum the floors. Make sure to reach all the corners and crevices using the different vacuum cleaner attachments. After vacuuming mop, the floor using floor cleaning detergent to get rid of all bacteria.
- Open the windows when you are done to let in fresh air and get rid of the disinfectant smell faster however, make sure you close them after sunset.
Bathrooms
- Use a disinfectant to thoroughly scrub all the tiles on the bathroom floor and walls. Rinse them off afterwards and wipe them dry with a dry mop.
- Repeat the procedure for the tub, sink and toilet making sure you clean the outer surface as well.
- Unclog the shower, bathtub and sink drain to remove any trapped hair.
- Remove all items from the cabinet and countertops and then wipe down the surfaces. This would also be a good time to check the expiry dates on the beauty products and throw out everything that has passed its best-before date.
- Clean the chrome fixtures such as towel rack and shine them using a cleaning agent.
- Use a glass cleaning spray to remove water spots from the mirror and make it look spotless.
Kitchen
- Clean out the cupboards by removing everything inside and then wiping them inside out. Give the dishes lying inside the cupboards a spin in the dishwasher before you put them back inside.
- Clean all the appliances from the interior as well exterior. Food crumbs, splashes and other stains have to be removed from the inside of microwaves, toasters, waffle irons and other electronics.
- The refrigerator often gets neglected while cleaning and needs to be cleaned out from the inside as well to keep the food fresh. This is a good time to throw away expired food items and wipe the inner surfaces and wash the drawers.
- Scrub the sink using a strong disinfectant and clean out the drain.
- Wash the trash bin using a 1:2 solution of vinegar and hot water with a scrubbing brush. Once you have rinsed and dried it replace the bin liner.
- Mop the floor and wipe the countertops once you have cleaned everything else on the house cleaning checklist.
If above sounds too much for you, why not contact Hardy’s Home Cleaning Service to help you out? Tel: 03 8395 5066.