Once you have completely deep cleaned your home and its spotless, the satisfaction you feel is unmatched by anything else in the whole world. However, mustering up the courage to start the home cleaning process is the most difficult step!
We understand that sometimes life takes over and in the midst of all the chaos, cleaning keeps getting pushed towards the end of your to-do list! The whole cleaning process seems so overwhelming that you just do not feel like taking the initiative.
But fret not! We know how to get you started. Before we get you started on decluttering your house, it is important for you to declutter your thoughts. So, instead of bombarding you guys with all the tips and hacks about deep cleaning your house right away, we will begin by formulating a step-by-step process that you can follow to start the process.
In this way, you will be able to take it slow and enjoy the cleaning process instead of it being another thing added to your list of stressors. So, let us jump right in:
Step 1: Jot Down a List
Writing down a list of all your deep cleaning targets will help put things in order for you. A great technique would be to create a vision of the entire house in your brain and then start going moving from room to room, simultaneously jotting down points about what you need deep-cleaned in that room.
Step 2: Dedicate Few Days Per Week to Cleaning
You can either break up your deep cleaning tasks room-wise, or you can just break it up chore-wise. A very important tip would be to never give yourself a target to deep clean your whole house in a single day. It will just end up in you burning out and being tired to the bone. The worst part is you will not even reach all your deep cleaning targets and your motivation level will drop down to the floor!
A great idea would be to dedicate certain days of your week to deep cleaning your house to prevent any intense scenario after a couple of months – which is certain to happen if you keep on delaying your cleaning! This will prevent you from getting overwhelmed.
Step 3: Get your Cleaning Caddy Ready!
Once you have jotted down everything, you will have a clear idea about the cleaning supplies needed. If you ask me, the basic products that must be a part of your cleaning caddy must include vinegar, baking soda, and bleach. Apart from these, you can include your favorite floor cleaner, window cleaner, etc.
Hacks and Solutions
To dive deeper into making things easier for you, we will be giving you guys an insight into the various deep cleaning hacks you can follow for a sparkling and germ-free home. Instead of randomly listing down these hacks, we will list them under different room categories that they are meant for:
Kitchen
Clean your Microwave
Instead of using a sponge and dish soap, take equal quantities of vinegar and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Put the bowl right in the middle of the microwave plate and run the microwave on standard mode for 5 minutes. The steam from this mixture loosens up all the food particles stuck inside the microwave and kills the smell. now, all you must do is remove the loosened-up mess with a clean sponge. You can repeat the process if necessary!
Sanitize your Sponge
Cleaning your kitchen sponge is crucial! Using a filthy sponge to clean dishes means lathering them up with more germs. Let me tell you an important fact – even if your sponge looks clean, it isn’t. there is an army of bad fungus and bacteria enjoy the perfectly humid situation inside it.
Moreover, you cannot just always throw out the sponge and use a new one. This can not only prove to be expensive but is bad for the environment too!
So, why don’t you rely on your good old microwave? Just put your sponge in the microwave for 2 minutes and voila! The sponge is free of all the germs inside it.
Clean your Cutting Board
If you own a wooden cutting board, you must know how porous wood is! These pores absorb fluid from everything cut on the cutting board, and although the fluid gets easily inside these pores. It is impossible to clean them through the usual dishwashing!
Therefore, salmonella and other harmful bacteria can make your cutting board their home and you need to kick them out! All you need is some lemon and salt. Make a paste with these two ingredients and rub it over your cutting board. There you go – a super fresh smelling cutting board that is just as good as new!
Deep Clean Your Fridge
Make a mixture of dish soap, vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide. After this, completely empty your fridge and switch it off. Use a sponge to wash all the shelves and walls of the fridge with the prepared mixture. This will not only make the fridge squeaky clean but also kill all the odors.
Sanitize Garbage Can
In order to disinfect your garbage can, make a mixture of 1/3 hydrogen peroxide, 1/3 baking soda, 1/3 vinegar, and a small amount of bleach. Empty the trash can and spray this mixture generously on the entire inside as well as outside of the trash can. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then wipe it off!
Master Bedroom
Before getting on to clean your room, divide it into sections. You need to divide and conquer my friend! Start with the filthiest parts first and then gradually move towards the not-so-gross areas. Also, moving from top to bottom has always proven to work best for me! So, that is exactly how we are going to structure the following list:
Clean the bulbs
Nothing beats cleaning wipes when it comes to cleaning bulbs. Murphy’s cleaning wipes perform amazingly, but other cleaning wipes can very well seal the deal too! Just any brand you can get your hands on would work fine.
However, always be safe while cleaning bulbs. Make sure to switch off the light first from the main socket and wear electricity-proof gloves! Accidents can always happen even in the safest scenarios.
Clean your Fan
For this purpose, use any cloth to make a loop over the fan blade and slide it from outside towards the inside. Do the same for all the blades! This will remove all the loose dirt from the blades. For marks and stains, you can use cleaning wipes just as used for bulbs.
Clean the Curtains
Wash your curtains in the machine only if they are machine washable and dryer safe! If not, wash them by hand. To do this, fill up a bucket with cool water and mix an appropriate amount of mild detergent in it. Soak the curtains in the bucket and agitate a few times. After 20 minutes, rinse thoroughly with cold water and let them air dry.
Clean Rugs and Carpets
For this purpose, you do not need any store-bought chemicals. All you must do is sprinkle some baking soda on your carpet followed by vinegar, and then let these sit for 5 minutes or so. Following this, vacuum your carpet as you normally do. This will lift almost all the dust from the carpet and leave it smelling fresh!
Lounge
Clean your Couch
Cleaning stains on the couch can seem pretty much hopeless, but this hack might just change your life! Pour a generous amount of dish soap on the stubborn stain and let it sit there for around half an hour. After this, just rub it a little with a wet microfiber cloth to break down the part of the stain that is embedded deep into the couch. Now just wipe it off and prepare to be amazed by the results!
Bathroom
Clean Toothbrush Holder
Filthy gunk gets deposited at the base of toothbrush holders over time. Therefore, it’s important to clean them regularly. For this purpose, you can use dish soap and water, and scrub off the gunk using a bottle brush.
Change Toothbrushes
Toothbrushes go directly into your mouth! Like other things, bacterial can develop in your toothbrushes as well. Hence, it is crucial to change your toothbrush every two months.
Wash Bathroom Mat
If you own a fabric mat, you can easily wash it up in your washing machine. Be careful to use warm water settings in order to kill any mildew growth! Afterward, let it air dry and you are good to go.
Alternatively, if you have a rubber mat, the method will be different. Put the mat into a bucket filled with water and add two caps of chlorine bleach to it. Followed by this, scrub the mat well with a bristly brush and rinse the mat thoroughly.
Clean Shower Head
To clean your shower head, all you must do is fill a plastic bag with vinegar and wrap it around the showerhead with a rubber band. Make sure that the showerhead is completely submerged in the vinegar! Let it sit for around half an hour. This process will dissolve all the mineral buildup in the showerhead. Following this, remove the plastic bag and let the shower run for a few minutes to wash off remnants of vinegar.
