How to Clean a House: Step By Step House Cleaning Checklist

Posted on Monday, December 23rd, 2019

Professional cleaning services have a working plan in mind when they tackle the job of cleaning a client’s home. They have a strategy that helps them clean in an organised fashion that helps them with regard to both time and energy. They also take into account flexibility when cleaning houses to include their clients’ preferences. Professional cleaners don’t mind sharing their house cleaning checklist because they love cleaning and they also love showing people how best to do it. Here’s a fairly comprehensive house cleaning checklist to show you how to clean your house thoroughly and effectively, to help you make the most of your time and energy and so you finish up with a sparkling, clean house:

1. Sort the Clutter

We all have far too much stuff cluttering our homes and lives, and a good purge will make your home feel lighter, cleaner, more open and ordered and your cleaning checklist should contain this fundamental area. To start your task, first, you need music. Although a professional wouldn’t invade your cd collection and play music while home cleaning, they might use headphones and iPods because music makes you move and lifts your energy levels, especially if you play your favourites. So play some music, get the adrenaline pumping to get into the mood for some home cleaning action, and make it fun!

The first step in your decluttering mission is to start at the front door and move through the house picking up and storing or throwing away clutter (take a large garbage bag for the rubbish). During this home cleaning decluttering you can pile up anything you might want to donate to charity, but make sure it’s clean and of good quality or it will cost the charity heaps to send it to landfill. Be ruthless, check all your cupboards, drawers and wardrobes for stuff you don’t wear or use or no longer want. As you move from one room to the next, turn off lights and ceiling fans ready for the dusting stage of your home cleaning.

2. Dusting

The next step on the home cleaning checklist is dusting. You might think anyone can dust, but there’s an effective way and the wrong way that will probably result in an ad-hoc way of cleaning house. Dust is a bugbear in everyone’s home and you need to stay on top of it, so do it this way: make a sweep from left to right and top to bottom using a microfiber cloth rather than a feather duster. The cloth will lessen the incidence of allergens becoming airborne. For those wispy cobwebs that tend to appear in the corners of the ceiling and on walls, you might have a cobweb broom, but if not, simply tie a microfiber cloth to the end of a broom or mop, and wipe the cobwebs off. Dusting slatted blinds is easy if you close them one way, dust, then close them the other way and dust. Don’t forget to add the tops of doors, all your knick-knacks, fan blades, picture frames, and lights to your home cleaning checklist. Clean any glass frames, TV screens and computer monitors with a microfibre or soft cotton cloth and some glass cleaner for a streak-free finish. Dust around the windows and sills and remove cobwebs.

3. Vacuuming

The first step on this part of the home cleaning checklist is to make sure the filter is clean and the dirt catcher or bag is empty – get into the habit of doing it every time after you finish vacuuming so you can clean effectively without needing to empty it halfway through when you’re busy cleaning house. Make sure all the attachments are handy as well because nothing wastes more time and ruins momentum more when you’re working on something than to have to stop and search for tools. In this case, vacuum cleaner attachments. Run the vacuum cleaner thoroughly over all the floors, changing the nozzles to get into the corners and edges etc., and the upholstery attachment to run over the sofa and other furniture.

Sweep and Mop all the Floors Bar the Kitchen

Now for some helpful hints in the home cleaning checklist to make sure you finish up with a house that’s as close to professionally cleaned as you’ll get: When cleaning house, don’t use too much floor cleaning product in the water because it builds up on the floor and leaves it looking dull. Also, when mopping the floors, start your home cleaning at the farthest corner of the room, and work your way to the door or the front section of the house. After you’re done with a small area of perhaps two square metres, be sure to squeeze the mop out in the bucket every time.

Cleaning the Kitchen

Your home cleaning checklist for the kitchen should begin at the right side of the stove and follow that direction to cover the whole kitchen including:

• Wiping the benchtops and cupboards down
• Cleaning the outside of the refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave
• Wiping the stove top clean
• Cleaning inside the microwave
• Soaking knobs and stove drip pans in the sink then cleaning them
• Cleaning around and inside the sink
• Sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor

Cleaning the Bathrooms

Bathrooms are used often and need special attention in your home cleaning checklist:

• Take out any waste baskets, clothes baskets and mats from the bathroom
• Remove all the soaps and shampoos, scrubbers etc from the shower recess and the bathtub
• Wet down the walls, shower, bathtub and tiles with warm water and apply and leave on some tile and grout cleaner
• With your favourite all-purpose cleaning solution (vinegar, lemon and bicarb is good)  cover everything apart from the shower, toilet, mirrors, bathtub and vanity
• Add ¼ cup of all-purpose cleaner to a full bucket of water.
• Then scrub the shower recess, walls, bathtub, and door and with a grout brush, do the tiles and floor of the shower
• Clean the shower track, rack and soap dishes
• Rinse off the cleaning solution and the grout from the shower and bathtub and dry them with a microfibre cloth
• For the vanity, spray the tile and grout cleaner into the basin and soap dish, and spray the countertop with the all-purpose cleaner, then scrub the sink clean
• Rinse your cloth and the basin and wipe both the vanity’s countertop and cabinet
• To clean the mirror, use a spray-on glass cleaning product on a soft cloth
• Give the taps a good rub and make them shine
• Lastly, wash the floor and let it dry

Cleaning the bedrooms

Presuming you’ve followed the above instructions on how to clean your house and gone through the first section of your home cleaning checklist and decluttered, dusted, vacuumed and sorted your drawers and wardrobes, your bedrooms will be almost finished, so simply:

• Return the items you needed to remove to declutter, dust and clean
• Put clean sheets on the bed and clean pillow slips on the pillows and a clean doona cover on the doona and make the bed
• To add a nice fresh touch you might sprinkle some lavender oil on the pillows to help you sleep.
• Organise the sock drawer and put the laundry away

Cleaning the Windows

For this rather straightforward part of your home cleaning checklist, you need to have dusted off cobwebs and dirt from the window sills.  You will need a spray-on glass cleaner and plenty of newspaper and also a long-handled squeegee if the windows are high up:

• On the inside: Spray the glass cleaner directly on the window glass and rub it off with newspaper
• Use the squeegee on a long handle for hard-to-reach, large windows
• On the outside; Remove flyscreens and with a hard brush, scrub them using the all-purpose cleaner mixed with water, then hose them down and replace

Phew! All done, now sit back and enjoy your clean, fresh home. Keep this home cleaning checklist handy for the next time you decide to venture into the excitement of cleaning house.

If you need a whole house cleanup or would like regular, custom home cleaning, call Myhome cleaning services in Melbourne for a quote. To give you peace of mind, our service is backed by our 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. You can also find out more, or request a quote, by sending us an email or calling us on 13 22 31.