Oh.. boy.. It's that time of year again. How to Deep Clean Your Neglected House Part 1
Even if you aren't selling your home, we all like a clean home right?
As most people do, I work full time, I mean full time.. when you aren't home to "see" the dust bunnies, it's easy to forget.
When you aren't home to notice that you're having a hard time seeing out your windows.. well.. for me and maybe you.. it's time to get things spruced up and spic and span for the Holidays and Winter, and.. I am guilty as charged. Here is my strategy, hope it helps you.
First, set goals attached to a date that you would like to accomplish by. Second, enlist some help. If you don't have help, you can get the job done in small time blocks. How to eat an elephant.. "one bite at a time".
I don't like jobs done half way.. so my list is thorough. Since I've been in my home for awhile, it's time to start thinking of a complete overhaul, a real deep cleaning..start by removing all of the clutter.. rent a dumpster and have a yard sale. You can pay for the dumpster with the proceeds from the yard sale.
Note: (Definition of Clutter- what hasn't been used or looked at in 2 years. Get rid of all things that aren't sentimental.. okay packrats.. I hear you.. you have a lot of sentimental items right? If this is the case, give some of them to family members.. and re-evaluate your position on what is and isn't sentimental.) Just get rid of the junk.. don't leave it to a family member after you pass..give it to them now if you aren't using it.. the best gift we can give our loved ones after we pass is the gift of not having to go through all of our junk.
AFTER you've de-cluttered, start upstairs if you have 2 levels, this helps you work your way down. Most people that I know start downstairs and work their way up, not good.. all of the junk goes with you when you start down and work up. When you start upstairs, all throw-away items will be brought downstairs with you so that you can easy removal.
Wash all of your windows upstairs. Schedule enough time without rushing through.. it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes per window. Then leave the windows open.Don't use window cleaner first. Bring a bucket of soapy water and clean water. Then use window cleaner and newspaper or use vinegar which I believe is better.
Vaccum the mattresses (after you strip the beds. Leave the beds undressed until evening.) The open windows will help "air" out the mattresses.
Then dust and vaccum thoroughly, vaccum under the beds, clean door knobs, woodtrim etc.
Don't forget to vaccum and or wash/dust the heater covers.- (the big dispute on which order to do this in.. doesn't matter as long as it gets done). I prefer to wash rather than dust. I use Murphy's Oil soap 1 part soap, 2 parts water. for all of my wood cleaning and dusting. You can also use it on doors, window sills etc.
Repeat the same steps for downstairs.
For couches and chairs, remove all slip covers. Wash them in cold water, make sure they are washable and will not shrink. vaccum inside every nook and cranny of each chair or couch. For carpet stains, use a scrub brush with 3 part plain cold water 1 part gentle laundry detergent in a spray bottle. ( I once used Oxy-clean on my carpet and it stained my tan carpet white).
For all hard surface floors, forget the swiffer, hands and knees cleaning is best for the deep clean. For wood floors, I love Oil soap. For laminate.. too much water is not good because laminate is a pressed composite material. Damp cleaning in my opinion, is best on laminate. On bathroom and kitchen floors use a disinfectant cleaner.
I am such a bleach addict because it kills everything. If you choose to use chlorine bleach, make sure you have old clothes on and be careful of the fumes. You can also use all fabric bleach, but I am not so sure it will kill germs. Don't ever mix bleach with any other product other than water.
I also like the new Miracle sponges, they are foam like, but really clean up the hard water stains without detergent.
So that's it for tonight.. Happy Cleaning..
Tune in tomorrow for Part 2
