Whether you're looking forward to your annual or routine cleaning at home, it is very important to consider a few important points. Here are a few dos and don'ts to remember while cleaning your house.
What to do:
* Make a list of all the cleaning supplies you need. Buy them and keep ready in advance. This way you won't waste time collecting supplies from all over the house. You can focus all your attention on your cleaning.
* If you have bought any commercial products, make sure to check if they include any toxic substances. It is always best to use homemade solutions rather than compromising the health of your family members.
* However, if you decide to go ahead with commercial cleaning products, dilute the solution with water before you use it. If used undiluted it may leave stains on floors and other surfaces.
* Make sure that you store your cleaning supplies on the top most shelf of your cupboard, so that your kids can't get to them easily. Label all the containers so they can be easily identified. Also close the lid properly before storing them away.
* If you have wooden or granite surfaces make sure you know what house cleaning solutions are safe to use on them.
* When you start cleaning, move from top to bottom, i.e. clean all the dust from table and counter tops first, before you begin mopping the floor.
* Ensure that you first try out the new cleaning solutions in small areas that are not easily seen before you use them in the main areas to avoid any damage.
What not to do:
* Don't wait till the house gets very dirty before you start your cleaning. Clean regularly. This is the best way to maintain cleanliness all the time. If something spills or falls, clean it at once.
* Don't use paper towels to clean glass surfaces. It is more expensive and may also scratch and damage the glass. Instead, you can use soft washable or microfiber cloths for cleaning.
* Don't use all house cleaning solutions on all the surfaces. What works for wooden surfaces may not work for glass ones and so on. Use a small amount of the solution on an inconspicuous part of the surface and test its safety before you begin using it properly.
* Don't think your house is a chemical laboratory! Sometimes mixing two house cleaning solutions like chlorine bleach and ammonia may cause toxic reactions.
* Don't reuse empty bottles of solutions for other things. They must be disposed off immediately.
The best way to start off is to make a cleaning plan and write it down. It does not need to be too detailed. Just write down what you want to do and how you want to do it and how long it will take you. Check online for lots more tips and print them out to have them handy in a folder. Once you have this planned out, all you have to do is follow these guidelines and you will have a clean house in no time!
