7 Essentials Of A Deep Clean Checklist

Probably one of the least favorite tasks for some homeowners is deep cleaning their house!

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Deep cleaning is quite a different subject than the regular cleaning, although they share the same goal: to keep your home neat and spotless. When you say regular cleaning, you usually do it on a daily or weekly basis. Regular cleaning may include taking out the trash, wiping kitchen surfaces, sweeping the floor, and general dusting.

On the other hand, deep cleaning is more than just removing dirt and dust. It’s more about sanitizing and disinfecting your entire house from top to bottom to fully eliminate germs and bacteria that put your family at risk for health diseases. Through deep cleaning, you’ll be able to create a much cleaner and healthier living environment for everyone. Don’t worry, as deep cleaning doesn’t need to be done every day or week. Most of the time, you only need to do it once a month and set aside at least one to two days to fully cover the entire house.

Does it sound impossible? Maybe, but with the right checklist, you might realize that a deep home cleaning is definitely doable. To help you start, here are seven essentials of a deep cleaning checklist that you shouldn’t miss.

Declutter First 

Before you begin, you need to declutter the entire house first. Decluttering will make it easier to deep clean your home since no items and furniture will be scattered on the floor, which could slow you down. So, take four empty boxes and label them with ‘Keep,’ ‘Store,’ ‘Donate,’ and ‘Dispose.’

‘Keep’ is for items that you still need and use every day. ‘Store’ is for things you use occasionally. ‘Dispose’ is for damaged items that have to be properly disposed of by the trash removers. ‘Donate’ is for the things you don’t need but are still reusable and in good condition. You can take them to the charity program you support. If you have no time to deliver them yourself, you can call on some services, such as Easy Donation Pick Up, and they’ll collect the boxes for you. Once your home is clutter-free, you can now embark on the next deep-cleaning step.

Start High And Finish At The Bottom  

When deep cleaning the house, the best pattern is to start cleaning the higher places and finish at the bottom or the lower areas. This pattern will make your deep cleaning easier and faster, as the dirt and dust from the top will fall back on the floors, and you can get rid of them later in one go.

Here are essential top areas you shouldn’t miss:

* Ceiling fans
* Ceilings and top corners (check for cobwebs)
* Door frames
* Light fixtures
* Window sills
* Top cabinets

When cleaning these top areas, use a vacuum or cloth to wipe off dirt and dust. Then, disinfect the whole top area with water and vinegar. This natural cleaner is also effective for disinfecting stubborn areas.

Clean One Room At A Time 

As you follow the high-to-low cleaning pattern, start the cleaning process one room at a time. Remember to avoid cleaning multiple rooms at once, as this will only exhaust you, eventually making it harder to finish. You can clean multiple rooms at once if you have someone else who can tackle the other room for you. Furthermore, seeing the first room spotless will inspire you to keep going and take care of the next rooms ahead.

Start With The Living Area  

Generally, it’s best to start cleaning with your living room, as it’s the first thing people see when they enter your house. Here are tips when deep cleaning the living room:

* Remove molds from the walls, corners, and floors by brushing them off with water and cleaning detergent. Leave the cleaning solution for 10-15 minutes before scrubbing the mold and rinsing the areas with water. Most importantly, always wear a face mask and safety eye gear to protect yourself from mold toxins.

* Vacuum every upholstery furniture, pillows, and especially the parts under the furniture.
* Dust off the electronics, lamps, mirrors, picture frames, and wall hangings.
* Remove scuff marks from the walls and doors by using a damp and soft cloth.
* Disinfect the remote controls, game consoles, light switches, and doorknobs with a wet cloth and rubbing alcohol.
* Disinfect all your children’s toys.

If you have a wastebasket in the living room, make sure to take it out and empty it as well. Once you’re done with the living room, you can move on to the next room.

Deep Clean The Bedroom  

When deep cleaning the bedroom, you can try asking your other family members if they’d like to take charge of deep cleaning their own rooms. After all, they’re more knowledgeable about which items should be disposed of and which ones should be cleaned. Here are tips for deep cleaning the bedroom.

* Remove the dirty bedsheets, pillowcases, blankets, and other linens and put them all in the laundry. You can disinfect the mattress by applying baking soda all over it. Leave it for an hour enough for the baking soda to absorb the dirt and foul smell. Once the hour’s over, you can vacuum it all and spray it with some essential oils to improve its smell.
* Vacuum all the rugs and carpets in all rooms
* Wipe the windows and replace the curtains with new and clean ones.
* Wipe off the dust from your mirrors, glass surfaces, cabinets, shelves, and tabletops.
* Put new linens and make the bed.
* Reorganize your closets and drawers.
* Take out the trash.

If the other family members deep cleaned their own bedrooms, teach them the same steps.

Deep Clean The Bathroom   

The bathroom is the most susceptible to mold growth due to its wet nature. Here are tips when deep cleaning your bathroom.

* Thoroughly clean and scrub the showerhead and faucets with an old toothbrush.
* Wipe down the mirrors and shower doors with water and vinegar.
* Clean all the air vents from the ceiling.
* Disinfect the toilet bowl and scrub it to remove dirt and stains.
* Get rid of empty bottles inside your bathroom cabinets.
* Empty the trash cans.
* Disinfect the light switches, toilet paper holder, toilet racks, and doorknobs.
* Disinfect and scrub the walls and floors with a commercial cleaner.
* As an additional tip, make sure you wear gloves, a face mask, eye safety gear, and cleaning clothes when deep cleaning the bathroom.

Deep Clean Your Kitchen   

Deep cleaning your kitchen is critical, as this is the place where food preparation is done. You’ll have to use natural cleaners to prevent food poisoning from toxic commercial cleaners.

* When scrubbing your oven, coffee maker, dishwasher, stove, and fridge, use baking soda. Once done, dry them using a clean cloth.
* Wipe your cabinets and kitchen countertops with a rag or a cloth and a solution with water and vinegar.
* Vacuum and mop the floor.
* Disinfect the sink and faucet.
* Take out the trash, then disinfect the garbage cans.
* Once you’ve disinfected everything, return all the kitchen tools to their assigned containers.

Takeaway 

Now that you have your deep cleaning checklist, you can start planning when to do it. Make sure to gather some help from your family to make the whole deep cleaning process faster and easier.