As we move into fall and winter, there will be plenty of opportunities to get together with loved ones. Whether it’s a family dinner, a football game, holiday dinners or a friendly brunch, you may find yourself hosting multiple events during the rest of the year. Now is the time to clean your home, so you’re prepared to host the important events in your life.
Cleaning can be a dreaded chore for many, but it doesn’t have to be. Check out these six tips, and you’ll be ready for an event.
1. Designate cleaning zones
To make cleaning easy and manageable, break up your home into cleaning zones and tackle them one at a time. You can define these zones by individual rooms or adjoining spaces. For example, if you have a guest room, you can think of the bedroom and connecting bath as one zone.
Once you’ve designated these zones, choose one and get to work. Start by decluttering the zone so you can see all surfaces, then break out the cleaning supplies and get to work.
2. Make a cleaning schedule
According to a survey by the American Cleaning Institute (ACI), the average American spends six hours a week cleaning, which increases to seven hours a week if you’re a parent. It can be overwhelming if you leave all that cleaning for one day.
Professional cleaners keep to a schedule and you should too. It may seem counterintuitive, but a cleaning schedule allows you to spend less time cleaning, and it will keep your home looking clean on a daily basis. Use the zones you’ve created and assign a zone to a different day of the week. Make a schedule that fits your lifestyle and that you’re likely to follow.
3. Learn tricks of the trade
Over time, cleaning professionals pick up tips and tricks that give better results. For example, when you clean your windows, do it on a cloudy day. If you clean your windows when it’s hot outside, the liquid cleaner will evaporate quickly, leading to streaks and marks.
If you have stainless steel appliances, try wiping toward the grain to prevent grime and residue from sticking to the grain. Wiping with the grain also results in a brighter shine!
4. Consider a light and deep clean
In a recent study 74% of Americans were found to do light cleaning (a surface-level clean) more often than deep cleaning (a thorough clean of the entire house, including floors and furniture).
Both types of cleaning have their uses. Light cleaning should be done daily, while a deep clean can be done less frequently. To ensure you’re consistently doing both, schedule daily light cleaning of your zones and weekly or biweekly deep cleans.
If you’re using a timer, double or triple the time you would spend light cleaning a zone, so you do a thorough job. If you keep up with frequent light cleaning, you may spend less time during your deep cleaning sessions.
5. Use what the pros use
There are plenty of household cleaning supplies you can choose from, but consider buying tried-and-true cleaners used by professionals when you want to clean quickly and efficiently.
If your home has several glass surfaces, a professional glass cleaner will allow you to clean and polish glass surfaces fast without streaks. For your kitchen, use a professional stainless steel cleaner to clean up any cooking mishaps before your guests arrive. Consider products that use foaming action. They require less wiping than other products for easy and faster cleaning.
6. Save the big projects like Carpet, Area Rug, Upholstery and Tile cleaning for the pros.
Call Janssen’s for these. Your home will look, feel and smell fresh. An added benefit? Just knowing that we are coming to clean will give you the incentive to start on other winter and holiday cleaning projects that you may be putting off.
Clean smarter, not harder. Use these six tips to keep your home looking professionally clean from top to bottom with minimal stress.
For more information, questions or to schedule your next cleaning service, call Janssen’s. We are always happy to help!