Housecleaning

You can houseclean. You can houseclean for exercise. You can houseclean to accomplish something. You can houseclean to enjoy a cleaner house.

Throw away indoor litter

Put on rubber gloves, grab a plastic trash bag or some paper bags, and throw away the litter. Do this first because it’s easy to decide where to put litter.

Declutter

Pick up an empty laundry basket, box, tote, or bucket. Place items that do not belong in the room in the basket. Move to the next room. Remove items that belong in the room and put them away. Pick up the items that do not belong in the room, place them in the basket, and move to the next room. Once you have moved through the house twice, everything should be in the right place.

Put books back on the book shelf. Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher or sink. Put dirty clothes in the hamper. Hangs up coats and so forth.

If you notice useless junk, recycle it or throw it away. If you notice clutter you could sell or donate someplace, remember to do so after you clean it.

Dust

Get some dust cloths and wipe the furniture and other hard surfaces to remove the dust. Use the upholstery nozzle on the vacuum cleaner’s hose to dust drapery and fabric furniture. Vacuum the carpet with the rotating brushes flicking it. Vacuum other floors with the brushes up, or use a dust mop.

Wash surfaces, clothes & dishes

Choose the right cleaning solution for the job at hand. You don't need a lot of expensive products. You can clean with natural products that are good for the environment and your health as well. Bonus---they're cheap. Consider using:

• Distilled (White) vinegar for cleaning most hard surfaces (use caution when using on natural stone) could damage some marble,granite etc...
• Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate) for scrubbing away tougher stains.
• Hydrogen peroxide for removing stains on fabrics. (test first in small area)
• Rubbing alcohol for sticky messes and for glass. (test first in small area)

Kitchen

Dishes

It may seem counter intuitive, but dishwashers use less water and energy than washing by hand. The dishwasher will also sanitize your dishes if you use heated dry.

To hand-wash dishes, start by cleaning the sink/basin with vinegar or a commercial cleaning solution. You'll never get clean dishes from a dirty sink. Place the drain plug in the sink, fill it with the hottest water your skin can handle. While the sink is filling add a teaspoon of dish detergent or soap. Scrape food particles from the dishes into the compost bin, garbage, or garbage disposal. Place the dishes in the soap and water solution. If the water is too hot, tidy the kitchen until the water is cool enough to handle. Wash the dishes thoroughly on both sides. If you have a double-basin sink, place the plug in the drain of the second basin and neatly stack the dishes in it as you wash them. Fill the second basin with the hottest water possible. Allow the dishes to sit in the hot water for a few minutes to help sanitize them. Once the water is cool enough to handle, remove the dishes from the second basin, dry them and place them in the dish rack to air dry. Wash dishes and serving pieces first, then pots and pans. If you are working with a single-basin sink, wash all of the dishes, drain the basin, then refill the basin with the hottest water possible, allow the dishes to sit in the hot water for a few minutes, then remove and dry them.

Bathroom

Daily

Clean the following items in order with vinegar or all-surfaces cleaner in a spray bottle and a soft cloth.

• Mirror
• Light switch plate
• Doorknob on both sides of the door
• Faucet(make it sparkle) drying with soft cloth can make it happen
• Countertop and basin/sink
• Toilet flush handle
• Toilet tank cover
• Toilet lid
• Toilet seat
• Toilet rim
• Misfires from your boys and grown men (alternatively, ask them to always seat on the toilet at home, just like the women do).
• Brush interior of toilet bowl with a toilet brush.
• clean behind and floor behind also

If you do this daily it will take five minutes or less, and make your weekly cleaning tasks much easier.

Conclusion

You might not be able to do all the cleaning in one session. So what? The trick is to do some of it now.

If the process seems overwhelming, pick a small corner area, preferably one with a small table and chair, such as your reading nook. Tidy it up, then clean it thoroughly. This gives you a spot to look at that isn't depressing. Next, make the next corner clean. Soon you will find yourself motivated to clean up the rest of the room, and the rest of the house.

Also, for those of us who didn’t take home economics, there are books on cleaning in book stores. Ask a clerk where the store keeps them.