I don't know how to clean.?

Question

When I was growing up the house was never cleaned. It was kept picked up but never clean. I don't really know how to clean. I just recently moved into a house on my own and I want my house CLEAN. I need to start from the basics. Types of cleaners, all the little things that people forget. Everything! Thanks

Answer 1

Things You’ll Need:

Time

Energy

Motivation

Step1

In most homes, it is natural for clutter to accumulate in a short period of time. This does not mean that the inhabitants are filthy people or that they do not care to keep a clean home. Clutter is evidence that people; busy people at that, are living in the home. The following steps should assist in maintaining a clean home within a budgeted amount of time.

Step2

Share the responsibility! If two or more people live in the same home, then EACH ONE should be responsible for cleaning it unless one of them is under the age of three. Each person should take responsibility for their own belongings and also for their messes. This is simple. If only one person in the home wears a size 13 shoe and there are two of them lying in the living room floor, it is that person's responsibility to relocate the shoes to a closet or appropriate storage space. If food that is packaged in a wrapper is opened and consumed, the wrapper should be deposited in the garbage can and not on the coffee table or on the floor.

Step3

Use the "Back and Forth" method of spot cleaning. This really works! Start at one end of the home and identify all of the things that do not belong. Pick up a few; not too many, and walk to the other end of the home. Upon passing the spot where each item belongs, deposit it neatly and continue on to the other side. Repeat this process, starting from the opposite end. With a radio positioned at a halfway point, music may be heard throughout the journey. Several things are accomplished using this method. The home slowly becomes organized. The person cleaning gets some valuable exercise and entertainment by singing and possibly dancing as they go. The entire house does not have to be cleaned each time this method is performed, but it is a useful means of managing clutter in high-traffic areas.

Step4

Once clutter has been cleared, it is a good idea to perform deeper cleaning. Scrub or mop floors, dust furniture, and vacuum carpets and rugs. As with the "Back and Forth" method of cleaning, deep cleaning does not have to be done all at once. Pick one day to clean the kitchen. Clean the bathrooms another day. Only do as much as time or energy allows.

Step5

By using these steps to keep a home in a manageable state, there will be less stress involved when a surprise visitor drops in unannounced.

_______________

Tips :

Do only what time allows.



Encourage all members of the household to participate.



Clutter causes feelings of despair.

__________________

Maintain Your Home

***********************

Things You’ll Need:

dish clothes

sponges

vacuum

mop

Step1

Daily Cleaning

-Make Bed

-Wash dishes

-Pick up everything lying around

Step2

Weekly Cleaning

(check your weather channel and do this one on the day it's raining or most likely to rain, or snow or when company is coming)

-Change Bed sheets

-Wipe surfaces down (including vacuuming and mopping)

-Take out trash

Step3

Bi-weekly

-Wash Bed sheets

-Vacuum car

-Clean out fridge

Step4

Monthly

-Organize store bins

-Clean out freezer

_____________________

Good Luck !

Answer 2

Some really good responses and links so far!  I think I can only add to it by trying to qualify some of the sources from the poster's above.  The best to-do list for you may not be the best for someone else.  Ultimately, it's about what gets YOU to do it.  

Think about (and be honest) what that is in your case:  Is it rewarding to look around a clean and neat house?  Would you feel pride from it or is it done simply out of obligation?  Do you want the people in your life (friends and family) to compliment you or will your own satisfaction suffice?  How "perfect" does it need to be and how often?

For me, it was as simple as wanting to keep my house looking great while making sure everything in it was also being cared for; protect what I consider an investment.  That made me feel good.  So, I gravitated toward sources that offered explanations about the materials in my house (stainless steel, hardwood, glass, engineered stone, etc.) and the best way to treat them.    For me, I couldn't feel good pouring any all purpose cleaner on my stone floor knowing it might damage it over time.

Flylady, Real Simple, Martha Stewart will all provide great checklists, specific ways of cleaning and which products to use -- but each of them appeal to a different kind of "homekeeping outlook."

Though many people are I'm not a fan of flylady because I'm not the kind of person who needs to be told and re-inspired every day about what to do and her cleaning methods would actually harm my materials. (Sorry, not putting Ajax or bleach in my stainless steel sink and scrubbing it with a steel wool pad.)  Martha Stewart, as you probably imagine, is extremely thorough in her explanations and suggestions -- in some cases very specific solutions that require trips to the hardware store or specialty shop.  Real Simple seems to fall somewhere in the middle with quick-tips and researched explanations.  Maybe you fall into one of these categories or a mix of them.

The homekeepers who came before us had it much worse off, lol.  Technology has made our job, like most people's, more convenient.  Growing up I never saw my mom, dad or grandparents once use a Swiffer, but I sure could if I chose!! As long as it gets done -- all day, in sections or one 19-minute cleaning -- it will be wonderful...if it makes you feel good.

Answer 3

I clean in 20 minute spurts.  I got into a bit of trouble upon moving into this home, where I had sold 3 of my previous houses and brought way too much stuff with me, as the last closing ended up being not enough time to get rid of things that had accumulated.  I spent the next 6 months crying because I could find nothing and was so overwhelmed with things, I could not see my way out.  Since you are starting out fresh, with your first place, do yourself a favor, don't get TOO attached to THINGS that are sentimental, that you can't rid yourself of things when you no longer need them, just cause Aunt Suzy gave it to you.  It just complicates things.  Learn to weed through things on a seasonal basis for clothes, furniture and knic knacs.  For cleaning, I start with the kitchen, since most of our life seems to revolve around either making something to eat, eating, planning meals, friends coming over to eat, and bringing in groceries.  Dishes, floors, counters and stove tops are cleaned and wiped daily.  Once a week we do a total clean (sweep, mop, dust and wipe down and toss out composting things) usually around the trash schedule (comes on Thursday, so we clean out the fridge on Wednesday).  Bedrooms consist of daily making the beds, picking up and bringing dirty clothes to the laundry room.  Weekly is stripping bed linens and washing towels and linens, sweeping, mopping and vacuuming bedrooms and hallways.  The floors in the kitchen, butlers pantry, and dining room are vacuumed with the cordless upright vacuum daily (keeps the crumbs down and just in general keeps it neat, and only takes like 5 minutes to do all the rooms quick like).  The living room is picked up daily, and weekly is vacuumed, dusted and cleaned.  Once a month I pick something more extensive, like cleaning out the basement, emptying a closet, doing a swap out of clothes, cleaning out a dresser and so on.  That way, it never gets to be too much.  Every once in a while, the schedule is such, that I start to fall behind, or I see I am going to have a busy week, I just step it up a little before hand, like maybe doing loads of wash a few days early or on an as needed basis, if I have a load of whites, I go ahead and do them, same for light colors and deep colors.  If I have five minutes of waiting on the phone for something, I grab the cordless and just run through while I am waiting.  If I am talking on the phone with someone, I can sort through a drawer, put up wash cloths in the kitchen, clean off a table top, or dust something.  I mainly use easy cleaners like vinegar and baking soda, my two all time favorites.  With baking soda and vinegar, I can clean a drain,  freshen and soften laundry, boost my detergents cleaning power, clear gunk off the stove, clean and disinfect a counter top, freshen carpets and clean windows, just for starters.  Of course I have a lot of other cleaners in my cabinet, but honestly, I am using them up and not replacing most of them, as a few basics covers lots of stuff.  My list of keepers is a good laundry detergent, that is a good cleaner, I get one from Sams in a huge bucket and it only needs one tiny little scoop for my front loader, and Shout for spot stains, a little blueing for brightening my white, vinegar, baking soda, Dawn dishwashing liquid, Magic Erasers, Borax, and bleach pretty much take care of ALL my cleaning needs DAILY and weekly.  Of course you can have others if you want or need them, but those are the ones that I would rather not be without!  I use the baking soda to scrub my SS sink down and make it all shiny and fresh, clean out the fridge with baking soda and vinegar, it cleans jelly right off, and leaves a nice clean fresh feel and smell when dry.  Hope this helps you and CONGRATS on your first new place!  Good luck!

Answer 4

Daily

- Pick up after yourself in general

- Make the beds

-  Wash/dry/put away the dishes

- Wipe off the kitchen/dining room table before and after every meal

- Sweep the kitchen floor

- Wipe off kitchen countertop after it gets dirty

Weekly

- Wash the bedsheets, pillowcases, comforter covers, etc.

- Dust anything that's dusty (picture frames, coffee tables, etc.)

- Vaccuum all rugs

- Mop the bathroom and kitchen floors

- Clean all windows and mirrors

- Wipe off the sink, toilet, etc. in the bathrooms

As Needed:

- Wash, dry, and fold laundry

Hope this helps!

Answer 5

windows-windex and use newspapers instead of paper towels for streak free finish-1 a month

mirrors-same-1 a week

vaccuum-every other day or more

cascade for dishwasher; joy for hand washing

i use simple green for countertops-1-2x a day

soft scrub-shower and tub

pledge-dusting wood

tide for laundry

shout! for stains

chlorox added for whites

generic dryer sheets

resolve for carpet stains

lestoil for grease stains

box of baking soda-for grease fires/and in fridge

mr clean eraser for pencil or crayon on walls

pinesol-linoleum floors

don't forget to buy rubber dish gloves when handling chemicals

NEVER mix ammonia and bleach-TOXIC!!!!!!!!

Answer 6

Since your question goes into more detail that I think Yahoo will allow me to put. This link is to an article called "How to clean your home in 19 minutes. It goes step by step.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/homestyle...

As far as cleaners I prefer natural non chemical ones. Like the old tried and true vinegar and baking soda. But I like pinesol, too.

Answer 7

Join this group- they send you emails to help you along...I was really bad at cleaning and this just is a memory jogger on what needs to be done.  

It helps with food, kids, husbands etc - i find it really really helpful

Answer 8

okay,I'm going to help you . 1.buy a few boxes of majic erasers.with these you can clean the sinks,tub,walls,microwaves,stove,counter... sills,refrigeraters anything with wood or smooth surface. 2.you will need windex and paper towels for mirrors and glass. 3.the works toilet bowl cleaner for toilets. a scrub brush for toilet..  4. a broom and a swffer wet . 5.vaccuum 6 furniture polish and smooth rag..that should get you going pretty good.  I usually set aside certain days of week or so many hours and start at opposite ends of the house each week.  the best tip I can give you to stay on it is time yourself  doing things and try to beat your time next time.it's also beneficial to tell yourself like..okay, it only takes me ten minutes to load the dishwasher, good luck ,hope i didn't forget anything

Answer 9

I don't do all of this cleaning all of the time.  But here are some ideas of what needs to be cleaned and how.  What you need to figure out is what is a priority for you and how often each item should be cleaned.  If you have specific problems that I didn't address shoot me an email.

Bathroom:

Toilet (wear rubber/latex gloves)

-inside the bowl w/a Clorox toilet wand with a disposable head

-outside of the bowl and tank with a wet paper towel or wet wipe to wipe off dust (any grossness might need extra elbow grease)

- on the floor around the toilet (not sure if this is only my house but between the 6 year old and 38 year old boys that live here we get a lot of splatters), sometimes requires an old toothbrush to get into tight spaces; I like Mr Clean antimicrobial (the yellow stuff) the best

Sink area: (work from top to bottom)

- wipe dust off top of medicine chest

- Windex the mirror

- remove items from sink and wipe down w/wet paper towl (Mr Clean again), removing dust, soap splatters, hair, shaving cream etc

- clean inside of sink w/Comet for hard stains or Softscrub if you're worried about damaging surface of sink

- wipe down cabinets w/wet paper towel

Shower

- wash bath mat (most can go through the washing machine and be hung up to dry)

- use Comet/Softscrub on walls, shelves and shower floor

- Use Windex (or Kaboom for hard water stains) on shower doors (if you have a shower curtain, wash in washing machine and hang to dry if possible)

- wipe down surfaces for dust (such as top of shower doors or top of tub)

General

-remove trash, old magazines, dirty laundry etc

- use a broom or Swiffer to clean up hair and dust on floors, then wet mop if necessary

Kitchen - (again work from top down, make sure food/dishes are put away first)

- dust anything up high such as ceiling fans, top of cabinets/fridge

- wipe down cabinet faces and refrigerator w/mr clean

- wipe down countertops and tabletops w/Clorox Daily Sanitizing spray (or a water/bleach mixture of 3 parts water to 1 part bleach - wear gloves and open a window for that)

Sink:

- remove dish tray and wipe down with Mr Clean

- clean inside of sink w/Mr Clean (if you have hard water stains try Lime Away or CLR)

- if you have a garbage disposal, run some ice cubes and lemon juice through it to break up any nastiness

- some baking soda and vinegar down the sink will also help foam away lingers smells and nastiness

Stove

- clean stovetop w/Mr Clean (if you have a glasstop, clean per manufacturer's directions)

-remove oven racks, take outside and clean with an oven cleaner if they are super dirty, if not too bad, use Mr Clean on them and wash clean with the hose

- clean inside of oven with oven cleaner (per the directions on the can) such as Easy Off

Fridge:

- when you are getting low on groceries move everything off one shelf and onto others and clean shelf w/Mr Clean, repeat for all shelves and fruit/meat drawers

- if shelves, drawers are super dirty you can remove them and let them soak in the bathtub (after it's cleaned of course) in a bleach/water mixture or a grease cutter (mr clean)/water mixture

- pay special attention to cleaning in the back of the fridge, corners and underneath drawers where crumbs and dirt can linger

Other rooms:

Windows - clean with paper towels (some prefer newspaper - I don't) and Windex (a vinegar/water mixture can be subsituted) on a cloudy day, do not forget to wipe the dirt out of windowsills

Sufaces - furniture, tables, electronics, etc should be dusted weekly, I like lemon Pledge for wood and generic electronics wet wipes for the tv, dvd player etc

Floors - vacuum carpets (weekly if possible) and consider shampooing every few months (you can get a shampooer at Walmart for a couple hundred bucks - definitely worth the investment if you have kids or pets), hard floors should be swept at least once per week and mopped every few weeks (more if you have kids and sticky messes)

- if you get dirt into the crevices of tile or vinyl flooring, you can make a paste out of baking soda and water and brush out the dirt with an old toothbrush

Upholstered furniture (like couches, chairs) - I cover my couches and chairs with sheets because I have cats that shed, it looks silly but I don't have to vacuum up hair, I just change sheets

Bedding - preferably washed and changed weekly or sooner if needed

Curtains and small rugs- should be washed occasionally, check periodically for dust and grime and wash as necessary, larger rugs shoudl be aired out by hanging over a clothes line or deck periodically as well

General

When you are done w/each room, lysol the places where hands go (drawer pulls, doorknobs, handles, light switches etc) to kill germs

You can buy cedar blocks, balls or hangers to put in closets, drawers or other tight areas to give a fresh scent to clothes or sheets

Answer 10

Everyone knows how to clean, but they don't know where to start. For the basics its just vacuum every three days or so, to disinfect the best for that would be the lysol wipes, floor cleaning I would use viniger and hot water. for bathrooms windex or tilex is very good aswell as any toilet cleaner for the bowl. For laundry tide or kirkland is very well rated esspecially the liquid type. Dusting I find the swiffer duster works best andfor tough stains on walls or anything I would use the Mr. Clean magic eraser.

Answer 11

Martha Stweart 'Homekeeping Handbook" is an excellent source for keeping your house CLEAN, Ebay has the best prices on this book.

"Whether your home is small or large, an apartment in the city or a country cottage, it is a space that should be at once beautiful and livable. The key to that is managing the upkeep without feeling flustered. Until now, there has never been a comprehensive resource that not only tells how to care for your home and everything in it, but that also simplifies the process by explaining just when. With secrets from Martha Stewart for accomplishing the most challenging homekeeping tasks with ease, this detailed and comprehensive book is the only one you will need to help you keep your home looking its best, floor to ceiling, room by room."

Answer 12

Products needed

Clorox Disenfecting kitchen cleanet(spray bottle)  

Clorox disenfecting bathroom cleaner(spray bottle)

409 antibacterial all purpose cleaner(spray bottle)

Bleach

febreze

Powdered comet

Windex original glass cleaner

Pinesol disenfectant

Clorox toilet bowl cleaner with bleach

Mr. Clean magic eraser

Tilex after shower spray

Old english wood furniture polish

Pledge original furniture polish

Baking soda

Vinegar

Dawn dishsoap

brillo pads

Woolite carpet cleaner

Spay n wash laundry stain remover

carpet cleaner

Utensils needed

Buckets to hold cleaning products

Bucket for mopping

Broom and dustpan

Mop

vacuum

Quality paper towels

Several rags(that are reguraly cleaned) (10)

Several sponges, abrasive and non abrasive(10)

Old toothbrush

Several different sized scrub brushes(5-6)

quality feather duster

mricrofiber lint free cloths(5)

quality toilet bowl scrubber(cheap ones scratch your toilet bowl)

dishwashing liquid

Latex gloves

Latex gloves: keep your hands chemical free

Powdered comet: tub and tile cleaner, kitchen sinks, toilet bowl, bathroom sinks

Pledge/old english furniture cleaner: clean your desks, coffe table, headbord, dressers, etc...

Toilet bowl cleaner: clean inside toilet

Pinesol-mopping

broom and dustpan-sweeping

Bucket: fill whole bucket with hot hot water and 2 capfuls of pinesol

toilet bowl scrubber: scrub toilet

Windex-clean stainless steel, windowns, glass,mirrors

tilex-spray after taking shower/bath

Mr clean magic eraser: scrub hard stains anywhere in house

409-clean anything, walls, doors

kitchen cleaner: kitchen sinks, countertops, dining table, fridge, microwave

brillo pads-clean grills and oven

bathroom cleaner: bathroom sinks, floors, around toilet, shower, around shower, walls

bleach-disenfect cleaning utensils

vinegar: toilet bowl, shower

baking soda: sinks, tub

scrub brushes: sinks, shower, floors

old toothbrush: hard to reach places, sinks, etc...

feather duster: dusting furniture

febreze-anti-odor spray

rags-clean furniture with furniture polish

sponge-washing dishes, sinks, countertops

dishsoap-dishes

paper towels: cleaning anything

vacuum-clean carpets with carpet cleaner

**disenfect sinks, countertops once a day, spraying cleanser wait 10 minutes, spray again and wipe with paper towel or clean sponge/rag

**deep clean once a week, such as sinks, vacuum, shower/tub, toilet bowls, mopping, sweeping, dusting, febreze, countertops, must be disenfected***

Weekly:

Kitchen/bathroom sinks, disenfected, bathroom/kitchen cleaner

All mirrors in house, windex

showers/tubs, disenfected, comet, bathroom cleaner

toilet bowl,, toilet bowl cleaner, disenfected

around toilet, everywhere, bathroom cleaner, disenfected

sweeping, everywhere with tile

mopping, after sweeping then pinesol

outside of fridge, all purpose cleaner

dining table, disenfected, all purpose cleaner

vacuum, all carpet areas

dusting, feather duster, furniture polish

microwave, disenfected, kitchen cleaner

wash laundry

Daily:

febreze: whole house

countertops/sinks: all purpose cleaner

make beds

pick up things on floor

throw out trash

wash dishes/dishwasher

****disenfect sponges, scrubbers, rags in bucket or sink with hot hot water and 1/4 cup bleach for 30 min. after you use it once

Switch out sponges every 3 weeks

***much more to tell you, just email me

Answer 13

Just remeber to keep things dusted like furniture or anything that you see has dust on it. Just use furniture polish and an old rag. Keep floors swept and mopped. Pine sol is good to mop. Get a bucket put 1/4 cup pine sol and feel half the bucket up with water. Keep counters wiped down with wet rag and disenfectant. Bathroon cleaning spray...multi purpose will work fine for tub toilet and sink. and dont forget to vacuum. Simple as that. When you see something dirty use common sence and think of ways to remove the dirt.