How to Clean Your Home Effectively (with Checklist)

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Life is busy enough for many people without throwing cleaning into the mix. And yet, a clean, well-organized home functions so beautifully; it can actually make our lives feel less stressful. While it can be difficult to devote part of each day to cleaning tasks, doing so will help you keep up with what might otherwise feel overwhelming. Leaving all the tasks for a Saturday not only ruins your Saturday but might be difficult to accomplish, especially if you have last-minute company or want to make other plans. 

Here, we’ll provide you with a wide range of tips to cut cleaning tasks down to size. With our checklist and recommended cleaning routine, you can maintain a clean and well-organized setting so that your house is always ‘relatively’ company-ready and, assuredly, designed for your own comfort. With these tips, you won’t have to devote another Saturday to daylong cleaning tasks again!

Whole-home declutter

Decluttering your home affords you many benefits. When you clear away the clutter, you’ll find it easy to get and stay organized. Too much ‘stuff’ is challenging to keep track of. Your home will function better with fewer items to contend with. For many people, less clutter results in less stress and more serenity. That said, it can be challenging to part with perfectly useful items even if you don’t use them. Here, we’ll explore a few ways to eliminate clutter to make cleaning and organizing your home easier.

Channel your inner Marie Kondo

Marie Kondo has become the poster-declutterer with her minimalist aesthetic. She has refined de-cluttering to an art form. If an item isn’t useful on a regular basis and doesn’t “spark joy,” get rid of it. Even so, her methods are known to be on the drastic side; you might find that a little Marie, when tackling closets and your pantry goes a long way.

Everything in its place

Another way to tackle your clutter is to ensure that the items you keep have a place. Storage is key, but you also don’t want to live in a warehouse filled with stored items. Be sure you have the proper space and receptacles to store items. If not, consider the item. Is it functional and worthy of the effort it will take to find a space to store it? If not, it may be time to add it to your donation pile. 

Donate, recycle, or sell

As you go room by room in search of items to get rid of, you should keep these discarded items organized as well. You may have items you can sell, as well as items you can recycle or donate. Just because it’s clutter to you doesn’t mean it won’t be perfectly useful to someone else. Just don’t let your piles of stuff sit for too long; be sure you donate or sell them quickly so you can keep your household cleaning and organization on track.

Create a cleaning supply station

After eliminating the clutter from your home, you can create a cleaning supply station. Setting up this type of station will make routine cleaning easier. When all your cleaning supplies are in one place, you won’t have to search for them each time you need to perform a cleaning task. Choose a location where you’ll keep these supplies and organize them with buckets, baskets, or shelves. Although you can stock your cleaning station with commercial cleaning products, you can also create your own eco-friendly cleaners using ingredients like baking soda and white vinegar. 

Design your perfect cleaning schedule

To avoid the need to spend an entire day cleaning your house, you can break up cleaning tasks into a manageable schedule. If there are other members of your household, you can even delegate tasks to them. The most simple yet effective plan is to divide chores into daily, weekly, and monthly schedules. Use our cleaning schedule as a basis for your own:

Daily Cleaning Tasks

• Hang up or put away outer garments

• Make beds

• Wash and put away dishes

• Clean kitchen surfaces (counters and stovetop)

• Sweep kitchen floor (as needed)

• Clean kitchen and dining room tables

• Clean bathroom sink

Weekly Cleaning Tasks

• Laundry

• Clean bathrooms (sink, toilet, floor, and tub)

• Clean kitchen surfaces (floor, refrigerator, and other appliances)

• Vacuum

• Dust

• Declutter

• Change/launder sheets and pillowcases

Monthly Cleaning Tasks

• Launder blankets/bedspreads/washable rugs

• Clean mirrors

• Sweep out fireplace

• Tidy bookcases or shelves

• Deep clean kitchen (i.e. refrigerator, stove burners, cabinet fronts)

• Clean return air vents

• Clean your dishwasher

• Clean upholstered surfaces

• Disinfect trash bins

• Remove cobwebs

• Descale your coffee maker

• Dust ceiling fans

• Wash windows 

• Clean curtains/draperies (as needed)

• Wipe down blinds 

There are also cleaning tasks you may want to address on an as-needed basis, like having your carpeting and rugs professionally steam cleaned. You may notice that closets and cabinets become disorganized, so you’ll want to set aside time to address these tasks too. Cleaning your outside windows and washing walls might be a task you perform a couple of times per year. You can work these as-needed chores into your overall cleaning plan. 

Depending on your own home, you may need to perform some tasks more or less frequently. Homes with pets may require a weekly vacuuming of furnishings, for instance. Homes with kids may require more emphasis on organization and decluttering.  And at the end of the day, if you don't have time to clean you can always outsource the cleaning to a company like Absolute Domestics.

Cleaning tips

As you become adept at cleaning your home, you’re sure to develop some of your own tried-and-true techniques for achieving an efficient clean. Until then, here are some of our helpful tips to keep in mind as you clean your house or apartment:

Choose a start and endpoint

Keep cleaning from becoming an overwhelming chore by choosing a start and endpoint. You might keep cleaning to a certain amount of time, like an hour. Or, you might limit your cleaning to a single or a certain number of tasks. 

Load your supplies in a cart

A cleaning cart makes transporting your cleaning supplies from room to room easier. It’s why many professional cleaning services use carts and totes too. Be sure your cleaning station has room to stow your cart or tote.

Clean in waves

Cleaning tends to be a process, so don’t try to combine tasks together, or you might feel frustrated and overwhelmed. Instead, clean in waves. Set aside one cleaning session for de-cluttering and another for sanitizing surfaces. This way, you can focus on one type of chore and perform it with efficiency.

Clean in sections

Focus on one area or section at a time so that you maintain an efficient workflow. For example, dust top shelves first and work your way to the bottom of bookcases and shelving units. Similarly, you can focus on one room at a time, combine tasks like your kitchen, living room, or bathroom.

Last-minute guests

Even with great effort and the best intentions, it’s not always possible to maintain a home that’s perfectly ready for company. If you find yourself facing a countdown until your last-minute guests arrive, here are some tips to put your cleaning tasks into overdrive:

Start with the kitchen

A clean kitchen is a must when entertaining guests. Many people naturally congregate in the kitchen, and you can’t expect your guests to feel comfortable eating snacks or a meal prepped in a dirty kitchen. 

Bathrooms next

Although you might be sorely tempted to dust your living room, your guests are more likely to forgive a layer of bookshelf dust than a dirty bathroom. Focus on the essentials:

• Remove toothpaste from the sink

• Sanitize the toilet

• Replace hand towels with fresh ones

• Scrub away noticeable dirt from the floor 

• Scour the tub (if there’s no time, keep the shower curtain closed)

Living room / family room / dining room

Next, tackle the room where you plan to host your guests: sweep, vacuum, and dust. Often, a quick vacuuming and removal of clutter will freshen up these spaces adequately. If you have pets that shed, you may also want to ‘de-shed’ your sofa and chairs for your guests.

Entrance / foyer

Be sure to check your entrance for signs of clutter or dirt, as this area is the first your guests will see. You might want to spray room freshener and sweep the floor to make a great first impression on visitors.

Wrap-up

With small daily efforts to clean and maintain your home’s organization, you can avoid the need to devote your weekend to cleaning, and you can achieve a home that’s ‘mostly’ company ready. You’ll find that when your home is clean, you’ll feel less stressed and more relaxed, knowing that your belongings are stowed in their place and that your environment is fresh and welcoming. 

Originally posted on Porch.com

Maintenance tips that will keep your kitchen looking like new for a long time

We usually can't afford new furniture, a living room or a kitchen every couple of years. It means a lot of expenses for people who usually live on a budget. That is one more reason to keep your house clean and maintain your space well organized and intact. This is especially important when it comes to your kitchen because it is a part of your house that is very prone to becoming dirty, messy, to have spills or stains all over the place if you don't take care of it. Your kitchen can look new for many years if you take care of it regularly. Consider that a small investment of your time and effort that will pay off as time goes by. We will give you some useful tips on how to do this properly and what to pay attention to. 

Have a minimalist kitchen

The kitchen that needs to be kept tidy should be minimalist because that way, there will never be too much mess and it will be easy for you to maintain it clean and organized. Also, if you move all those jars and utensils, there will be fewer things that can be broken. You can put them in different cabinets rather than on the counters. That way, you won't have to move them every time you want to clean the counters. You save a lot of time and effort by doing this. Pay attention to countertops as well. Imagine seeing them dirty every once in a while. You would probably not be in a good mood for cooking. Keeping them clean will make them nice and welcoming for what they are made for cooking. By doing so, you will have your kitchen cleaner and you will eat homemade food which is better for your health. 

Think About Your Kitchen Triangle

There is a theory about the kitchen triangle. To be more specific, the three most used kitchen parts should stay one close to another, according to this theory. Those parts are the sink, the stove, and the refrigerator. This theory should be taken into account because it states that keeping these three kitchen features together will make your kitchen more functional because it will save your time. That way, you will have more time to take care of other things like preparing food or cleaning. If you want to redesign your kitchen, bear this in mind. 

Clean the sink and cooktops regularly 

Even if you´re not a person who cooks on a daily basis there is always some dirt left on the sink or cooktops. Make sure their surfaces are maintained clean. It will never take a lot of time if it is done regularly. Never let the dishes pile up because the most expensive kitchen will look ugly if it's messy and dirty. When you spill something, make sure you clean it as soon as possible because if you let it dry, later you will have a lot more work to do since it will be more difficult to clean it. 

Have some budget for domestic appliance repairs because if your dishwasher doesn’t work that will make a mess in your kitchen. It is always good to keep all the elements functional, other than clean and tidy. 

Have kitchen tools and cleaning agent

Store your cleaning products under the sink or any other place that you find comfortable. They shouldn't be in the way and should only serve their purpose. You don’t need to buy cleaning agents if you have the patience to make one at home. The ingredients for a homemade cleaning agent are one teaspoon of baking soda, two tablespoons of vinegar, and half a teaspoon of dish soap. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and shake it before use. This is a quick and economical way of making a cleaning product that will take away the stains effectively.

Trash Bags & Recycling Containers

Garbage management and recycling is another important step to make your kitchen always look good and also to avoid bad smells. Get some large trash bags and recycling containers. This way, you will be able to get rid of all the trash right away. If not, you will have to use more bags to dump the food leftovers. Having a bunch of little trash bags in your kitchen will make it look messy. Another option is the trash-and-recycling duo for waste management that is a little bit more expensive than a regular bag but it is very useful. 

The right materials

In the end, make sure your kitchen furniture and floors are made of materials that won't get damaged fast and that are easy to clean. Although the physical appearance is very important to make it all look nice, don't make it an absolute priority. Since many activities are carried out in the kitchen, like cooking, eating, even kids playing with schoolmates, this means that the surfaces in the kitchen will always be prone to becoming dirty. Look for stain-resistant materials, especially when it comes to the wall units, the table, and the floor. Even if it is a more plain material that is not that impacting aesthetically, it's still better than one that will require special maintenance. Avoid elements like a glass wall or door because the constant touching will make them always dirty. 

Whether you are buying a new kitchen or you have decided to take more care of the old one, these tips can come in very handy because following them can make your kitchen last for many more years. Think about saving money that can, later on, be invested in other things instead of cleaning products or a new table or floor that was stained and thus not attractive. Make sure the organization of your kitchen space is practical and that you always have some cleaning products as first aid against stains and dirt. Avoid impractical materials that night, be pretty but prone to be stained. Take care of the trash regularly and do some recycling on the way. Although it sound like basic advice, long-term it can make wonders for your kitchen and your budget. 

Improvements to Make in Your New Home to Fit Your Needs

Your new home is likely the biggest investment you've made in your life. With such a large-scale purchase, it's important to ensure that your new home will meet all of your needs and preferences, as well as the needs and preferences of those around you. Here are just a few tips on improving the new home that could help you achieve these goals.

Add a Modern Shower Head

If you are in the market for a new home, one of the first things you will likely want to start doing is shopping around for the perfect showerhead. You may wish to make sure that your shower head will spray in a more modern design than what was in your last home. One large benefit of having a nicer, newer shower head is that it will typically come with better options for adjusting water temperature and pressure. If your showerhead comes with an adjustable nozzle, you will be able to customize the spray of water from one side of the head to the other. This can be especially useful if you have long hair and prefer some mild shampoo action on the other side.

Improve All Your Bathroom Fixtures

Tub to shower conversion kits are typically a pretty easy DIY project for most homeowners. The steps involved in the upgrade include removing your tub, adding the new shower liner, and then putting your old tub back into place. One benefit of this is adding a newly remodeled bathroom without completely gutting the room and starting from scratch.

Update Your Kitchen Appliances

Kitchen appliances are a relatively large investment and one that should be more than enough to warrant going through the design process with a professional. Many upgrades can be completed to make your kitchen machine even better than you had hoped for, especially if you decide to upgrade from an outdated energy-saving appliance to something more energy efficient.

Improve Your Fireplace

A fireplace is an excellent addition to any home, but if you have not used it in years or you do not like the way that it looks, then you may find a remodel job to be a good idea. This is especially true if your fireplace does not fit well with the design of your living room. One way to make improvements to your fireplace without making any permanent changes is by installing a decorative gas log kit.

Remodel Your Garage

It may seem strange to remodel your garage, but there are several things that you can do with your garage as a remodel project. A few of these include replacing the flooring or painting the ceiling and walls an accent color. In addition, if you have converted space in your garage for a purpose other than parking, such as using it as a workshop or storage area, then you could even choose to move some of the building materials back into another room. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

There are many benefits of remodeling your new home, and you may even be able to get some ideas for home improvement projects via magazines or online sources. A little investment and time can go a long way in helping you create the ideal home that meets your needs.

Best ROI Home Improvement Ideas

Are you planning a few home renovation projects? Whether it’s simply repainting the living room or replacing old floor boards, chances are, they can actually increase your home’s value! If you intend to sell your home in the future, check out some of these home improvement ideas known for having the best return of interest (ROI)! 

Apply a fresh coat of paint 

Sometimes old cabinets and doors simply need to be repainted to look good as new. You can also add a splash of color to the kitchen or living room walls to brighten up the space. 

Declutter your space

Basements and garages are influential areas for potential home buyers (and also usually the first parts of the home that become cluttered). This is why hiring professional organizers is a great investment. An organized, spacious garage and basement are both appealing and show potential buyers that they’re easy to maintain! 

Level up the Kitchen

Aside from the living room, the kitchen is an area of the home where there will be the most traffic and family gatherings. Sinks can begin to rust and loosen over time, so replacing them helps improve functionality and aesthetics. 

It’s also a good idea to check kitchen appliances in case any of them need to be replaced. Also consider adding important features to buyers, such as a kitchen island and walk-in pantry. Both of these options free up counter space, which can improve organization and the overall look!

Revamp your landscaping

Last but not least, an excellent landscape design is a great way to boost your curb appeal. If you don’t have a green thumb, hiring a landscaping specialist can be worth the investment. After all, it is the first view of your home and, depending on the size of your yard, can require a lot of maintenance. 

Of course, always evaluate your budget before beginning any project. While some DIY renovations are simple, others may require more than you’ve planned, especially if plumbing and electric installations are involved. 

For additional home improvement ideas, check out HomeAdvisor’s full guide on ways to increase your home’s value.