How to Clean the House
Most of us are never taught how to clean the house. You may have certain habits and tricks that we’ve picked up from parents and adults, but not a holistic system. Any biases they had been passed down to you. Use our weekly and monthly cleaning checklist to make sure you aren’t missing something.
Clean houses are healthier to live in and have powerful positive psychological effects. Let’s check out some tips for how to clean the house:
How to Clean the House: Rhythms and Systems
Habit formation is a strong predictor of behavior. If cleaning isn’t a part of your lifestyle, you won’t do it. You need to integrate cleaning into the usual rhythms and systems of your life.
Certain things need to be cleaned a couple of times a week, while others need to be cleaned monthly. You may struggle to clean the monthly things more than the weekly ones! You usually get in the habit of cleaning things that must be cleaned more often.
Weekly Cleaning
- Carpet – vacuuming
- Bathroom – fixtures
- Kitchen (sink, appliances, counters, cabinets)
- Tile and wood floors
- Tables and chairs
- Dusting
- Doorhandles
- Windows
Monthly Cleaning
- Exterior (doors, patio)
- Walls
- Disinfecting
- Ceiling fan dusting
- Carpet – deeper cleaning
- Bathroom – deeper cleaning
Invest in Cleaning Products
It doesn’t really matter how you clean the house if you don’t have the right tools. You may want to clean without spending money on cleaning products, but this won’t allow you to get the house very clean. Learning how to clean the house means learning what products to buy. Consider getting these products:
- Disinfectant
- Rags
- Vacuum cleaner
- Floor cleaner (hardwood, tile)
- Bathroom cleaner
- Window cleaner
- Carpet cleaner
- Wood tarnish repair and shine
- Duster for ceiling fans
If you don’t have a lot of cleaning products, it can be expensive to buy the right tools to keep things clean. You may want to look into residential cleaning services. Once you factor in time, energy, and product cost, it might be a comparable solution.
How to Make Cleaning a Habit?
Cleaning a house can take from a few hours a week to 10 hours a week. It will take closer to 10 hours a week if you want a deeper clean. For some people, it’s best to block out some time on a Saturday or Sunday to clean. Others will want to handle specific chores on each weeknight.
Podcasts and music can make cleaning more tolerable. You may have to get strict with yourself. Designate a Tuesday night as “cleaning night,” order a pizza, and forego TV or reading until things are clean.
How Long Will it Take to Clean the House?
It will depend on how often you clean. If you have the time to clean a few times a week for a few hours, it will be easy to stay on top of things. If not, it can pile up and really eat into your weekend.
Final Advice
You might be too busy to devote that 10 hours a week to give a thorough clean. That’s okay! Lifestyles are changing and priorities are different. Paying for a residential cleaning service might be a great way to keep things clean without sacrificing your time, energy or weekends.