Cleaning your house regularly is important for the health and hygiene of your and your family. But giving your house a deep clean is equally important! It can be quite a daunting task to do – and also how to deep clean your house correctly! You definitely want to be efficient when deep cleaning your house, so that you do not spend any more time than absolutely necessary for getting the job done.
So how do you deep clean your house?
What is deep cleaning really?
Do know how to do it, is it important to fully understand what a deep clean consists of. It means a full clean of the whole house including all things you might miss on your regular clean. It includes airing your property and cleaning items such as curtains, carpets, mattresses, and even chandeliers. All rooms, including seldom-used rooms, are aired out. Mattresses are flipped and everything is given a clean and check-up to ensure the furniture and interiors of the property are kept in top-notch condition.
How to prepare for your deep clean
1. Plan your schedule
If possible, don’t have many people staying over in the house whilst you are doing the deep cleaning. It is much easier to get through everything if there is a minimum amount of people using rooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms etc. However if you cannot avoid it, make sure you plan ahead.
Make sure everyone is clear and up to date about when the deep clean will happen in what area of the house – as you might spread out the work over several days.
2. De-clutter
Before doing any deep cleaning, remove old unwanted clothes and clear out cupboards. Get rid of old boxes lying around, and anything you really should have disposed of a long time ago. You want to start your deep clean by only cleaning the items that need to stay – so you won’t waste your time moving things around that could have been thrown out.
3. Be aware of the seasons
Deep cleaning the house in different seasons means different chores might be required so plan accordingly for cleaning at different times of the year. If you are planning your deep clean in the spring or summer, you would hope for nice weather. Being able to open (back)doors or windows whilst you are cleaning can enormously help in getting fresh air in already. Washing will also dry much quicker in the sunshine, and it will declutter your rooms inside if you can put stuff outside/in the garden temporarily. So if you can, try and time your deep cleaning with a couple of days of nice dry weather to help you along.
Tools & Products to Deep Clean the House
To get the most out of your deep clean, and to work as efficiently as possible, make sure you have all the right tools and equipment working and in place. Check to make sure everything is working, and you have all the products stocked. You don’t want to be halfway through your deep clean onto to realise the mop is broken od the vacuum cleaner needs fixing. The list below is a guideline to the essential tools and products your housekeeper will need for a deep clean:
- Cloths, sponges, abrasive scrubbing pads and towels which you don’t mind being used for the cleaning (they may need throwing away after a deep clean)
- Washing up bowls – one for clean water. Another for dirty water
- Your favourite disinfectant, washing up liquid and degreaser (eco-friendly products if preferred)
- Oven cleaner
- Baking soda
- Glass cleaner
- A spray bottle filled with equal parts of vinegar and water
- An old toothbrush or small scrubbing brush to get into the tight areas
- Rubber gloves
- Vacuum cleaner. If you are looking for a new vacuum cleaner, read this article to find out what might work best for you.
- Mop/steam mop
- Indoor broom
Deep Clean the House – Kitchen
- Oven: often the hardest piece of kitchen equipment to clean but a clean oven is essential to having a clean and functioning kitchen. Off-the-shelf oven cleaners work well but if you’d rather use more eco-friendly products, you can make a paste out of baking soda and water to scrub the oven interior. The longer you can leave the product to soak in, the easier it will be to remove the grease and grime. So begin the deep clean with the oven and leave the cleaner to soak while you carry on with the rest of the kitchen. Also, remove the oven racks and soak them in soapy water. Then scrub them clean.
- Hob & Extractor fan: these areas can get very greasy so use a degreaser on them.
- Fridge/freezer: empty the fridge/freezer and discard any out of date produce. Wipe the shelves with a soapy cloth, then use disinfectant spray and finally dry with a towel before putting back all the food.
- Dishwasher: Empty the dishwasher. put half a cup of vinegar and baking soda in the soap dispenser and put the dishwasher on a hot cycle.
- Cupboard doors: wipe down cupboard doors with soapy water and dry with a towel. Clean the door handles with disinfectant spray.
- Floor: sweep and mop the floor in that order. If the floor is tiled, use a toothbrush with baking soda to clean the grout between the tiles.
Deep Clean the House – Bathroom
- Tiles and grout: wipe down the tiles with soapy water and scrub the grout with an old toothbrush and some baking soda. Then rinse off the tiles with clean water. Dry with an old towel.
- Shower screen and mirrors: clean the shower screen and mirrors with glass cleaner and wipe with a dry cloth.
- Taps and showerhead: clean with soapy water and a wet cloth. Rinse with clean water then dry with an old towel to avoid watermarks.
- Accessories: make sure you clean the toothbrush holder, soap dish and any other bathroom accessories. Put away any products which should be in bathroom cabinets and organize if needed.
- Toilet: the toilet should be cleaned every day, but when doing a deep clean ensure you clean behind the toilet, the base, and the top of the tank as well.
Deep Clean the House – Bedroom
- Top to bottom: Start at the top of the room and work your way to the bottom. Any lampshades or extractor fans on the ceiling need to be dusted and cleaned first. Also, ceilings and corners is where dust will hide. Any chandeliers would require special care when removing and cleaning all parts individually.
- Remove items that do not belong: If anything was left in the bedroom that normally shouldn’t be there, remove it and bring it to its suitable room. Empty any bins and remove and rubbish.
- Clean the furniture: use a damp cloth and any suitable cleaning product to wipe down all the bedroom furniture
- Wet rag: Using a wet rag wipe under and across all the surfaces, including window sills, side table, and occasional tables.
- Flooring: Take ane rugs out to be aired and beaten outside. Spot treat any stains. Hoover the floor and mop if required
- Bed: Flip the mattress and spot treat any stains. You can Hoover the mattress too. Clean under the mattress if you normally cannot reach there. Clean all of the bed furniture with suitable cleaning products.
- Curtains: Take off all the curtains and wash them. Dry clean if needed.
- Air the room
Deep Clean the House – Doors & Windows
- Doors: doors and door handles can get grubby and greasy with regular use. Wipe the doors down with soapy water and dry with an old towel. Clean door handles with disinfectant spray and then wipe with a dry cloth.
- Windows: wipe down the frame with soapy water and then dry with an old towel. Then clean the glass with glass cleaner and a dry cloth.
Deep Clean the House – Sofas & Chairs
- Sofas: remove all cushions from sofas. Vacuum and plump the cushions, and vacuum the base of the sofa, before replacing the cushions.
- Chairs: wipe down the chairs with soapy water and then dry with an old towel.
How can Polo & Tweed Help?
Deep cleaning, or even just cleaning your house properly is hard. And very time-consuming! You might want to consider getting a Housekeeper to help you with all these tasks. Or if you want to learn how to do all these skills better – why not consider one of our Housekeeping training courses? We have options for group training, tailor made private courses and E-learning, from the comfort of your own home.
Polo & Tweed are world leaders in finding and placing the best housekeepers within households big and small all over the world. From full time live in Housekeepers to part-time roles. To find out more about what options work best for you, or to find a new housekeeper for your household, do contact us here now and we look forward to speak to you!