No matter how busy you are during the day, your home is still the most important place in your life. If you’re there most of the time, it shapes your world, and if you are hardly ever there, it is a safe retreat from outside stress. Sometimes life can get on top of you, and your home becomes less of a priority, falling further and further down your list. While other aspects of your responsibilities such as work and family commitments might seem to get in the way of concentrating on a thorough clean of your home, there are ways of tackling it without making it into such a huge task and reading an article such as the one here can really help. All you need is patience, determination, and the willpower to see it through. Here are some useful steps to follow when undertaking the ultimate deep clean.
Prioritize
Before you start pulling out the sponges and sprays, take a breath and sit down with a pen and notepad. The most difficult part of a deep house clean is getting started as it is the threshold between peace and a few days of mild chaos. Breaking this barrier and actually starting takes more effort and willpower than the act of cleaning itself. That’s why it’s good to have a plan of action to follow so you aren’t relying on whims and distractions to pull you along to the end. Write a list of your top priorities; is the kitchen a mess? Does the garage need a clear out? Have you forgotten about the spare room because it is so full of junk? Take note of the places in your home that you want to clean the most and outline the major tasks that accompany them, such as large pieces of furniture that require specialist cleaning. Once you have a rough plan, it will be much less daunting to roll up your sleeves and get started.
Lighten the Load
The longer you put off a big clean, the more junk your home will accumulate. Very few people can maintain a perfect balance of items in and items out of their home as this would require a superhuman level of efficiency. Therefore, when it is time to start the deep clean, you’ll first need to rid your home of all the unnecessary objects that clutter its corners. Even the tidiest homes have hidden drawers with useless junk and cupboards full of unused toys and clothes. Take your time to decide which possessions you want to keep and which don’t deserve to stay. Try not to be too sentimental about things like a broken bit of your sister’s old flute unless you can strongly justify keeping it. It’s good to have a second pair of eyes during this process as they can help you assess whether or not something truly has value – sentimental or practical – or if it should be discarded. Invite friends to your home and create a mini store where they can choose from your old possessions. Maybe someone always loved your old jacket, and now they have the opportunity to take it home. Maybe you stopped using your blender, but your neighbor has started a smoothie diet. Whichever way you do it, try to get as much of the unwanted junk out of your home before you take on the deep clean.
Divide Cleverly
Seeing the deep clean as one huge project will only cause you more stress. Instead, think of it as small bites of activity that you can approach individually. Depending on the size of your home, you might want to work on one floor at a time or one room at a time. Maybe you’ll do all the bookshelves or all the wardrobes at once. By dividing your work into manageable chunks, you will see progress much sooner than if you attempted to tidy it all in one go. Try not to block yourself from an essential part of your home for too long – for example, don’t pile your trash into the bathroom until it’s time to take it out because you’ll end up having to wade through it every time you need the toilet.
Strip Back
It’s not just furniture that needs cleaning or polishing. The house itself shouldn’t be forgotten during the big clean as it serves as the base from which the rest of your home grows. A beautiful painting might not look so good on a stained and peeling wall. Take the time to recruit professionals such as carpet cleaners Boise to achieve the best results and save you a sore back. Even if you consider yourself fairly handy, don’t attempt to fix electrics or plumbing without consulting someone who knows how to deal with it. You could end up injuring yourself or making the problem worse. You never know how much of a difference it makes to a room once the windows are clear, the floors are spotless, and the doors don’t squeak.
Clean Big to Small
Once you’ve cleaned the house – windows, carpets, doors, walls – you should move onto larger or messier bits of furniture. Sofas and shelves are more important to clean than the cushions or ornaments on them. You will be rewarded with more satisfaction earlier by doing it this way, instead of polishing one item at a time and seeing no real change in the overall cleanliness of your home.
Safety
While you are cleaning and tidying, especially when it is a big job that you hope to complete over one weekend, it can be tempting to move as fast as you can and take little risks to save time. Some people enjoy cleaning, but if that isn’t you, then it’s understandable that you would want it to be over quickly. However, it is vital that you don’t neglect to take proper safety precautions into account when undertaking your deep clean. Read the labels on all cleaning fluids you use to find out whether they need to be used in a well-ventilated room or are safe for concealed spaces, when possible use green cleaning products. Don’t use flammable sprays near your candles or fireplace. And always remember to move furniture carefully and with the help of someone else.
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