A long time friend of mine sent me a text recently, it went just like this, “I think you should write in your blog How to Clean House.” Now that may seem like a simple answer to you, but for some the task is overwhelming. So let’s start out with just 5 steps to a cleaner house.

I actually like to clean the house. I feel like a million bucks when I finish. Then I can take a long bath in my clean tub, drink a little and relax knowing my house looks awesome. Taking the time to thoroughly clean will make the job of tidying so much easier.

Start With One Room

The overwhelming problem of a clean house is the way it looks in our heads, right? If you stand at one end of your house and look at the other end thinking, “how am I ever going to get this done?” It can feel like too much.

Well the truth is, getting the WHOLE HOUSE clean at one time is too much. I used to work a Monday to Friday job. I did not want to spend all weekend cleaning my house. On Friday night I got home around 5:00. When I hit the door the cleaning started.

It was kind of crazy when I think about it now, but I would spend next 4 or 5 hours cleaning my ENTIRE house. I can’t do that anymore. I don’t want to do that any more, but if there is any hope of getting a clean house and then keeping a clean house you have to start somewhere and that somewhere is starting with one room. One room at a time until it is clean, really clean. Then you just have to maintain the process after that.

So which room should I start with? That is the question.

STEP 1

Start With The Bathroom

Why the bathroom? Well in my humble opinion the bathrooms or bathroom is easy and I will tell you why.

We are not talking about decluttering the bathroom. That will come later!!. We are talking about cleaning it. Cleaning the bathroom is straight forward and does not take that long. It also is the most satisfying. I think cleaning the bathroom gives me immediate gratification and that is what we are looking for, right? So let’s make a list okay?

Take all rugs, towels and waste paper basket.
Put the towels and rugs in the washing machine. Start washer.
Remove everything from the tub, shower, and sink. Also anything sitting on the back of the commode. Put them in the hall.
Use the clorox or shower cleaner and spray down the shower and bathtub. Let it site a moment.
Shake comet or barkeepers friend in the tub.
From top of the shower to the bathtub start to scrub downwards.
The comet or abrasive cleaner should only be in the tub. As you get close to the tub, take off your shoes and get in the scrub the side of the bathtub really well.
Step out of the tub and rinse top to bottom your shower to the bathtub. Rinse the walls of the shower and bathtub really well.
Make sure you wipe down the faucet and handles as well as the shower head.
I always spray my shower curtain liner with a good clorox cleaner or mildew remover.
Spray the sinks and vanities with an all purpose spray cleaner.
Put comet or barkeepers friend in the sinks.
Wipe these surfaces down with your washclothes. Fill one sink with water to use for rinsing.
Be sure the send all the hair and dirt towards the sink filled with water.
Wipe around the faucets and handles. This is where that old toothbrush comes in handy.
Spray Windex on the mirrors over the sinks.
Use your paper towels the clean the mirrors.
While you are there if you have a light fixture that needs cleaning do that too with paper towels and Windex.
After you have wiped down your mirrors use the paper towels and wipe of all the metal handles, faucets and towel bars.
Clean the toilet with comet. Use a toilet scrub brush and scrub the rim of your toilet well.
Use the washcloths and wipe all the other surfaces of the toilet.
Fill the mop bucket with water and VERY little cleaner of your choice. Mop yourself out of the bathroom, taking all cleaners and supplies with you.
Wait 30mins or till floor dries. Then put clean towels and rugs back in. Put all your shower supplies back in.
Stand at the door and look at how clean and wonderful your bathroom looks.

This is a lot of steps broken down. It does not take as long as it looks like. I promise.

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It may seem like a lot of steps but once you get going it’s really not. Actually a lot of it is done simultaneously.

STEP 2

The Kitchen

I just believe in getting the hard stuff out of the way first. If you get these rooms done first you will feel so great the rest will be a breeze.

The kitchen is used so often and sometimes it is neglected in a real clean up. Seems a bit crazy but it is true. So let’s get started.

Clear off all surfaces. I mean all of them. Take every appliance and dish, bowl, plate, plant, I mean everything of the counters.
Put all that stuff in a box or clothes basket for now.
If you have shelves over your sink remove the things off of their too.
Wipe these surfaces down with a good cleaner that removes grease too.
If you have drip pans soak them in the sink.
Wipe your stove off. Use either bar keepers friend or a magic sponge. They are great.
Sometimes the stove needs extra elbow grease.
Wipe of the face of the stove and refrigerator. Do not use Windex on stainless steel. They have cleaners for stainless steel.
Take a paper towel to these surfaces after cleaning them to polish them up a bit.
Use a comet to clean around the sink, faucet and handles.
This is where the old toothbrush can come in handy again.
I prefer to clean with old wash cloths. I just do not like sponges.
Remove old unwanted food in the refrigerator. You maybe surprised what is lurking in there.
Wipe the refrigerator shelves down. Milk is the absolute worse for getting shelves messy.
Wipe your stoves pans out after soaking and then put them back in.
Put 1/2 of what you took of the counters back and your shelves if you have any.
Get rid of the other 1/2.
Wipe your faucet and handles off with paper towels to polish them up a bit.
Fill your mop bucket with water and a little cleaner, not much.
Mop your way out of your kitchen.

The process is similar in some ways. Just don’t short change yourself. Rome was not built in a day. I will make a confession here. I do not mop that often. I clean the counters often and I keep my counter tops pretty clean but mopping is not something I do often. Just when I think it is dirty. Also dishes in the sink is a dirty kitchen!!! (pretty much if they are in the dishwasher too)

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STEP 3

The Bedrooms

AFter you finish the kitchen and the bedroom guess what, the rest is a breeze. I will tell you one little secret, when I start really cleaning my house I don’t get out of my PJs. I start in my bathroom the minute my feet hit the floor. That is when I am most motivated. Especially if I wrote it down in my bullet journal the night before.

Side note all about my bullet journal is here: How to Bullet Journal If I write in my journal I know the next morning it is on, LIKE DONKEY KONG!!!

The bedroom is your sanctuary. You want it to be clean and tidy. You will sleep better on a clean bed. You will also breathe better on a clean bed.

So on to the bedroom,

1. Strip the bed, you can keep your pjs on!:) Just strip the bed. Head to the washer with those. If you have another set to put on the bed do that right now.

A. Start the washer wit h your sheets and other bedding.

2. Make your bed back up. I wrote about How To Make Up A Pretty Bed Here

If you want to review it just click on the highlighted post.

3. Take all the things off of your dressers and dust.

4. Wipe your lamps off with a very, very slightly damp cloth. If your vacuum has an attachment use that on your lamp shades.

5. Put your things back on the dressers. I would say put 1/2 of what you took off the dressers back on, if this is an issue, but we will discuss decluttering later.

6. Last thing to do either vacuum or dust mop. I have wood floors to dust mop.

A. I can’t stand dust kitties, so I go under the dressers, bed and anything else with the dust mop.

7. Put your sheets in the dryer and when they are done fold them and put them up.

If no one sleeps in a room, don’t feel compelled to do all this over and over. Just lightly dust these rooms.

Step 4

The Den or Living Room

The den is probably the easiest to clean. Start at the top and work your way down.

Remove everything from your mantels, coffee tables or any hard surfaces.
Dust all of these surfaces.
Use a vacuum cleaner on your lamps or lightly dust with a slightly damp rag.
As you put half of what you took off of your hard surfaces wipe these things down as well.
Vacuum, dust mop or sweep your floors.
Put on some dancing music because you are almost finished!!!

Step 5

The Finishing Touches

As a side note a few things I carry with me from room to room.

A clothes basket to fill with things that belong other places. I have a basement, I don’t want to go up and down the stairs a million times.
A trash bag. To empty waste baskets in and any other things that need to be thrown away, like all the paper towels I use.

The last few things are not much. Now that all the rooms are pretty much clean, clean, clean time to take care of final things.

The hall and foyers are last. For me this is when I glance at the front and back door too. The glass in these need to be taken care of.

Sweep, mop or vacuum the foyer and halls.
Check your glass screen doors and clean with glass cleaner if necessary. (Mine usually are because of my yorkies and because of my grandkids. )
Walk room to room and run a duster across your wall hangings.
If you have rugs in these areas, definitely vacuum them as well.

Wrap It Up

The finale step to your clean house is putting it all back together. As I finish a room I shut the door. You decide what you want to do to show a room complete. There are lots of little things to finish up and show off a job well done.

I usually light a final candle put on a movie and read a little bit. Maybe drink a little hot tea.

If someone tells you “You can clean your house in 30 minutes”, well that is just not real true. Once you do get it clean then maintaining it is a breeze. That is where the 30min may come in.

Overtime I find I have to do this more thorough cleaning again. It is not often, but I do!

For me cleaning can be therapeutic. It is a very good feeling when the job is done. Give yourself time to do it well once and the reward will last all year.

Let’s Talk About Decluttering Next time. How do you clean your house? Tell me in the comments.