At a time when most of us are struggling to keep up with our daily household chores, the prospect of dedicating an entire weekend or a few days to deep clean your home may seem rather daunting.
Thanks to our busy schedules and hectic lifestyle, it’s not exactly easy to clean your house from top to bottom every week or so. However, that doesn’t mean you should keep living in a house that might appear clean on the surface but is actually untidy. What most homeowners fail to realize is that your house can’t be truly clean until you have dusted and sanitized all the hidden spots as well.
How Often Should You Deep Clean Your Home?
Before we begin, you first need to learn how often you should be deep cleaning certain items and appliances to keep your house clean and tidy.
- Microwave: Every week
- Stovetop: Every week (or as needed)
- Showers and toilet: Every week
- Carpets and tile floors: Every week
- Windows: Every two weeks
- Light fixtures and fans: Every two weeks
- Cabinets: Every month
- Refrigerator: Every month
- Oven: Every two months
- Pillows: Every three months
- Curtains: Every three months
- Mattress and blankets: Every six months
- Showerheads: Every six months
If you are confused about how and where to start your house cleaning routine, you can follow this comprehensive checklist on how to deep clean your home.
Depending on the condition of your home and how often you pick up a duster, you might even be able to tackle this deep cleaning checklist in one weekend. However, if that doesn’t seem possible, you can take it one room or an area at a time.
Deep Clean Your Kitchen
A clean and tidy kitchen can essentially make your house look new.
Microwave
Microwave is one of the most used kitchen appliances, which means you need to clean it regularly. In order to get rid of stubborn stains and bad odours, microwave a cup half-filled with water and lemon slices for three minutes. Then, let it rest for at least 5 more minutes so that the steam loosens up all the grease inside the appliance. Once it cools down, you can take out the cup and easily wipe off all the gunk.
This house cleaning secret works perfectly every time. However, don’t forget to thoroughly clean the turntable inside your microwave as well.
Stovetop
Again, depending on your usage, you might need to clean your stove top rather frequently. If you cook a lot, you would be able to instantly notice grease marks forming on the stainless steel. The best way to deal with this is to wipe off any and all splashes immediately. While regular cleaning sprays will take care of most stains, you might have to use baking soda to get rid of burn marks.
Remember, you can’t deep clean your house without addressing the most important part of your kitchen.
Cabinets
Every month or so, empty all the cabinets in your kitchen and thoroughly wipe them inside and out. Moreover, make sure to go through their contents before placing everything inside. This will also help you declutter and spot products that have either gone bad or are close to their expiration dates. This step will also keep your house clean and organized.
You can also use a solution of equal parts water and white vinegar to wipe greasy cabinet doors. After all, you can’t make your house look spotless with dirty kitchen cabinets.
Oven
You need to deep clean your oven before it starts smelling like the previously cooked food or worse – smoke. Since vinegar helps break down greasy stains and baking soda takes care of burn marks, you can use a mixture of the two to clean the appliance. However, please note the vinegar will react with the baking soda and create foam. You need to spread this foam inside the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before wiping everything down with a damp rag.
Make sure to change the cleaning cloth and wipe the insides of your oven until all the residue is completely gone, leaving your oven looking brand new.
Refrigerator
Your refrigerator needs to be cleaned every month as well. If your food has started smelling or if you can see stains forming inside the fridge, you need to take everything out and turn off the appliance. Then, use a wet cloth to thoroughly wipe down all the shelves and walls, including the inside of the door.
Only turn on the fridge once it’s completely dry from the inside. Don’t forget to throw away the things that might have gone bad and make sure your fridge isn’t filled with more than its capacity.
Deep Clean Your Bathroom
In order to deep clean your home, you need to clean your bathroom at least once every week.
Shower or Bathtub
Both showers and bathtubs are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mould. Therefore, make sure to thoroughly clean the tiles and grout in your bathroom each time you clean the area. You can also use a solution of 2 parts water and 1 part bleach to get rid of fungus and mould in the bathroom.
As for other stains, use a mixture of two parts baking soda and one part hydrogen peroxide to restore your bathtub or shower to its former glory.
Toilet
Although this depends on the usage as well, you can generally clean toilets using a store-bought bathroom cleaner and a toilet brush. However, do not forget to wash and wipe the toilet seat and the flush handle with an antibacterial solution to avoid any skin infections. You can use a solution of water and bleach to get rid of any stains that won’t go away despite the wash.
Deep Clean Your Bedroom
Here are a few house deep cleaning tips that will freshen up your bedroom.
Bedding
Although you might not realize it, your bedroom might be crawling with dust mites, which are the biggest cause behind house allergies. Since these insect-like pests feed on dead skin and dander, you need to regularly wash your pillow covers, bed sheets and blankets.
Moreover, since pillows and mattress can also soak up dirt and dust, you need to wash them too. If you want to clean a house professionally, you have to wash your pillows every few months or so. As for the mattress, make sure to get it steam cleaned twice a year.
Apart from your bedding, allergens can be hiding in a number of spots across your house. Therefore, don’t forget to take a look at more ways to allergy-proof your home.
Closet
The first step to deep cleaning your closet is by decluttering. Once you have separated out stuff you need to throw, donate and keep, you can wipe down the shelves and hangers with an antibacterial wipe.
If you have a wooden closet, you can use a wood polish spray to make the surface look clean and shiny.
Deep Clean Your Living and Drawing Rooms
Here is the deep cleaning checklist for two of the most important parts of your house.
Light fixtures and fans
Unless you want a random dust bunny to unceremoniously land atop a guest when you turn on a fan in your house, you need to include dusting ceiling fans in your deep cleaning checklist. You can use a feather duster followed by a wet cleaning cloth to wipe the dust off your fans.
As for the light fixtures, use a clean microfiber cloth to take care of all the dirt. However, don’t touch the lights immediately after turning off the switch as you might end up burning yourself.
Couch
Vacuum your couch to take care of all the dead skin and dust that accumulates there over the week. If you have pets, you might have to clean your sofa set and couch even more frequently. To properly deep clean your house, make sure to get rid of all the stains and spills on the fabric of your couch. If possible, wash the covers of your cushions and throw pillows to make them look brand new.
Tables and chairs
If your coffee table or dining table look too crowded, clear away everything and wipe off the surface. While you can place a few, small decorative items or some magazines on the table in your living room, your dining table should only have a centrepiece along so that there’s enough space for a table setting.
Meanwhile, if your furniture looks scratched and worn out, here are some of the best ways to give new life to old furniture without going over budget.
Curtains
You don’t necessarily have to take curtains off the rod and pop them into the washing machine every few weeks – unless they look exceptionally dirty. The best way to clean house fast and easy is by using a duster to wipe the dust particles off your curtains.
However, every three to four months, you must wash them yourself or send them to dry cleaners. Fresh and clean curtains will not only make your decor look expensive but also keep your house clean and tidy.
Deep Clean Other Parts of your Home
Don’t forget include these things in your deep cleaning checklist.
Doors and windows
Doors and windows are perhaps the most important of any house cleaning checklist. If you want to deep clean your home, you need to wash down your windows and clean their screens on a regular basis. Moreover, wipe down the doors in your home with a lint-free cloth and a cleaning spray.
You can also use antibacterial wipes to clean door and window handles.
Flooring
A dirty carpet with visible stains and dull looking floor tiles can pretty much ruin your entire décor. Therefore, you can’t deep clean your home without putting in some extra effort to make your floors look new.
You can use detergent to get rid of most carpet stains or roll it up and send it to the dry cleaners twice a year. Meanwhile, the tile floors can be kept clean by wiping them with a wet piece of cloth on a daily basis. Just make sure to avoid using any acidic floor cleaners.
Take a look at some affordable ways to clean the tile floors in your house.
Walls and ceilings
Last but not least, take a feather duster to clean dust particles off your walls and ceilings. Since it might take you a bit longer to tackle the entire house all at once, you can clean walls and ceilings as you deep clean each room.
You might not realize it, but a clean and tidy home will also have a positive effect on your mood. Although your schedule might make it a little difficult, it’s imperative for you to take some time out to deep clean your home for a healthier life.
Meanwhile, once you are done deep cleaning your house from top to bottom, here are a few weekend DIY projects that will spruce up your space and make your décor look extravagant.
