Clean like a maid!
By badbadivy
Let's talk about cleaning. Cleaning is a drag. I hear there are people out there that actually like to clean, but I am not one of them, even though I used to work as a housecleaner. The good thing about having that job is, I learned to clean very quickly and efficiently. Now, I pass that knowledge along to you, Curbly readers!
The mantra of the company I worked for was top to bottom, left to right. This way you could easily walk into any room and know exactly where to get started. The work was divided into"wet rooms" (bathrooms and kitchens) and "dry rooms" (living room, dining room, bedrooms). If we were lucky and weren't understaffed, we'd go out with a partner and one person would do the "wet rooms" and the other person would do the "dry rooms". One "wet room" and one "dry room" would be "deep cleaned" each cleaning.
I still clean my house in the same manner. I try to clean on a weekly schedule, and "deep clean" on a rotating basis. I start with the "wet rooms" first, as I hate cleaning them the most. Getting it out of the way means it's all downhill work from that point on.
On cleaning "wet rooms":
**Maid's Tip** Keep all your cleaning supplies in a tray you can easily carry from room to room. You'll need a blue shop rag, some white rags (I use cloth diapers), an all purpose spray cleaner (I like Formula 409), a glass cleaner, a heavy-duty all-purpose cleaner (such as Simple Green), a floor cleaner (I typically use Mop N Glo), a good toilet bowl cleaner, and a duster.
In bathrooms, I start first with putting the toilet bowl cleaner in the toilet to let it sit while I'm doing everything else. Then (in any room) knock down cobwebs and dust light fixtures. Spray counters, tubs, and sinks. Spray the dirtiest parts first, then move around the room wiping everything down from left to right. Only bother to wipe down the mirror if it's smeary. If you want your fixturesto really shine, use glass cleaner on them. Run your duster along the baseboards and cabinet fronts, then swish the toilet. Sweep the floor. Toss down some Mop N Glo, wipe it up, and you're finished.
This is probably obvious, but make sure you don't use the same rag in the kitchen as you do in the bathroom. E. coli is a bad, bad thing.
**Maid's Tip** Cleaning your microwave is easy peasy. Put a bowl of vinegar and water in the microwave, and cook on high for 3 minutes. Then just wipe out the microwave with a rag. The vinegar will take care of that funky popcorn/bacon smell combo most everyone's microwave has, and the steam will soften even the most funky funk that's in your microwave.
On cleaning "dry rooms":
Dry rooms are a breeze. Knock down cobwebs, dust light fixtures. Dust all other furniture and picture frames, moving from left to right. (Our bosses at the maid service would occasionally come behind us and check our work- the place they got us most was by doing the "white glove" test on the tops of picture frames. Don't forget the picture frames!) Change the sheets if you're in a bedroom. Run your duster along the baseboards, then vacuum.
**Maid's Tip** There is no good, fast way to dust an area that has lots of knickknacks and tchotchkes on it.My personal design aesthetic keeps me from having those kinds of little items, but if you must have them, only bother to dust those suckers when you're "deep" cleaning. Trust me on this one. ;)
By using this method and making sure you keep up with it weekly, you can clean extremely quickly. I can clean my entire 1200 square foot house in about 45 minutes this way.
Did you like this article?
badbadivy's blog (120 posts)
Subscribe to this blog
Member since: 02/09/07
About:
I'm living proof that you don't need a whole lot of money to pull together...
jenjen
Great tips. I deplore cleaning and this should help get things in order just a bit faster!
I also hate dusting, especially since I have a lot of furniture with grooves and swirls, and I have a lot of books. One thing that I have found that works really wells is a paint brush. I purchased a three pack of soft bristled paintbrushes (the ones for trimming up walls and painting furniture). All I do then is 'paint' my objects. It works really well on blinds, book edges, bric-a-brac, and can really get into the grooves of carved furiture, baseboards, door tops, etc. I'll then wipe down large, flat surfaces with those cheap white washclothes you can buy in bulk.
missjess
GREAT tips, thanks so much for posting this!
JudithDial
I worked briefly for someone who did commercial cleaning: shops, beauty shops, restaurants, etc. His speciality was floors and windows. What he cleaned windows with was a little Dawn, warm water, and a little ammonia. That's it. Of course he used a squeege, but...
The tip I taught him was how I clean the chrome and mirrors in my bathroom. When the room is steamy, take a chamois and wipe the steam off. The spots come up with the steam. No chemicals, no odor, no expense, and quick!
Thanks for the tips!
Judith
getdressedup
Here's a random but great tip that I found: Eliminate refrigerator odors by pouring a little vanilla on a piece of cotton and placing it in the refrigerator or by placing a bowl filled with a few briquettes of charcoalin the back of the refrigerator.
I got this from here btw >> http://www.guidetospringcleaning.com/ =)
magic1
LauraM
Thank you badbadivy, lovely post! I hate cleaning and I'm trying to get better about doing it regularly. I have three cats and a dog, so I also have to combat the horror of pet hair ... which ideally means lots of vacuuming.
I have a question for you -- could you clarify what you would consider "deep cleaning" vs. not? Seems like the above description is mostly "average cleaning" and I'm wondering how deep you'd go normally.
Thanks!
jacquilinala
atrophie
babystarlet
Thanks for the cleaning tips!
pogren
My favorite tips.We live in a 2 story home....4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms upstairs. As soon as I get up in the morning I make the bed. I clean my husbands bathroom...yes everyday...empty his wastbasket and take a clorox wipe to sink, stool, and baseboard. This leaves his bathroom clean and only takes about 2 minutes. Next repeat the same in my bathroom. By doing this every morning when I go downstairs to start my day I feel like I have already acomplished a great deal and can be "done" upstairs. Once a week I run the sweeper upstairs and dust. I do at least one load of laundry every day....that way I never have to get caught up and it is much easier on the septic system. For cob webs (I am very short 4'11") I put an old pillow case over the bristle part of a broom....you can dust all corners along the edge of the ceiling without a step stool even if you ar short like me.
stefanhartwig
lafemmedramatique
These are all such great tips! I personally am not a huge fan of cleaning, or rather clutter seems to be a huge fan of me and won't go away! However, I have been trying to put myself in the mindset of making myself clean now that I'm moving... starting with getting rid of my extra clutter before I move in, and then ending with actually cleaning after I move in... hopefully my roommate will be willing to work with me and clean on a weekday morning, or something.... maybe crank up some tunes and make a fun time of it? Here's to hoping my new apartment stays nice and clean, unlike my boyfriends current apartment, where they are haveing to "deep clean" every single room in the house before Saturday, as they haven't bothered to do so at all this year!
Thanks again for the tips! These are great!
born irish
megrockstar
thanks for sharing these secrets
megrockstar
thanks for sharing these secrets
abellman
Care to come over and clean my apartment while I wander around and take notes? lol
All good tips. I'll use the next time my wife says I have to help her clean.
KatNap
Snakeophelia
Thanks for the microwave idea! I'm all in favor of quick, cheap ways to remove odors.
I grew up using my stepfather's old boxer shorts to clean with. Of course, they had been bleached and washed a zillion times, and I'm not the squeamish type, so I never gave it a second thought. However, I've had more than a few friends say they wouldn't touch their dad's old underwear if you gave them a million bucks!
malicious
Okay, the diapers thing is pure genius! And since they are white they can be washed with bleach! Bless you Ivy!
These are excellent tips. Thanks so much for sharing! I'm going to clean like a pro now, that is, when I get my butt out of this chair and do something ;)
Add a Comment!
Log in to leave a comment or Create an account