1. Clean it up sooner than later
Spills and stains are generally much easier to clean up when you attack them right away. When you treat a stain without delay, it offers mostly little resistance. If you wait until the next day or next week, you’ll have to use a lot more cleaning solution and time.
The same applies for cleaning your cleaning cloth. If you put your dirty rag in a laundry basket and wash it next week, it is difficult to get clean. If you rinse it after you have used it, and hang it to dry, it will get much cleaner out of the washing machine next time you wash it. Some stains like blood, coffee and chocolate stains, need to be washed first with cold water. If you put a sheet with blood stains in the washing machine and you wash it with warm water, the stain can never be removed anymore. So be careful!
And here too: the sooner the better.
2. Clean from the top down
Working from high to low almost always works better in cleaning situations.
When you’re cleaning a room, first remove the cobwebs from the ceiling. Then dust the ceiling fan and light fixtures, followed by window frames and wall hangings. Moving downward, conquer the furniture, plinth and floor. This ensures that any dust shaken loose from on high does not settle on something you’ve already cleaned below. You don’t want to dust the room twice, do you?
Similarly, when you clean windows and mirrors, start up high and work your way down.
3. First dry, then wet
When you’re cleaning a room, start with the cleaning jobs that require dry methods (dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming, for instance). Then move on to wet methods (using an all-purpose cleaner and glass cleaner, mopping, and the like). This way, there will be less dirt floating around in the room to cling to wet surfaces. Clean with fresh and sufficient water and clean tools (mopping floor). Because you can’t clean a floor or surface with a dirty cloth or mop or dirty water, right?
4. Start with the least harmful approach
Use your gentlest cleaning methods first and move up to more aggressive techniques only if necessary. And know your materials well enough so that you will stop your cleaning efforts before you do damage. Better to suffer along with a small spot on your stovetop, for instance, than to ruin the surface with steel wool.
5. Let time do the work for you
A little time management trick will make your cleaning easier and faster. When you plot out your approach to a cleaning task, remember to spray on your cleaning chemicals first and then find another little job to do while the cleaner does its dirty work. For instance, if you are cleaning the toilet bowl, first apply the toilet bowl cleanser. Rub it with the toilet brush so the chemical covers all areas inside the toilet bowl. Then occupy yourself with making for example the bed, while the cleaner soaks in. When you come back to clean, there will be little or no scrubbing to do.
6. Carry your supplies with you
Carry your core cleaning products with you. This will save you from making multiple trips around looking for the right tools and cleaners. Put all your cleaning supplies into the cleaning caddy, including clean rags, paper towels, and a trash bag for emptying all of those wastebaskets, and bring it with you from room to room.
7. When in doubt, make a stealth test
Before you use a new cleaning technique or product, test the method on an inconspicuous area of the object you’re cleaning. This rule also applies when you first clean an object that is delicate and might be damaged by a cleaning compound. Testing will show you whether the object is colorfast and whether the cleaning method is likely to do damage.
8. Spray the liquid cleaning product on a cleaning cloth, not directly on the item to be cleaned
When you clean an item that could be harmed by a liquid cleaning product (electronics, computer screens, framed artwork, or framed photographs, for example), first spray the cleaner on your cleaning cloth and then wipe. Don’t spray cleaner directly on the object you’re cleaning. Cleaner dripping into your electronics could do damage, and cleaner dripping into a frame and soaking the matting could harm your artwork. Glass cleaner sprayed on windows or shower for example, can drip on the floor and easily damage the marble tiles or damage the marble bathroom wall.
9. Follow manufacturer’s directions
The makers of cleaning products, equipment, washable objects, etc., do know best how to clean them. So when possible, read and follow the manufacturer’s directions when cleaning something. Don’t remove care labels that come on clothes, linens, and other potentially washable objects.
10. Protect yourself
Last but not least, take care of yourself. Many cleaning products contain acid, bleach, abrasives, and other ingredients that can damage your eyes, skin, nose, and even your lungs. So make sure your cleaning kit includes a pair of rubber gloves and protective safety glasses. If it’s not too steamy, wear old long pants or sweats and an old long-sleeved shirt to cover your arms in case of spatters from cleaning products. Cover your hair with a kerchief or baseball cap.
Don’t let your cleaning products get mixed together. Some combinations–chlorine bleach and ammonia, for instance–will produce poisonous gases. When you’re using cleaning chemicals, make sure the room you’re in is properly ventilated.
