Home Cleaning & Maintenance Checklist to Help You Get Organized

Living in a simplified, uncluttered home is less stressful because it looks orderly and peaceful. It’s also easier to clean and organise such a well kept house. Your visitors and even a professional home cleaner will appreciate the attractiveness of an uncluttered house. Naturally, it takes less time to perform any specialised cleaning task in such an organised home.

“We believe that a tidy and spotless house that looks great helps reduce stress and increases your productivity,” says Select Cleaning, the most sought after professional house cleaning service in New Zealand.

Now let’s look at some cleaning and organising ideas for you to manage your home and life just how you want.

General Home Cleaning & Organising Ideas

Old magazines: Reuse or recycle old books and magazines which you no longer require for reading/reference purpose. Wipe and disinfect remote controls, the landline telephone, switch plates and other commonly used electronic gadgets.

Doormats: Remember to clean the doormat occasionally. First, shake out the dust and debris from the mat, and then vacuum it with a brush attachment. If dirt is still visible, apply some baking soda using a scrub brush, and finally rinse it off with a garden hose.

If the doormat is a carpeted one, clean it effectively with an upholstery or carpet shampoo.

How to clean out the pantry: Wipe down the pantry or cupboard shelves. Remove any racks or drawers associated with these areas and wash them in the sink. Sort the bottles and jars and don’t hesitate to say goodbye to what you don't use.

Now wipe down those items you want to keep in the pantry. Also dust and wipe down the shelves and walls.

Refrigerator cleaning & organising: The dish racks, drawers, drain catch, and drip sponges of the refrigerator should be run through the dishwasher at least once in a month.

For storing the food properly, ensure that you rotate the food and use it up on a timely basis. Scrub down the inside of the refrigerator and keep the storage areas clean and dry. Remove unwanted food or other items in the plastic containers.

Bathroom cleaning tips: The mother of a three year old daughter said, “One thing that I learned while raising a daughter is that bath time is PERFECT for cleaning the bathroom! I am able to keep her supervised while interacting with her and cleaning the sinks, mirrors etc! Also because she is in the tub, I don't have to worry about her grabbing any of the cleaning supplies.”

That’s a good tip indeed for peacefully spending time to clean your bathroom!

Floor cleaning: “I sweep and dust my floors daily. In Canada we took shoes off in the house which helped keep floors clean. In Australia we don’t, so in my home cleaning floors is a must,” according to a well organised homeowner.

However, if there are no children and pets in the house, and nobody has much time for cleaning, you can use a vacuum instead of sweeping, for all hard surfaces, carpets and tiles.

Quick cleaning tips: When the need arises to quickly clean your house, utilise the big-picture thinking strategy.

Clean the areas that are more relevant to the immediate situation in front of you.  Organisation is the important factor here. By multi tasking and strictly following a set time limit, you can manage the cleaning efficiently. Gather all the cleaning products and equipment ready, and move from one room to others fast, without wasting time going back to rooms. 

Get your free quote now for a consistent high-quality Select Cleaning service at a cost effective price. Phone: 0800 000 907.

Housekeeping Tips- How Often Should You Clean That?

  

Experts say an average household harbours more bacteria than a public garbage bin. A study related to home cleaning and hygiene said that over two hundred thousand or more bacteria could be found every 2.5 square centimetres of a floor carpet. A thing of concern, isn’t it? It is thus clear that if you don't regularly steam your floors, it’ll affect the health of your family members.

Robin Wilson, an interior designer who specialises in allergy-free homes, remarked that indoor air quality could be eight to 10 times worse than outdoor air quality. She suggested that people should at least clean their drapes and let air inside regularly if they don't clean the flooring at required intervals.

Microwave cleaning

Many of us think that the restroom in office is the storehouse of germs. However, a new study clarifies that highest percentage of harmful bacteria and dirt are present where employees prepare and eat food, not the restroom! Another such misconception is about microwave which people consider as the cleanest spot- and it turns out most are wrong after analysts examined the microwave.  

So, clean the microwave thoroughly considering the experts’ opinion. Wipe it down every week, ensuring that you also give it a deep cleaning twice a month.

Bathtub

Researchers in the home cleaning and maintenance sector have not given clean chit to bathtub too. In fact, the studies found skin infection-causing bacteria in 26% of baths tested, where as it’s just 6% with respect to garbage bins. So keep it in mind that the bathtub is more harmful than the trash – must clean it at least once in a week.  

Bed linen & bath towels

New lab tests suggest that your bed linen isn't as dirty and contaminated with germs as you may think. Euan Tovey, head of the Allergen Research Group at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, found out that you don't get as much exposure to dust mites in bed as the specialists once thought. Recommended cleaning for your bed linens is every one to two weeks; ensure you do it in hot water.

Bath towels are to be properly washed after three uses to remove dead skin cells, specialists opined. And for hand towels, wash them once in 3 or 4 days.

Refrigerator

Give your refrigerator a professional cleaning every month as hygienists revealed that the presence of bacteria in the salad drawers is about 750 times more than the safe level.  

Computer accessories

Do you believe that the computer keyboards hold five times the bacteria content found on a toilet seat? People often take lunch at their desk, making computer keyboards a haven for harmful micro-organisms.  The thing to worry here is that these keyboards normally get neglected during normal home cleaning routine.

Expert home cleaners in Auckland recommend that you clean the keyboard every week. Clean the mouse and the desk too along with the keyboard.

Mattress & pillows

Mattresses need to be cleaned every two months to reduce allergens in your bedroom. First clean any spills or other stains on the mattress. After the spot cleaning, add five drops of essential oil into baking soda and sprinkle it on the mattress evenly using a sifter. Let it stay there for half an hour or more to absorb odour and all traces of moisture.

Similarly, wash the pillows once in 3 months. Also remember to change the pillows at least every three years, and if you’re allergic they need to be replaced even on six months’ intervals.

Every person valuing health and hygiene in the home environment should give due importance to better cleaning practices. Professional cleaning by a reputed home cleaner in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch or Wellington will go a long way toward keeping germs and allergens at bay.