How to properly clean the apartment. How to quickly clean an apartment - professional advice

13.06.2019

Not a single surface remains perfectly clean for a long time, if it is not a sterile operating room (and there is dirt invisible to the eye). In our abode, we are in contact with interior items every second, moving around the floor, rearranging things or sitting on the couch watching TV.

In a well-ventilated area, dust in the air is normal. However, this dust settles on any surface it can stick to. In addition to dust, any household pollution appears in the apartment, whether it is a mark from a boot on the carpet or a stain from spilled coffee on the floor. In any case, it is impossible to live with all this "splendor", so a person simply needs to take improvised means and start washing his home from dirt and dust.

Identification of problem areas

Without finding out the main foci of obvious contamination, cleaning can not be started: light wet cleaning and vacuuming the floor will not get rid of the problem, but will only add more, because the uncleaned dirt will immediately spread throughout the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe housing.

Of course, a hotbed of dirt and bacteria is the kitchen (if it is used unfairly). This is a cutting surface, and a sink, and a stove, and a floor! And especially the hood and ventilation (depending on what you have installed). In general, the scope of work is extensive.
Next is the bathroom and toilet. Perhaps the most visited rooms in the house, and therefore they are noble soil for the germination of bacteria that can harm a person.
Corridor. Yes Yes! Every day you go out and enter the apartment several times, bringing dust and dirt from the street with you on your shoes and clothes, which remains on the floor of the corridor, and then spreads throughout the apartment if you don’t wipe it right away.
The final chord is the rooms. Especially cereal and hard-to-reach places under the sofa, bed, wardrobe and on it, on crowded shelves, etc.

Before you start work, be sure to find those places where there are accumulations of dirt: they need to be put in order first of all in order to save yourself from unnecessary work.

We have identified the main problem areas, now a completely logical question arises: “Where to start?”

Decide for yourself (and your family if you don't live alone) what time it is convenient for you to set aside for cleaning. This increases productivity and reduces the risk of starting a new cleaning after the one just done.

You can carry out wet and dry cleaning a couple of times a week, and general once a month. Or divide the living space into parts, and clean a certain area daily, leaving a large-scale cleaning at the end of the month.

Allocate responsibilities wisely. Cleaning should not be the fate of someone alone, because all family members make a mess.

Attract children, they are able to turn any most responsible occupation into a game that will be interesting to them. Distribute responsibilities between adults so that no one interferes with each other, without creating conflict situations.

Pay special attention to the technical side. To begin with, remove from the floor (or any other surface) everything that should not be on it (clothes, toys, etc.), and put it in its place. Next up is dry cleaning. Remove dust with a dry cloth and vacuum.

Wet cleaning with special cleaners for floors, upholstery, walls, etc. When working with them, do not forget that the room must be ventilated, and gloves should be put on your hands.

And take it as a basis: if it doesn’t rub off, then apply the product again and move on to the next contamination. Come back to this later! You should not rub the place to the hole, you need to remove dirt, not a piece of upholstery from the sofa.

Basic moments

We remember that dust tends to rise into the air at the slightest movement? The following rules are worth learning to make cleaning really productive!

First of all, we remove dust from the ceiling and high shelves.
We wipe the wallpaper (or mine, if the material allows).
Next: chandeliers, windows, tall cabinets and shelves, doors.
Upholstery cleaning of upholstered furniture.
We remove debris from the floor (sweep/vacuum).
Washing the floor with special products.

If desired, you can rub the floor with a polishing agent that is intended for this type of coating.

It is this sequence of actions that will save you from the dust that will settle on top if you start cleaning with floor covering. Start cleaning from the top so you don't have to redo it all over again.

Maintaining cleanliness

Of course, cleaning is a painstaking and lengthy process. So that it is not so protracted, we offer you a few elementary rules for keeping your home clean:

Don't litter. Wrappers, small crumbs, scattered things - all this individually seems very insignificant, but, cumulatively, complicates your life. Throw away papers, wipe up crumbs, and put things in their rightful places.
Energy saving mode. No need to go from room to room, and then realize that you could take something else with you. Take away all the dishes immediately to the kitchen, dirty things to the laundry, etc. And, of course, do not bring the mess in the apartment to the size of a real dump, so that you do not have to rake it for a couple of days.
Expert opinion. If you are not sure that you can handle the cleaning yourself, it is better to invite the specialists of the so-called cleaning service - they are professionals. Perhaps, having observed the process once, you can repeat it with your own hands.
Throw out the old. Most of the rubbish in our homes is unused items. They accumulate in closets and on the mezzanine, annoying with their presence. If you understand that a thing is irrelevant in everyday life - get rid of it, then the trash on your shelves will become many times less. The notorious “What if it comes in handy?” does not work in this case. No, it won't be useful. It is old and not used, but does it take up space? Into the trash can!

No matter how unpleasant thoughts you meet with cleaning, first of all remember that you need it, and not a passerby on the street. This is your home, your fortress, your castle, which should not be likened to a pigsty. The living room should not be like a battlefield with socks, food packages and dirty dishes left there in a hurry. And the kitchen should evoke thoughts of warmth, comfort and romance, and not that the stove is already so dirty that it’s time to clean it sandpaper. You must understand that methodically accumulating dirt will kill not only the comfort in the apartment, but also your health. Cleanliness is the key to health! It is with this motto that we advise you to start cleaning.

Video: how to clean an apartment

If your home is a mess that discourages any desire to clean up, start thinking strategically to quickly clean up a room or entire house. Focus and make cleaning fun. Put things away, dust off, then move on to cleaning floors and surfaces. If you have time, do a thorough cleaning of the bathroom, kitchen or rooms. You will certainly be pleased with the cleanliness in a short time!

Steps

Part 1

How to clean efficiently and effectively

Select a room for cleaning. Do you want to clean up the whole house or just one room? If you are expecting overnight guests, it is better to pay special attention to the living room and bathroom. If a dinner with guests is planned, then you need to clean the kitchen and dining room.
- It's also important to get your priorities right. For example, close the bedroom doors if people won't come in and you don't have much time.
- For example, if there is 1 hour left before the arrival of guests, then set the timer for 15 minutes. At this time, clean up the living room, and then set the timer for 30 minutes to move on to other rooms. In the last 15 minutes, wash floors and dishes.
Turn on energetic music. If your efficiency drops after a few minutes of cleaning, put on your favorite upbeat music. Turn up the volume if you're in a different part of the house or the vacuum is muting the music.
- With music, cleaning will turn from a chore into an exciting activity. You can even make a list of songs to clean up when you have a free minute so the music is always at hand!
Enlist the help of relatives or roommates. Cleaning will be completed much faster if you find an assistant. Ask a friend or relative to give you an hour of their time. If you have roommates, they can also help clean up. Distribute specific tasks so that everyone does their own thing.
- If a neighbor is not ready to help, then ask what to do with his things. He may not want you to sort his clothes and other things.
- For example, say, “Mom, can you vacuum the living room while Sveta dusts?”
Eliminate distractions. Sometimes you want to turn on the TV as a background, but you will be distracted, and cleaning will be delayed. Turn off the TV and computer. You also need to remove your smartphone if you are constantly distracted by notifications.
- Tell yourself that you need to focus on cleaning, after which you can use your smartphone, TV and computer.
Wash floors quickly. If you need to wash small room or quickly clean the floor, then spray the cleaner and mop until you get rid of dirt or stains.
- If you don't have time to quickly wash the entire floor, then apply the cleaner directly to the stains and remove them with a towel.
Wipe down surfaces, sinks and faucets. Go back to the tables. Rinse off the all-purpose cleaner with a sponge or cloth. Rinse the sink with running water to remove the solution.
- Wipe the faucets with a dry, clean cloth so that there are no water streaks on them.

Before embarking on a decisive fight against the already accumulated trash, garbage and mess in your home, introduce a few new rules:

1) Zone of incoming things

In the hallway, allocate a corner for everything that you bring into the house from the store, from the pantry, from the garage, or just after the next trip to the supermarket for groceries, clothes and other vital things. This corner should be small so that things could not accumulate there, but would be regularly laid out in their places (from refrigerators to cabinets and shelves).

2) Start washing dishes immediately after eating

Mountains of unwashed dishes will not accumulate near your sink and turn into a threat to the order in your kitchen. Yes, for this you will need to overcome your laziness and take 10-15 minutes after breakfast, lunch or dinner. But after a week or two of such a routine, you suddenly find that in the kitchen there are no more incomprehensible clusters of unwashed pots, plates, pans, spoons and cups. If you can’t cope in manual mode, start at least a small dishwasher: This investment will pay off with a vengeance.

3) Don't make laundry the event of the week

Accumulating a mountain of unwashed things, towels and shirts in the bathroom is not the most best idea. Do laundry as you go so that a small amount of dirty laundry leaves your laundry basket regularly.

4) Music and whistling - the key to a good mood

You can sing along, whistle to yourself, or play music while you clean the house. Music sets the pace and motivates. If you don't know what kind of music to take, here are great soundtrack options.

5) Use a timer

Next, we will talk about how to clean and organize your home, spending no more than 20 minutes a day on 1 task daily. In a month, your home will change - but without a timer and monitoring the time spent, you will not be able to maintain the chosen pace. So use any timer with a signal: from your alarm clock to the timer on your mobile phone.

Moving on to the 30-Day 20 Minutes a Day Plan

Each number on this list is a separate day. 30 days, 20 minutes a day - and your apartment or private house become clean and tidy. Here's what you have to do:

We clean the living room and kitchen from dust (we wipe tables, shelves, cabinets, vacuum the floor or carpet, sweep)
We clean the bathroom and toilet (we wash sinks, toilet bowls, mirrors, a bathroom or shower cabin, we wipe the floor and walls)
We clean the bedroom (we put all things in place, put children's toys in drawers, hang clothes in place, wipe the dust)
We clean the rest of the rooms (utility room, office, nursery - if any)
We wipe tables and all surfaces in the living room and kitchen
We remove
We wash all the windows in an apartment or house (do not forget about newspapers and vinegar for glasses - cheap, cheerful, quickly and efficiently, and no harsh chemicals)
We sweep all floors in the house (if there is a staircase in a private house, do not forget about it)
Dusting the bedroom
We arrange cleaning in the living room (mirrors, surfaces, dust figurines, paintings or souvenirs on the shelves)
Cleaning the bathroom and toilet
Putting express order in the closets (hang things in the closets, put the accessories on the shelves, put the clothes in their places)
We wipe the dust in the rest of the rooms
Thoroughly clean the bedroom (pillows in place, wipe the dust under the sofa or bed, make beds, dust figurines and souvenirs, lamps and fans, sweep, put things in place)
Dusting the living room and kitchen
Thoroughly clean the bathroom and toilet (and trash cans, wipe the mirrors, wipe the dust, put things in place)
We wipe everything doorknobs, handsets and mobile phones, remote controls, switches, railings and all things, objects and objects that we constantly take with our hands.
We defrost, wash and wipe the refrigerator, throw out all stale food and medicines, put everything else in its place
We clean the hallway, sweep the porch (if there is one), put things in order in the car
We wipe the dust in the bathroom and wash the surfaces
Dusting the bedroom
We sweep and vacuum all floors in the rooms
Tidying up the closets
Dusting the living room and kitchen
Thoroughly clean the kitchen (wash, wipe, throw out the trash, put new napkins, towels, garbage bags)
We wipe all surfaces in the bathroom and toilet
Drying in the bedroom
Thoroughly wipe, wash and scrub anything you didn't have time for the previous 28 days
Sweeping and vacuuming the floors in the house

To be honest, some of these tasks will only take you 20 minutes if you call a couple of helpers from your family, friends or relatives.

You can repeat this thorough 30-day cleaning routine once every couple of months or once every quarter. The frequency and intensity of cleaning depends on the size of your house / apartment and how neglected everything in the house is :)

In addition to following the schedule and the provided list of actions, it is also important to simply put things in place, develop the habit of not littering or throwing things around the house.

It is clean not only where they clean, but also where they do not litter (or at least try not to litter).

It won't be easy at first, but after a month or two, it will really take you no more than 20 minutes a day to keep your house clean, tidy, and in order.

As practice shows, very few people are able to get real pleasure from putting their home in order. Much more often, cleaning an apartment turns into a routine and unpleasant necessity. If you approach cleaning haphazardly, it can turn into a chaotic and exhausting event that takes a lot of time, but does not bring any visible result.

But if, before you go to clean up your apartment, you develop a small action plan, which you will strictly adhere to in the future, you will be amazed at the result.

Cleaning should bring positive!

The whole secret of successful, fast and tireless cleaning is the uniform alternation of simple and complex actions. When you are just starting to clean up, you still have a lot of strength and enthusiasm. So spend this time with maximum benefit: In a room where various household dirt accumulates the most. It's about the kitchen.

Cleaning up in the kitchen

With proper distribution of efforts and proper skill, the cleaning process in the kitchen will not take more than 12-15 minutes. First of all, free all kitchen surfaces from unnecessary items as much as possible. Take everything out of the room. Send dirty dishes to the sink, and incompletely used products and jars of spices to the refrigerator or on the kitchen shelves intended for them.

The less things left on dining table and the countertop, the cleaner the kitchen itself begins to seem. Usually, establishing such a “general” order takes about two minutes at the most. Take up washing dishes. Loading and starting the dishwasher will take a maximum of a minute of your time, after which you can proceed with a clear conscience to other things.

But if the “dishwasher” remains a luxury inaccessible to you, you will have to “act with your hands”. It’s good if you get into the useful habit of washing dishes and spoons immediately after eating: this will save you a lot of time in the future.

But what if right now there is a mountain of dirty dishes, and the cleaning needs to be completed urgently, since, for example, you are waiting for unexpected guests? Use a little trick. Having estimated the number of visitors, calculate how many clean cutlery you will need and spend a couple of minutes washing the right amount of dishes (and not a plate more!).

Dirty bowls can be hidden for the time being away in one of the kitchen cabinets in order to come to grips with them after the guests leave.

Wipe down kitchen surfaces. A special microfiber cloth is very convenient to brush crumbs and other debris from the countertop. You should not be particularly “careful” or be afraid to drop a few specks directly on the floor during the cleaning process: sharp sweeping movements save time, and mopping should still be the last thing to do.

Brush the dust off kitchen appliances. Use an ordinary cloth slightly moistened with water: this way dust particles will not rise into the air and settle again on freshly washed surfaces.

When everything is in its place, it seems much cleaner

Now it's time for the most important part of cleaning - washing the floor. In order not to breed dirt, first take the time to sweep all the rubbish out of the kitchen. To do this, you can use the most common broom. Start from the far corners of the room, where the main dust usually accumulates, and then gradually move towards the exit from the kitchen.

When all the rubbish is collected, all that remains is to wipe the floors. It is most convenient to use a special mop equipped with a microfiber sponge for these purposes. Washing the floor follows exactly the same principle as sweeping it: starting from the corners, gradually moving towards the center of the room and further, all the way to the exit.

The kitchen cleaning is almost complete. It remains to take a critical look around the room: is it visible somewhere on the countertop or hob plates are difficult to wipe off and at the same time very ? When it comes to emergency cleaning before the unexpected arrival of guests, it is unlikely that you have time to arrange a full session of the fight against unwanted pollution using all the cleaning products in your arsenal.

In your case, it would be more appropriate to try to scrub the stain by using force. Take a plastic card (for example, a bank card) and try to scrape off the dirt with its corner. More often than not, this works.

You can also use special metal sponges for these purposes, but, unlike plastic, they often leave scratches and other marks on unprotected surfaces. As soon as the stain has succumbed, take a rubber sponge slightly dampened with water and wipe the affected area: this way you can avoid.

For more information on how to quickly clean the apartment - in the video:

Bedroom cleaning

Cleaning products make the process much easier.

As a rule, it is not customary to invite guests (except, perhaps, the closest ones) to the master bedroom. Therefore, the cleaning of this room will be quick (no more than 10 minutes) and purely symbolic:

To make the bedroom seem tidy and clean at first glance, it is usually enough to get rid of the feeling of clutter in the space. To this end, all unnecessary dust collectors (whether figurines on the bedside table or a huge collection of the master's cosmetics on the dressing table by the mirror) are hidden behind the closed doors of the nearest cabinets (well, or in drawers).

It is also necessary to remove from the field of vision of the intended guests any things that openly need cleaning or washing, for example, stale bedding or curtains stained with something. Just hide them in the linen room. At the same time, spending precious time on making the bed again, or, even more so, on “wars” with the window cornice, is worth it only in really special cases.

It doesn't matter if you've changed your linen or not, the master bedroom bed should be made (at least covered with a blanket thrown over the top). To make the bed look more aesthetic, tuck the protruding edges of the sheet, blanket and the bedspread itself under the mattress.

You can, of course, try to cram all the "extra" in the gap between the mattress and the end of the bed, but this requires a huge amount of time and some effort (which could be applied to something more useful). In addition, from such treatment, the bed is very wrinkled and quickly loses its decent appearance.

Get rid of the dust. Wipe down all the furniture in the room using a dry cloth or microfiber cloth to avoid leaving streaks on the surfaces. First of all, it is worth brushing off the dust from objects standing in the far corner of the room; gradually move clockwise until you reach the exit. Wipe the surfaces with sweeping movements “toward yourself”, to save time, shaking off dust and other micro debris directly on the floor.

Now it remains only to quickly vacuum. Moving from the corner of the room to the entrance (backward), make sweeping sweeping movements with the vacuum cleaner brush, without swiping it over the same floor area more than twice and without wasting precious minutes.

Remember: your goal is not sterile cleanliness, but just a decent appearance of the room, achieved in the shortest possible time for this.

Bathroom and toilet

Cleaning the kitchen always takes a lot of time.

Since cleaning the bedroom is usually not too diligent, you will have enough time to gather strength before the next important step: cleanliness in the bathroom. If at normal times you already try to keep order in the bathroom, bringing the room into a decent look will not take you more than 9-10 minutes:

First of all, treat with a special cleaner all the plumbing in the room: the toilet, sink, bath and (or) shower. While you are processing the next surface, it will have time to cope with pollution on all previous ones, dissolving them.

In most houses, the bathtub and shower stall are covered with a curtain. Therefore, do not spend too much time trying to achieve perfect purity plumbing. Just quickly wipe all visible surfaces of the bathroom or cubicle with a sponge, then close the curtain. It would hardly occur to a polite guest to look behind her.

Particular attention should be paid to cleaning the mirror in the bathroom. Don't be stingy with glass cleaners. Spray it evenly over the entire surface of the mirror, then wipe it with light circular motions from top to bottom. Instead of an ordinary sponge or rag, it is better to use a special one for glasses (this can be purchased at any store in the household goods department).

The inside of the toilet bowl can be easily cleaned with a standard toilet brush and a special dry cleaner (in the absence of the latter, you can also use regular baking soda).

After completing the necessary procedures, flush the water several times. The outer surfaces of the toilet bowl can be treated with a universal one, then wiped dry with a microfiber cloth.

The drain hole of the sink, as a rule, does not look very aesthetically pleasing due to the dirt accumulating in it. Remove everything superfluous from the hole, as well as properly wash the drain itself, an old unnecessary toothbrush will help you.

As always, wipe the floor in the room last (from the corners to the exit). Use a microfiber mop to avoid streaks on tiles.

Tidying up the living room

Good cleaning needs inspiration!

In conclusion, you have to tidy up the living room. This procedure will take no more than 15 minutes of your time:

On the hastily restore the general order in the room, putting in place all the little things lying around at random and adjusting the shifted furniture. In parallel, notice the most problematic, rushing moments (spots from mugs on coffee table, large patches of dust, etc.) to return to later.
Clean all the mirrors in the living room with special means(the usual one is also suitable for washing windows) and a soft rag. Do the same with all the glass surfaces in the room.
Wipe dust off all visible surfaces. We already wrote about how to do it correctly in order to spend a minimum of time when we talked about cleaning the bedroom. Vacuum the living room floor in the same way.
Critically assess the situation, remember what details you did not like before. If some specks on the visible surfaces of the furniture did not rub off on their own during the dusting process, a plastic card is at your service.

As you can see, by organizing the cleaning of the apartment according to the plan proposed above, you will spend no more than an hour cleaning it up. Of course, such an algorithm of actions is not suitable for general cleaning. But it is indispensable if you urgently need to prepare your home for the unexpected arrival of important guests.

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