A clean apartment will provide you some much-needed peace of mind. If you do not regularly clean your home, it will quickly accumulate dirt and dust. This not only impedes your daily day-to-day activities, but it is also hazardous to your health. Walking into a dirty, disorganized apartment has a psychological effect and will often immediately leave you enervated.
Maintaining a clean apartment is tedious but rewarding work. It is a consistent series of small activities that add up to one goal: a clean apartment. You can choose to clean your space daily, or deep clean weekly or bimonthly. Just keep in mind that the longer the time between cleaning sessions, the more work you’ll have to do.
Sometimes, though, starting the cleaning process can be rather difficult for a lot of people. A lethargic feeling creeps in at the thought of all the work that awaits. However, there is an easy workaround to this. When you know which room to clean first, cleaning the entire apartment becomes easier. This article will cover all this and more.
Table of Contents
Preparing the apartment for cleaning
Before you decide on which room to start cleaning first, you should know which cleaning you intend to do. If it is regular cleaning, small preparations can be done. If it is a deep cleaning, then major preparations should be done.
- Ensure you also have all the equipment needed and the products especially for the deep cleaning – This is because each and every surface being unique will require specialized attention. Ensure you have ample time as this may take a while.
- To save on costs, you can create your own cleaning solutions in the house – The common ingredients are baking soda and vinegar. These are not only cheaper but are friendlier to the internal and external environment.
- Prepare the whole apartment – This involves doing tasks closely related to cleaning. This may involve removing the clutter around the apartment, folding clean laundry, and even spreading the bed.
- Begin by dusting the entire apartment – Dusting is part of the regular and even deep cleaning. Dust the entire apartment from top to bottom. This is because if you start from the bottom you’ll stir dust rather than get rid of it.
- If the house hasn’t been dusted for long, put on a dust mask to avoid allergies from dust inhalation – To kill dust mites, you need to toss your laundry in a superhot washing machine and add three tablespoons of vinegar.
- While dusting, make sure to remove any cobwebs around the house – Wear protective clothing such as hand gloves when doing so as spiders may bite.
- Use a step ladder for areas hard to reach such as the ceiling top – Ensure its stability to avoid falling over and injuring yourself while dusting. Remove specks of dust from surfaces, wall hangings, and light fixtures. Do not forget places deemed hard to reach such as under furniture.
- Use a microfiber cloth when dusting surfaces – Make sure to dust the drapes and other upholsteries in the apartment. You can dust upholstered furniture using an ingenious way. Simply put a rubber glove on and rub over the surface. This should create a static attracting the charged up dust particles and even hair.
- Once you are done use a dust mop and a dustpan to rid the apartment of the dust – Empty the contents in the trash can. Now that the apartment is dust-free, you can begin the arduous task of cleaning.
Where to start cleaning
Cleaning is obviously an energy-draining activity. To ensure you can see it through it is best you start with the rooms that tend to have the most work. Should you feel enervated, you’ll be left with only smaller and less complicated tasks.
The complex rooms to clean are the bathroom, the kitchen, and finally the living room. Of these rooms, the furthest from the exit door would be the most preferable to start from. In most apartments, this tends to be the bathroom. So this should be the room to clean first.
How to properly deep clean a bathroom
Before starting the cleaning you will need several items such as gloves, glass cleaner, tile and grout cleaner, grout and toilet brush, and an all-purpose cleaner. You will also need baking soda, vinegar, and a microfiber cloth and mob.
- Start working your way from top to bottom – Remove all non-permanent items in the bathroom. This will leave room for you to maneuver and reach all nooks and crannies.
- Spray the all-purpose cleaner on the walls and ceiling – Close all windows and vents and let steaming hot water run for ten minutes. This should build up steam. Afterward, use your step ladder to reach the ceiling and wipe with a microfiber cloth. Wipe the walls as well.
- Clean the bathroom window and frames – Use the glass cleaner and spray evenly on to the window pane. Let it settle for five minutes. Using a microfiber cloth, wipe in a circular motion to remove all stains. Use a squeegee to remove water spots and dry completely.
- Put vinegar in a plastic bag to fully immerse the showerhead – Tie the bag around the showerhead and let it settle for two to three hours. Afterward, clean around the showerhead and open the tap to let water flow.
- If you have a bathtub instead, pour boiling water around the entire tub – Sprinkle evenly baking soda afterward to form a paste. Fill another bucket halfway with hot water and add the all-purpose cleaner. Dip the grout brush in the solution and scrub the tub. Rinse with cold water.
- If there are shower curtains, put in the washing machine and set the water at high temperature – Hang to dry completely before installing it back. Make sure to machine wash all used towels as well. Change the towels frequently to avoid damp towels causing molds or mildew growth.
- To clean the bathroom sink, pour vinegar down the drain – Rinse afterward with clean water. This is so as to kill off bacteria that may be growing inside the drains. It also helps to unclog the drain by dislodging accumulated debris.
- For the sink bowl, crate baking soda pastes and apply evenly – Add the all-purpose cleaner to hot water. Using the grout brush, dip it in the solution, and scrub the bowl. Rinse with cold water afterward. Clean the faucet and tap handle with chrome cleaner and disinfectant.
- To ensure a sparkling white toilet bowl, you can apply bleach from the store around the bowl – Mix baking soda with water to create the paste. Apply around the bowl. Make sure to use a glove to avoid infections. Let the paste settle for 10 minutes. Afterward, clean off the paste with vinegar. Brush it off using the toilet brush and flush the toilet.
- Ensure you disinfect the handles and lids as well after cleaning – This is especially if your apartment is frequented by guests. These places are easy to ignore but do carry the potential for infections. Wipe everything down with a clean cloth to dry. This is so as to avoid mold and mildew growth.
- If you do notice mold or mildew growth in the bathroom, you should act immediately – Mold and mildew prefer moist environments. Therefore the bathroom is a likely growing ground.
- To remove these, add a cup of bleach to a full bucket of warm water – Dip a medium –bristled brush into the solution and brush off the spot where the mold or mildew stain is spotted. For hard to reach places, you can put the solution in a spray bottle and spray. Use an old toothbrush to scrub on these hard to reach places.
- Rinse with clean water and make sure to dry the place using a microfiber cloth – This is to ensure the places stay dry to avoid further growth. Finally, clean the floor as you exit the bathroom.
- If the floor is tiled, use a grout brush to ensure you clean effectively the spaces between the tiles – Spray a tile and grout cleaner to remove stains. If the stains are removed, use a microfiber mop to dry off the bathroom floor.
- Once completely clean, open the windows and curtains to let fresh air in – This will ensure there is air circulation and will also prevent moisture buildup. This will leave the room smelling fresh.
- You can also use home remedies to leave your bathroom smelling fresh – This requires various mixtures of essential oils. You can visit your local store to get essential oils such as lavender oil or peppermint oil.
Mixing these or other oils of your choice will leave your bathroom with a unique but pleasant smell. These oils are also beneficial as they are used for aromatherapy.
Final Thoughts
So, how often should you deep clean your apartment? Well, deep cleaning should be done at least twice a month. To ensure you are not overwhelmed by dirt and dust before then, keep a daily schedule of what to clean. Time may be a constraint but doing the simple things will ultimately lighten your work.
Make sure to de-clutter the apartment. Dust off surfaces at least twice a week and mop the floor. Doing this and other smaller activities will see you maintain a clean and livable environment at all times.
