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Having a clean living room requires having the right tools and strategy. Here is everything to have for your living room cleaning checklist.

Which room of your home do you spend the most time in?

If you’re like 39% of Americans, your answer is the living room. It’s not surprising, then, that our living rooms are often the dirtiest and most cluttered rooms in the house.

We already spend 6 hours each week cleaning our homes, so we welcome any chance to make the task easier, right? In this post, we’ll help you simplify your living room cleaning routine with an easy-to-follow checklist.

Read on for your go-to guide for cleaning living rooms.

Cleaning Living Rooms: Gather Your Supplies

Nothing wastes time like stopping in the middle of a task to get more supplies, so make sure you have everything you need before you start cleaning.

Here’s what you’ll need to get your living room sparkling clean:

• Cleaning cloths (microfiber is best)
• Dust mop
• Sponges
• Small bucket (with a handle)
• Stepladder
• Vacuum cleaner
• Glass cleaner
• Furniture polish

To make it feel like less of a chore, listen to your favorite music, an audiobook, or a podcast. The time will also pass faster if you partner up with a family member or friend.

Living Room Cleaning in 5 Easy Steps

Now that you’ve got your supplies and something to listen to (or someone to talk to), it’s time to get cleaning. Do a quick decluttering if you need to, then follow these steps.

1. Start With Dusting

Work from top to bottom to eliminate all visible and hidden dust. Include the following areas in your dusting routine:

• Ceiling
• Ceiling fan
• Wall corners
• Framed art or wall photos
• Lamps and knickknacks
• Accent tables
• Entertainment center
• Electronics (TV, stereo speakers, etc.)

Before you open the drapes or blinds, make sure you’ve dusted or vacuumed them too. Otherwise, you’ll spread dust to all the places you just cleaned!

2. Focus on Your Windows

If you’re doing a deep-clean, take down your drapes or blinds and clean or wash them according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Wash your windows inside and out, then vacuum the corners and windowsills. If you have screens on your windows, take them out and rinse them before you replace them.

3. Clean Out Couches & Chairs

Next, remove all the pillows and cushions from your chairs and couches. Remove any visible or “lost” items and use a vacuum to clean up any crumbs or smaller debris.

If necessary, use upholstery spot cleaner on cushions, pillows, or rugs. Make sure you test any product first on a hidden area!

4. Empty the Shelves

Pull those books from the bookshelf and the give them (and the shelves) a good dusting. The same goes for the drawers and shelves in your entertainment unit.

Disinfect remote controls and other heavily used items. If you notice a lot of clutter piling up, it might be time to donate, sell, or trash things you don’t use anymore.

5. Clean the Floors & Rugs

Now that everything else is sparkling clean, your final step is to clean the living room flooring.

Use a vacuum, mop, or both, depending on the type of flooring you have. If your rugs are heavily soiled, it might be time to schedule a professional cleaning.

Enjoy Your Clean Living Room!

By using the tips outlined above, living room cleaning should become a lot easier to manage.

Of course, we don’t always have as much time as we’d like to keep our homes neat and tidy. That’s why many homeowners elect to bring in professionals for a deep cleaning or recurrent cleaning sessions.

Keeping your kitchen clean on a regular basis requires knowing what not to do. Here are common kitchen cleaning mistakes and how to avoid them.

It can be fun to experiment in the kitchen. Exploring with new dishes, or teaching someone an old family recipe.

What’s not fun is the clean-up. However, germs and bacteria are common on kitchen surfaces and it is vital to stay on top of keeping this area safe.

Even though you believe you know all the latest hacks, there may still be some kitchen cleaning mistakes you are making.

Here are 6 to avoid.

1. Cleaning in the Wrong Order

Maybe you are one of those people who hate doing the floors, so you clean them first. When it comes to cleaning this kitchen, this is a mistake.

Your kitchen should be cleaned from top to bottom. Clean all the counters and other surfaces first. There will always be crumbs or other debris that will fall to the floor.

The last thing you want is to have to clean the floors twice!

2. Depending Too Much on the Dish Towel

The handy dandy dish towel is the first thing reached for when anything happens in the kitchen. Whether it is to pull a hot pan from the oven, wipe up a spill, or dry off wet hands.

The problem is germs and other unsanitary items will be passed around each time you use the towel. Some dish towels stay hung out for days at a time. You should wash or put out fresh towels every day or so.

In addition, you should have more than one towel out so you avoid any cross-contamination. If you are looking for a dish towel replacement, check out the amazing microfiber cloths.

3. Putting Sponges in the Dishwasher

While it is true that sponges literally soak up bacteria and need to be cleaned regularly, it is false that you should do that in the dishwasher.

Sponges hold onto detergent that is released during the wash cycle and can cause damage over time to the dishwasher.

The best way to clean sponges is to wet them and place them in the microwave. Leave them in there for two minutes on high and that will kill all the bacteria. Do this every 2-3 days.

4. Kitchen Cleaning Mistakes – Washing Pots and Pans While Still Hot

If you are one of the rare individuals who like to clean as you go, stop when it comes to pots and pans. They should not be washed while they are still hot. This can actually cause them to warp.

Enjoy your meal, let them cool down, and then wash!

5. Not Cleaning the Garbage Disposal

It is a garbage disposal, after all, it needs cleaning too? Yes! Run it with some ice cubes to remove any stuck food residue.

You can also pour baking soda or a few slices of lemon to remove any lingering odors.

6. Forgetting the Appliances

Just like the garbage disposal, the other appliances in the kitchen need a thorough cleaning from time to time.

Don’t forget the coffee maker, microwave, or blenders when it comes to having a safe and clean kitchen area.

It Only Takes a Moment

Cleaning is a task many people put off. When it comes to the kitchen though, it is vital to stay ahead of the germs.

Avoiding these common kitchen cleaning mistakes will make your cooking and eating space safe and smell great!

You may have heard the trick to an odorless garbage disposal but do you know the clever ways to use the spirited citrus peel for a clean and eco-friendly home?

Citrus fruits can help to strengthen your immune system, improve digestive health, aid in weight loss, and reduce your risk of kidney stones. While you may know these are a healthy addition to your diet, you may not know that citrus fruit has a secret.

What’s that secret you may wonder?

Citrus peel makes a great, eco-friendly cleaning product.

Wondering how you can use this around your house? If so, you are in the right place. Learn more about the many uses of citrus peels for cleaning here.

1. Create an All-Purpose Cleaner

You can make your own, all-natural citrus cleaner using lime, lemon, grapefruit, and orange peels. You can do this by using one or two quart-sized canning jars.

To make the cleaner, fill the jars three-quarters of the way with citrus peels. Then, pour vinegar to fill up the jar and let the mixture steep for several weeks. Make sure to shake it daily.

The longer you let the mixture sit, the more potent the cleaner is going to be. After a few weeks, remove the peels and put the infused vinegar into a spray bottle. You can use the mixture on countertops, toilets, bathtubs, stoves, sinks, and more.

2. Make a Carpet Freshener

You can make your own carpet freshener by adding three tablespoons of grated citrus zest, one cup of borax, and two cups of baking soda in a bowl. Stir the mixture well and allow it to sit until all the moisture is evaporated.

Store the mixture in a glass jar until it is needed and then sprinkle it on dirty rugs and carpets. Each time you use this mixture, allow it to sit for several minutes to absorb dirt and odors. The last step is to vacuum it up.

3. Clean Your Garbage Disposal

Your garbage disposal can become pretty smelly and disgusting, pretty quickly. They fill up with grime and caked-on grease.

A great way to get rid of this smelly mess is by dropping a handful of citrus peels into the disposal. Make sure to mix in several ice cubes and then run it until all of these are gone

What is left behind is a fresh, clean disposal, as well as peace of mind.

The Amazing Citrus Peel

As you can see, there are more than a few ways you can use a citrus peel for cleaning around the house. Not only does this help to make a great smelling cleaner, but it’s also extremely effective at handling a wide array of problems.

How to Clean Walls: A Guide for First-Timers

No one really talks about how to clean walls. Bedrooms, yes. Bathrooms, yes. But walls? What’s the best way to do that? We explain our best cleaning tips here!

We’re sure you have a good house-cleaning schedule to keep your home clean throughout the year.

Did you know that you also need to clean your walls? Dirt and dust collect on your walls–yet it’s probably one of the surfaces you’re most likely to forget to clean.

Your walls can also collect mold and bacteria. Whether you see it or not, your walls could be dirty enough to make you sick.

If you have a lot of walls in your home, you might feel like cleaning them is an overwhelming task. But it’s not a huge chore if you know what to do.

Here’s how to clean walls in your home.

Dust First

Before you cleaning walls with any kind of liquid cleaning solution, remove the dust.

Pull furniture away from walls and cover it with a cloth. As you dust your walls, you don’t want that dust to land on your furniture fabric.

Run a dry cloth or broom over your walls to clear away dust and cobwebs.

Remove Marks

If you have dogs or kids, you probably have marks on your wall at knee or waist level. Crayons, handprints, and dirty paw prints can be stubborn wall “decorations.”

Depending on the type of paint on your walls, be gentle when removing marks. Start with water (only) and a soft sponge or cloth.

Rub the marks gently. If they’re stubborn enough to withstand cleaning with water, add a small amount of dish detergent and try again.

Avoid using anything stronger than diluted ammonia or a mix of baking soda, vinegar, and water for your wall cleaner. Don’t risk ruining your paint with harsh chemicals to remove marks on your wall.

Wipe the Wall

After you’ve spot-cleaned the marks on your walls, use the same gentle cleaning solutions to wipe the walls from top to bottom.

If your walls have texture, be sure you use enough solution to remove grime from the nooks and crannies from the texture.

When you’ve finished cleaning a wall with your cleaner, be sure you wipe it again with clean water and a clean cloth or sponge. Don’t leave cleaning solution on your wall. Rinse away the cleaner and any additional dirt.

Be Careful With Wallpaper

If your home has wallpaper, you need to clean that, too. Wallpaper can absorb smells and bacteria–even if the wall is a smooth surface.

Test a small area with water (only) for color-fastness before you tackle a larger section of your wall. If the small area doesn’t bleed, you’re probably safe to clean the rest of the wall.

Know How to Clean Walls to Keep Your Home Fresh

If you feel like you’ve cleaned everything in the house, but you still smell “something,” it might be your walls.

Know how to clean your walls to keep your home fresh and free from dust and bacteria.

Are you wondering how to clean your stainless steel appliances? Check out this guide to learn how it’s done.

Real talk: refrigerator doors can be a real source of embarrassment.

Those 15 layers of smudges and remnants of last night’s spaghetti dinner on your stainless steel are not doing your kitchen any favors.

But don’t fret. Your journey to smudge-free stainless steel appliances and a squeaky clean kitchen has begun.

Before you run out to the store to buy a stainless steel cleaner, take a look in your cabinets. You likely already have everything you need for shiny steel glory right at home.

Cleaning your stainless steel may seem like an afterthought or an optional chore, but nothing screams “I’ve got my home together” more than a glistening kitchen.

Here are our top tips for cleaning stainless steel appliances conveniently and on the cheap.

1. The Cheapest Option of All: Water

This might seem like a no-brainer but water is a tried and true cleaner for stainless steel that won’t damage or degrade the metal and is 100% safe.

However, there’s a proper technique to ensure success. Using warm water is more effective at removing oil spots. Make sure you rub with the grain and dry the surface completely with a clean rag so there’s no residue.

2. Dish Soap for Tough Stains

Yes, your old pal Dawn turns out to be a great stainless steel appliance cleaner. Dish soap cleans those tough stains out of stainless steel that is resistant to your everyday wipe-down with water.

Start small. Add a drop of dish soap to a microfiber cloth and apply warm water, Then, rub the stainless steel in the direction of the grain.

Don’t forget to rinse off the dish soap with a wet rag afterward and towel dry to prevent hard water spots.

If you want to really go the extra mile, add a dash of baby oil to polish the appliance after it’s been cleaned with dish soap. Violà!

3. Vinegar + Olive Oil For A Clean Polish

If you think of stainless steel appliances as similar to wood, in that you need to regularly clean and polish it, vinegar and olive oil is a great combination that does both.

Apply vinegar with a cloth or spray onto the surface of the appliance and wipe clean in the direction of the grain. Then use another clean towel and apply a small amount of olive oil to the surface of the steel. Again, rub in the direction of the grain.

4. The Wild Card: Club Soda

You’ve likely never heard of club soda being used as a cleaning product but many swear by its magical cleaning and polishing properties.

Add the club soda to a spray bottle and apply liberally. Wipe clean with a dry cloth in the direction of the grain. You’re done!

To Sum Up

Now you have no excuses when it comes to having streak-free glistening stainless steel appliances in your home. Have a refrigerator you can’t wait to show off to your houseguests.

How to Clean Your Apartment in Less Than 2 Hours

Are you so overwhelmed about your messy apartment that you don’t tackle cleaning it? Never fear! Here’s how to clean your apartment in less than 2 hours!

Did you know your kitchen is likely to be the dirtiest room in your house? It’s also one your guests are likely to walk into. Which is why it pays to know how to clean your apartment in a hurry.

Haven’t been cleaning your home, but need it to look like you do? Don’t worry, our guide to quick cleaning is here to help. Read on the get scrubbing.

How to Clean Your Apartment Fast

We’ve all been there before. Your parents come into town unexpectedly, you get asked to host game night when it’s not your turn, or your date opts for a “night in”.

If you don’t have the time or the money to hire a cleaning person, then it’s time for a quick spruce up that will leave the place looking great.

Start with Your Toilet

This is one place your guest is almost certain to go during their visit. And yes, they will be checking it. And yes, they will be judging you.

Give it a quick scrub, and while you’re at it, wipe the toothpaste stains off the sink. Skipping these details will make your home look like a mess no matter how spotless the rest of your rooms may be.

Handle the Dishes

Next up is the dishes. Another area we tend to peak at when visiting another person’s home. If you have time, wash them. If you’re short on time but have a dishwasher at least attempt to stash them in there.

Worst case scenario, fill the sink with water and dish soap for that bubbly  “pre-soaking” look.

Back to the Bathroom

When it comes to the bathroom, simple details can make the whole place look clean. This means making sure there’s a fresh roll of toilet paper on the holder (not resting on the back of the toilet), making sure there are no streaks in the mirror and for good measure light a candle in the bathroom.

Spruce Up the bedroom

Making your bed is the fastest way to make the rest of the room appear clean. If you’re really stressed for time, tuck odd items into a drawer until you can get to them later. Organize books and magazines into an orderly pile on your night table and keep dirty laundry out of sight.

Dust Obvious Corners

Dusting may seem like it will take up a bulk of your time, but you only have to dust the obvious corners. Do a quick walk through and find “high traffic zones” like your coffee table, kitchen counter or side tables. Handle these spots and move on.

Remove Trash

Removing your trash is a quick way to make your home look freshly cleaned and to avoid any unwanted smell. If you’re finding that trashy smell is still lingering, try filling a small bowl with baking soda and setting it where the trash is.

“Cleanish” Details

The devil is in the details and a few design arrangements can make your place look extra clean and put together. Try a bowl of fresh fruit on the table (kudos if they are all lemons), having herb plants in the windowsill, or remove pasta and dried goods from plastic packaging and display them in tasteful glass jars instead.

Staying on Top of it All

Now that you’ve gotten a basic idea of how to clean your apartment, it’s time to stay on top of it so there’s no need to worry about rushing.  If you’re moving out of your apartment and trying your best to recoup your deposit, it may prove beneficial to hire a professional cleaning service to handle your move out cleaning.

The average American spends 6 hours per week cleaning their homes. Unfortunately, even though so many people spend so much time cleaning, many often think that their homes aren’t clean enough.

Would you like to have a spotlessly clean home but you’re fed-up with spending hours cleaning and enjoy the benefits of having a clean home?

If so, then you should think about getting a housekeeper who will do all of these tasks and more.

With that said, we will now take a closer look at exactly what a housekeeper does and important information on hiring one.

Housekeeper Role

Now, before you hire a housekeeper, you should understand that a housekeeper isn’t a house cleaner.

A house cleaner is a person that does bigger jobs. Basically, if you are putting your house up for sale and you’re prepping it for viewings, then you’d hire a house cleaner.

A housekeeper is a person who regularly visits your home on a particular schedule such as 2 to 4 times per month. They will have a set list of things that they will do while in your home.

Some of the main things that they’ll do include:

– Cleaning the living space in your home by dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping etc.
– Thoroughly cleaning the bathroom and toilet as well as the items in your bathroom such as your mirrors and cabinets
– Kitchen cleaning which includes cleaning the kitchen sink, stove, other appliances etc
– Cleaning the bedroom, making up the bed, changing the sheets
– Washing the dishes and putting them away
– Cleaning the windows
– Putting out the garbage
– Ironing clothes, washing dirty clothes, folding them
– Replenishing stocks of toilet tissue, paper towels etc
– Organizing the home, decluttering, removing toys and packing them away

Now, according to the housekeeper that you hire and the services they provide, you may potentially also need to provide cleaning solutions and supplies.  Read this guide for more information on what to look for when hiring a housekeeper.

Benefits Of Having A Housekeeper

There are many benefits of getting a housekeeper and we’ll now go through some of them.

Healthier Home That Is Cleaner

The main benefit of getting a housekeeper is that your home will be a lot cleaner and very hygienic. If you fail to clean your home thoroughly on a regular basis, this will cause a build-up of bacteria, germs, fungus, dirt etc that will make your home unhealthy and unsafe for you and your family.

Regular Entertaining

The great thing about having a housekeeper is that they will allow you to have guests over more often without as much stress. When you’re entertaining guests, it will take a lot to organize each event and you can easily get stressed out. However, with a housekeeper, they can take care of your home and make sure it is clean so that you can deal with the other parts of entertaining.

Relaxation

It is definitely a lot easier to relax in a clean home as opposed to one that is dirty and messy. After you’ve spent an entire day working, chances are that you simply want to relax and decompress. However, if your house is dirty, this can certainly increase your stress and make it very difficult to relax.

Improve Productivity

Next, when you have a clean home, this will go a long way in making you more efficient and productive. A clean home is a lot more organized and you can easily find everything that you need. Additionally, a clean and organized home will help you to achieve mental calmness and organization that will make you work better.

A housekeeper will ensure your home is always clean and you don’t have to do any of the cleaning yourself. As a result, you’ll have more time and energy to do the things you actually want to do.

Increase Creativity

Unfortunately, when you have a dirty home this can negatively impact your creativity. However, a clean home will encourage you to be more creative and you may even find yourself thinking about innovative ways to store your belongings, improving the layout, cool new ideas for decorating etc.

Keeps The Peace

A dirty house can easily cause family members to fight with one another. This is especially true when belongings get lost or misplaced. This can cause a great deal of tension in the home. However, with a housekeeper, you’ll be able to easily find everyone’s belongings and this will make the entire home a lot more peaceful.

Do Things You Enjoy

There are some people who enjoy cleaning, however, the vast majority don’t enjoy it and would prefer to spend the time doing other things. A housekeeper will definitely free up your time so that you can do things you want to do which will make you a lot happier and content with your life.

Positive Psychological Effects

When you return to a beautiful and clean home at the end of your busy day, this will do wonders for your mental health and overall well-being. So, it is definitely worthwhile to invest in a housekeeper who will ensure that your home is well kept so that you and your family can enjoy these benefits.

People are incredibly busy in today’s modern world. In fact, they are so busy that the average person has less than 30 minutes of free time a week. Between everything that’s happening in their life, it is easy for people’s homes to get messy.

All the household chores add up, after all. There’s always laundry to clean, dishes to do, and bathrooms to polish. If everything becomes too overwhelming, these busy families have no choice besides hiring professional cleaners.

A good cleaning service helps relieve a great deal of stress from a family or individual. They can now focus on more pressing issues in their life once they know that their house is in safe hands. If you would like to be part of a cleaning service but aren’t too sure of what it is like, we have you covered.

What Can You Expect from Professional Cleaners?

If you are hired to be a housemaid, there is usually a general idea of what the responsibilities are likely to be. However, you still need to gather as much information as possible regarding your duties so that you can get into the job having reasonable expectations. We will provide a breakdown of what you should expect when you go in to clean another person’s or family’s house.

Obviously, these are simply the basics. Different homeowners will want different things. While some value quick cleaning, others are more interested in a deep clean. Either way, your cleaning services will give a family peace of mind, which is something to be proud about.

Regular Cleaning

If you are part of a cleaning crew, the company typically provides all the cleaning products. Familiarize yourself with everything that you will be using, including the ingredients. It is a necessary step to ensure that you know how to choose an appropriate tool for the job.

Customers are paying for a premium service, so anything subpar is likely to cost the cleaning company business. You don’t want to be using some cleaning products on delicate material or anything containing an ingredient that the customer is allergic to.

You can now get started with your work.

It might be just you sometimes or it might be multiple maids. If you are the only one, you will have to tackle multiple tasks, but if there are multiple cleaners involved, then different people can handle different tasks. The vast majority of cleaning jobs tend to be on the lighter side, which is what would be typically required for weekly cleaning.

The following is a general list of what is expected:

– Making the beds

– Taking out the trash and replacing trash bags

– Tidying up around the house

– Dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping all the floors

– Cleaning the kitchen i.e., appliances, counters, etc.

– Cleaning the bathrooms i.e., sink, toilet, mirror, bathtub, etc.

Clients will sometimes only expect a light clean. If that’s the case, they will communicate their needs and expectations with the cleaning service to have a clear picture of exactly what they are paying for.

A regular clean generally doesn’t take a lot of time because it is not as thorough as a deep clean, but you should always strive to go beyond the client’s expectations by making sure that tasks that need to be completed are done exceptionally well. Even if it is just a regular clean, ensure that you check everything once done so ensure that everything was thoroughly cleaned.

Deeper Clean

You will sometimes be hired for a deep clean service. It is usually done every 6 months so perhaps the client has reached a point that they may be having an important event. Whatever the reason might be, know that it takes up more time but also pays more.

Deep cleaning is aimed at removing all the buildup of grime and dirt. This usually hides in places that are hard to reach or the tricky areas that people usually don’t look are regularly.

So, besides performing all the tasks involved in a regular clean, here are other things you will be required to do for a deep cleaning service:

– Cleaning thoroughly underneath all sinks

– Deep scrub of the bathroom to get rid of grime

– Fully cleaning inside appliances such as microwave, oven, and perhaps even cabinets

– Getting behind kitchen appliances such as the fridge or oven to remove all the buildup of grime

– A deep dusting of all corners of the house to get rid of cobwebs

– Cleaning outside and inside all windows along with their frames

Keep in mind that this is just a small list of the extra tasks that customers who pay for deep cleaning will be expecting. That said, you may find some people that don’t want you to clean their bedroom or fridge. Still, you might come across those that try to demand more than your service entails.

Deep cleans are also expected if somebody is about to move out or into a home. It usually involves cleaning things such as the inside of the refrigerator or places that are usually hidden by furniture.

Not the Same as Housekeeping

What it means is that there’s a difference between a house cleaner and housekeeper. As a housemaid, you will be coming in for a cleaning service during specific times. You are not required to run errands for the family or even take care of the children.

It is important to make this distinction since even if there’s an overlap between the two, there are specific tasks more tailored to the job.

Cleaning Service Expectations

Whenever customers hire professional cleaners, they want the satisfaction and convenience of a sparkling home. If you want to be part of the cleaning service, you will not only help make people happier, but you will also be providing a service that helps with the well-being of the customer.

It is hard to stress enough just how important it is to know what you should expect when you want to become a domestic maid. While you may have a clue, there is actually more that goes into it than you may assume. You are already doing excellent work by learning what the job involves, now it is about cleaning things.

If you want professional cleaners, don’t hesitate to check out our list of cleaning services near you.