Covering the Basics
Pick up any trash. Bring a bag with you to eliminate countless trips to the trash bin. Throw away all obvious trash, such as wrappers and old mail, and if you have a little extra time, assess your space for usefulness. Are there objects that don’t get much use or don’t suit your tastes anymore? Now may be a good time to get rid of the excess.
De-clutter your space daily. Having a large amount of clutter in the area can make starting more intimidating. Gather anything that’s out of place, such as toys, video games, books, papers, etc., and put in a pile in the middle of the room. Once you’ve gathered all the clutter, start putting each piece back where it belongs. To keep the pile contained, use a laundry basket to hold all the clutter as you collect it. Making this pile first will help you focus on that one main task and makes the room look cleaner faster--seeing visible progress can be encouraging and motivating! Completing this task daily will keep clutter from piling up and becoming overwhelming the next time you clean. If you’re in a hurry to clean up for company and you run out of time, the basket can be put out of sight and organized later. However, if you have time, it is best to take a few minutes and put things back in their places right away.
Straighten up the sofa. If you only have time for a basic cleaning, it’s important to make sure the focal points of the room like the sofa get the most attention. This way, you can maximize your time and effort and make the room look visibly cleaner. Fluff pillows, straighten seat cushions, and fold any blankets to tidy up this area. Use a handheld vacuum or a vacuum wand extension to pick up any crumbs, hair, or lint on the upholstery.
Dust surfaces. Run a slightly damp cloth over main surfaces such as the coffee table, TV, and shelves to pick up dust and spot-clean any fingerprints. Microfiber cloths are perfect for this step. Dust from top to bottom, as dust falls and settles. This way you won't have to go back over areas that you’ve already cleaned. Start with the highest objects and work your way down.
Straighten and stack any books or magazines on the coffee table. If there are too many objects on the table it'll look cluttered, but a few stacked print items can add a nice touch.
Reposition any floor or throw rugs that may have shifted out of place. This way, they'll look tidy and won't be distracting to the eye.
Clean the ceiling fan and light fixtures. Use a vacuum on the lowest setting and a brush attachment to quickly remove cobwebs, hair, and dust. As with dusting, it's best to vacuum from top to bottom for efficiency. When cleaning the light fixture, turn on the lights so you can see all of the cobwebs and dust more easily. For more detailed cleaning, use a long, extending duster to work your way around the fixture. Make sure to cover the chain and bulb as well as the outside of the fixture to get rid of any cobwebs hiding on the inside.
Vacuum the drapes and blinds. As with the ceiling fan and light fixtures, be sure to use low setting and a brush attachment to gently clean this area.
Vacuum the floor last. Moving objects around shakes dust and debris onto the floor, so be sure to save this for the last step. This should be done once a week to keep the area clean and tidy. Start in the farthest corner and vacuum your way out of the room, as you would with mopping. Sprinkle carpets with a little baking soda before you start vacuuming to take care of any unpleasant odors. Don’t forget to vacuum the tops of the baseboard--this area can collect a lot of dust.
Deep-Cleaning
Wash the windows. Getting rid of grime and streaks on the windowpanes once in a while will instantly liven up your space. For an easy, affordable cleaning solution, mix one or two teaspoons of dish detergent into a bucket of warm of water. Scrub down the window and squeegee off the suds horizontally. This solution also works well on mirrors.
Polish your furniture. Taking care of your wooden furniture can make a huge difference in the cleanliness of your home. First, make sure you've dusted the furniture with a slightly damp cloth or vacuum with a dusting brush attachment, then apply polish to the furniture with a soft cloth. You can either buy furniture polish or make your own as a cheaper alternative. Remember to buy or make the correct polish for the material and finish of your furniture. Try out a patch test before polishing the entire piece. For wooden furniture, mix four parts olive oil and one part white vinegar. Put the solution in a spray bottle and make sure to test it first on your wooden furniture to see if it achieves the desired effect. Spray the solution onto the furniture and work it in until the wood shines. The vinegar also acts as a cleaning agent so you can clean and polish your furniture at the same time.
Shampoo your carpets and rugs. You can either rent a machine or hire a professional service to shampoo and deep-clean your carpets. If the carpet is especially soiled, a professional service is probably best, but if it just needs some spot-treating, you can easily do that yourself. Shampooing your carpet will make it last longer and keep it in good condition. If you choose to rent a machine and do it yourself, remember to vacuum the carpet extremely well beforehand. Work with the machine as you would with a vacuum. Divide the carpet into sections and clean each one slowly and carefully with a side-to-side pattern, overlapping your strokes a bit. Don't work in circles or at random, otherwise you will lose your place and end up stepping on areas you already cleaned. After the carpets are finished, lay down towels in areas that get a lot of traffic. This will help them dry faster and keep them clean longer.
Organizing Your Space
Consider new storage techniques. If you find that clutter keeps piling up in one area, or certain objects always end up where they shouldn’t be, such as books, electronic chargers, or mail, try using some new storage techniques. Install shelves or use a basket to hold extra books. Store chargers in a basket to keep them collected in one place. Set up a mail station with labeled cubbies or two trays for ingoing and outgoing.
Keep all of your remotes in place. Choose somewhere accessible that you will easily remember. Use a basket, drawer, or tray to keep them contained if need be.
Invest in some “double-duty furniture.” To maximize your space, find pieces that offer hidden storage such as benches and ottomans with inner storage areas or a chest for a coffee table. You could also look into solutions like cupboards and media storage to keep your things organized, easily accessible, and out of the way.
Motivating Yourself
Listen to music. Find an upbeat playlist to play while you work. Music is proven to lift your mood and help you complete tasks more quickly, so listening will both add some fun to your cleaning process and improve your efficiency.
Let some light in. Open the curtains and shake off the dust. The natural light will brighten and open up your space. You could also open the windows for some fresh air, which will help dispel any unpleasant odors and chemicals you may be using to clean.
Set a timer. Choose a manageable amount of time, such as 15 or 20 minutes, to really focus on cleaning without any distractions. Tell yourself that you can be done after those 15-20 minutes are up if you focus and keep cleaning the whole time. Combine this step with music--make yourself a 15- or 20-minute playlist and focus on cleaning until the music is done.
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