Everyone wants to live in a clean and well-maintained house. However, it’s no secret that sometimes, it’s not that easy to clean and maintain a home. There are rules you have to follow so you don’t damage your furnishings or complicate the cleaning task.
Simplify your task and avoid dealing with various issues by knowing the common residential cleaning and maintenance errors
Forgetting to declutter
The first step to cleaning a house effectively is to declutter all the rooms. This way, you can to remove everything that’s getting in the way.
You should prepare at least three boxes or baskets where you can place the things you need to throw away, repurpose, keep, or place in proper storage.
Here are other things you should remember when decluttering:
- You should fill at least one garbage bag when you declutter. The more bags or boxes you fill each session the better.
- Try giving away one item each day. Focus on items that other people can still use such as books or old clothing.
- Spend at least five minutes each day to declutter a room.
- Take before and after photos to monitor the changes and become more motivated to work on your decluttering task.
After clearing the rooms and organising your items, you can start your cleaning chores.
Cleaning the garden furnishings with the wrong solution
Regardless of what type of garden you use, it’s crucial to learn how you can clean or maintain it properly. Below are the most important things you must know when you clean your garden furnishings:
- Clean your rattan furnishing by using the appropriate tools and cleaning solution. Usually, you will only need a soft cloth or brush to clean it. If you see deep-seated stains or dirt, use pressurized water to wash it off.
- If you use plastic furniture, you should clean it with baking soda mixed in water. If you notice discolouration, we suggest applying car wax using a microfibre cloth. Applying the automotive wax allows you to restore your furnishing’s former colour and sheen.
- For your iron or metal lawn tables and chair, you can remove stain and dirt using a piece of cloth damped in detergent solution. To prevent rusting, you should wipe the furnishings with a dry rag after you wash them with the soap solution.
Spraying cleaners directly
Polishing and cleaning solutions should never be sprayed directly on the surface of your home furniture because it’s absolutely wasteful. Instead of effectively cleaning or polishing an item with a little amount of solution, you end up using too much.
Experts recommend spraying the cleaners or polishing solution on the rag or microfibre. Use the damp cloth to clean or polish your prized items.
Neglecting the sponge and mop
Tidying up the floor or other parts of your house will surely take longer if you don’t clean and sanitize the sponge and mop that you use. You might also potentially spread dangerous pathogen all over your home.
If you notice stains or discolouration on your mop or sponge, wash them with immediately with detergent and clean water. Pay attention to the colour of the water in your bucket. If it looks too cloudy, don’t hesitate to refill it with a new batch of cleaning solution.
If the sponge you use to wipe your kitchen surfaces looks too soiled with grease and gunk, don’t bother cleaning it. You can always use a new sponge.
Thinking that speed cleaning is indeed effective
You may have read a couple of articles talking about how you can clean your entire house miraculously in less than 15 minutes.
It’s all over the internet these days.
While the methodology sounds quite promising and life-changing, don’t be so quick to believe that you too can pull it off that easily.
In order to succeed in speed cleaning, you must invest time in developing an effective cleaning routine. The system should help you minimize your cleaning time without compromising the results.
Aside from creating the routine, you must also clean your house as often as you can. This way, you don’t have to spend super long hours to complete a general cleaning task.
You must also list all the possible things that require your immediate attention each day. Make sure you attend to them. Try to assess your cleaning process and determine what you need to improve. Make a mental note of the adjustments needed and apply it the next time you clean your home.
Underestimating the importance of a clean vacuum filter
Forgetting to clean the vacuum filter and dirtbag won’t do you any good. The pressure produced inside the vacuum pipe weakens, decreasing the machine’s suctioning capability. In effect, you won’t get to clean your carpet, cushions and other items in the house effectively.
You’re also putting your vacuum cleaner at risk of getting damaged. If the debris inside the dirtbag punctures the filter or blocks the suctioning pipes, you may need to have your vacuum fixed or replaced in no time.
To avoid having issues with your vacuum equipment, we suggest cleaning the filter and dirtbag after you use it.
Not putting an effort in repairing damaged grout
Filling in gaps in the grout helps you avoid damage caused by water and moisture coming in from the ground. If you find cracks on the grout, you should find time to fill it up. Otherwise, the remaining grout will begin to rot and the water damage on your flooring or kitchen sink will worsen.
Fixing such issue is time sensitive because if you don’t fix it quickly, you may need to spend thousands to revamp a water-damaged part of your abode.
To fix your grout problem, you should remove the damaged surface and apply a fresh layer of grout. Pay attention to how you apply the new layer. There should be enough to cover the cracks or damaged portions.
Attending to daily chores is an exhausting thing to do. However, it’s quite rewarding to see how clean and tidy your house looks after all the time and effort you invest at the end of the day. Just remember all the maintenance and cleaning mistakes you have to avoid so you can streamline your cleaning routine. Happy cleaning!
