Summer exemplifies simplicity. Cleaning should, too. Having been in hundreds of peoples’ homes as a cleaner the number one reason I hear from my clients as to why they need my services is they do not have enough time. Sure. In some respects this may be true. A new baby, juggling work and kids, caring for a sick parent, and so many other circumstances can really put cleaning to the back burner. What they don't understand is that cleaning a residence is a health, sanitation, and aesthetic necessity, and can be fit into any schedule if the person plans and prioritizes accordingly.
Not having enough time isn’t the only reason people ask me to clean their homes and if honesty prevailed they would admit one or a combination of the following:
1) They have enough money to do it, so why not?
2) They’re lazy.
3) A family member visited and subtly pointed out the cleanliness of the residence, or lack thereof.
4) They don’t know how to clean and/or maintain their home.
From my experience number 4 is the main reason I have a job. Like most everything we pursue, cleaning is about perception, consistency, knowledge, and experience – if you want to do it as effectively and efficiently as possible. The clients who follow me around as I clean their house explaining how they do not have the time to do it themselves just have no idea what to do – or where to start. They can do the dishes and laundry and empty the trash all day, and although these tasks are an enormous part of maintaining a residence, they do not constitute “cleaning."
Real cleaning, unlike organizing or decorating, is simple. It is what people make of it and the agonizing over it that makes the task complicated and overwhelming and time-consuming.
I want to talk about the foundation of basic cleaning before moving into cutesy tips– start at the base of the pyramid before moving up. It's fantastic I can tell you how to remove the permanent marker stain from the wall, but this sort of task, again, is not cleaning; it does not keep your residence healthy, easily-maintained, and sanitary.
So what is this simple and mysterious cleaning that few people regularly engage in? What am I talking about? I have separated this phrase "real cleaning" into three core cleaning essentials that surprisingly I find very few people "get."
Real and efficient cleaning is a science and an art. If followed, these essentials will keep your residence maintained without sucking all your time.
1) 50% of cleaning is done without any cleaning solutions at all. Just a dust rag. The first step to all proper cleaning is dusting. Dusting is cleaning. Dust and debris is what makes a place dirty. Every surface and every item in your home can and should be dusted. Remove all dust starting from the ceiling down. You need two items for this task — a long-handle duster for high-up spots and a micro-fiber rag for all other middle and lower tier dusting — never never never use a feather duster; micro-fiber rags trap dust, are machine washable, and are also great for getting rid of minor smudges and fingerprints on glass surfaces. Once you have rid the environment of dust, now you can wet-wipe and sanitize properly. Note: dusting is for every room and surface in the house including kitchens and bathrooms, ceilings and walls, and should always be the first step in the cleaning process.
2) Floors. People who aren’t knowledgeable cleaners oftentimes think cleaning only involves sweeping / vacuuming / mopping the floors. Yes — floors, by space taken up alone, are the biggest and most laborious part of cleaning and do generally take the most time, especially if you have mostly hardfloors which require both vacuuming and mopping versus a quick carpet vacuuming. But if you were a good cleaner and did all your dusting and debris removal from top to bottom now you have to clean the floors because they are ten times dirtier than when you began cleaning. The beauty in this method is simple: get everything down to the floor first and then vacuum / mop. Logically floors should always be the last cleaning task performed — always with no exceptions. Invest in a good vacuum that you can afford — the Hoover Windtunnel is $100 and works and keeps suction like a $400 Dyson — and don't be afraid of the attachments!
3) Everything else. If you begin cleaning all rooms with the three-tier dusting method from top to bottom and end cleaning with vacuuming and mopping the floors, you now have about 85% of all your "real cleaning" done — depending on how bad your bathrooms and kitchen are. From here you can wet-wipe, sanitize, and polish your surfaces and disinfect your counters, scrub and shine your sinks, mirrors, tubs, and toilets without the dust and debris in the way. Another detail that really helps maintain the floors is regularly shaking out all small-medium sized area rugs and mats, especially the "Welcome" mat.
I have three things to say about cleaning solutions in the essence of simplicity:
1) Never buy pre-mixed solutions unless you like paying for water. Instead buy concentrates and invest in a reusable spray bottle.
2) Get toxin-free. The point of cleaning is to live in a healthier and more productive environment and if you are spraying toxins all over you have defeated the point.
3) Don't let our psycho-consumerist society convince you that you need a thousand different cleaning solutions for every different room in the house. KEEP IT SIMPLE. Honestly, all you need to really clean are your dusters, your vacuum, your mop, a scrub-brush, some rags, and dish soap — yes, dish soap cuts grease and oils, removes stains, is oftentimes a disinfectant, and is safe enough to use on all floors.
This summer don't make keeping your house cleaned and maintained more complicated than it needs to be. I guarantee even if you perform these two steps in sequence (dusting, floors) just once a month you will begin to notice that your place feels better and progressively becomes easier to maintain.
Elizabeth Flora Moore currently studies creative writing in the Master's of Fine Arts program at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She enjoys writing poetry, essays, and reviews, but sees writing and better understanding the craft of fiction as her ultimate academic goal. Elizabeth has two book reviews published in Rain Taxi and is consistently generating new projects within her various writing courses. When people ask Elizabeth “what she writes about” or “what inspires her” she answers with a coined phrase she terms as “perpetual opposite day.” She sees the world as constant paradoxes and dualities and everything she writes roots from these observations. Elizabeth also owns and runs a commercial contract cleaning company called Moore Cleaning Services, is an active member of the U.S Women's Chamber of Commerce, and volunteers tutoring inner-city teenagers. When she finishes her Master's program she will be applying for professorships to teach creative writing at the college level.