Cleaning your space, be it a dorm room or a house, can be a daunting task. When you know the basics of how to clean, it can be easy and take less time than you think.
If you have roommates, split the work up by room and tackle your spaces at the same time, if possible, so the whole house gets clean at one time. It is never good for peaceful roommate relations when one person cleans and the other doesn’t. Rotate the rooms each week so you don’t have to clean the same room the whole year, unless you like cleaning toilets. In that case, your roommates will love having you around!
Make a chart with names and rooms to clean so everyone knows what their responsibility is that week. Everyone is responsible for their own bedrooms, but community spaces like bathrooms, the kitchen and the living room are everyone’s responsibility to clean and keep tidy. For times when you need to do a deep cleaning of a room, do it together. It will be much quicker and everyone will do equal work.
Supplies
First, you need supplies. You don’t need many and they don’t have to be expensive. Find an inexpensive bucket or caddy (at the dollar store) to keep everything together and portable. A 2-sided one is nice to separate dry items – paper towels, etc from wet items – sponge, gloves, etc.
- Paper towels
- Cloth towels and/or disposable dusting cloths
- Toilet Brush
- Cleaning toothbrush
- Sponge with scrub side
- Vacuum Cleaner
- Rubber gloves
- Cleaning Products
- (Windex, Method or any other all purpose cleaner in a spray bottle, baking soda) Important note! Never mix ammonia and bleach. It creates a toxic, deadly gas.
- A nice, inexpensive all purpose cleaner can be made in a good quality plastic spray bottle using 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon of dish soap (like Dawn), ½ cup vinegar and a few drops of essential oils for scent. Shake before each use.
- Mop
- You can purchase a mop to clean floors or you can get down on your hands and knees and use a rag or sponge and good old fashioned elbow grease to mop the floor.
Tips
- Always start cleaning from the top and work you way down as you clean. Dust falls as you clean so, if you start from the highest point of the room and work your way down to the floor last, you will clean the most dust and dirt.
- When wiping down surfaces, use an S pattern going back and forth so you never miss a spot.
- When mopping, use the S pattern for a shaggy mop or a W pattern if using a flat mop like a swiffer or sponge mop.
- When Vacuuming, use a W pattern and when you push the vacuum away from you, be sure to bring it back over the same spot when you pull it back towards you to ensure you suck up all the dirt.
Videos
Since your parents won’t be there to show you how to clean your new place, here are some videos that will be helpful.