How Do You Deep Clean Your Home and How Often Should You Do It?
We all appreciate the benefits of a “clean” home, but weekly surface cleaning alone often isn’t enough to ensure a truly healthy, germ-free environment. Occasionally, it’s important to delve deeper and tackle your home’s unseen nooks and crannies with a thorough deep clean. This process not only eliminates hidden bacteria and grime, but revitalizes your home and your mindset.
At Clean Queen, we often discuss effective deep-cleaning strategies with our clients. In this blog, we’ll explore what constitutes a deep clean, how often you should schedule one, and provide our expert (and downloadable) checklist for comprehensive cleaning success!
How is Deep Cleaning Different from Regular Cleaning?
Deep cleaning goes beyond regular cleaning targeting hard-to-reach areas, hidden corners, and neglected spaces. It is considerably more time-consuming, often taking around 8 hours for an average-sized home, although this can vary depending on the level of dirt and grime.
How Often Should I Deep Clean My House?
Deep cleaning doesn’t have to be a monthly event but should be done at least once or twice a year. While spring cleaning is commonly associated with deep cleaning, the timing is less important than making it a planned routine.
Consider factors such as the size and usage of your home, the number of residents, and whether you have kids or pets. These variables may call for more frequent and thorough deep cleaning.
How to Start Deep Cleaning Your House
A deep cleaning session may seem overwhelming, but starting prepared will ensure the process will be more manageable and efficient.
Before You Start
- Plan Ahead: Download our deep cleaning checklist that includes tasks for each area of your home. This will help you stay on track, better manage time, and give you a feeling of accomplishment as you complete each area.
- Declutter: Eliminate unnecessary items and organize what you decide to keep to streamline the process and make each area seem less overwhelming.
- Prioritize: Start with your dirtiest room first (typically the kitchen and bathrooms). Tackling the most time-consuming room when you’re rested and motivated will make the rest of the process easier. As you complete each room, you’ll build momentum to keep going, saving time and energy.
- Enlist Help: Take advantage of extra hands to make the process quicker and more efficient.
- Start at the Top: Begin with the tallest items first, then work your way down. This way, dust will fall on dirty spaces rather than settling on areas you’ve already cleaned.
- Gather supplies: A stocked cleaning cabinet or a full caddy is ready to go so you can start right away and not waste precious cleaning time finding everything you need. vacuum & broom
| Cleaning Supplies | |
|---|---|
| vacuum & broom | mop and bucket |
| microfiber cloths | all-purpose cleaner |
| dish soap | scrub brush |
| window cleaner | *baking soda |
| oven cleaner | scrubbing sponge |
| paper towels | glass cleaner |
| disinfectant | squeegee |
| rubber gloves | *spray bottle |
| toilet brush | *white vinegar |
| duster | toothbrush |
*Pro tip: Vinegar, water, and baking soda make an easy and powerful homemade cleaner that’s a great alternative to store-bought chemicals.
- All-Purpose Spray: Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
- Cleaning Paste: Combine vinegar and baking soda to form a paste. Add water if it’s too thick.
These DIY cleaners are less likely to cause harm or irritation, are environmentally friendly, and provide a healthy alternative to commercial cleaners, giving you peace of mind about the ingredients you’re using.
Clean Queen’s Thorough Deep Cleaning Checklist
Kitchen
- Dust ceilings, ceiling fans, and remove cobwebs
- Dust light fixtures and vents
- Hand-wash window coverings and window sills
- Hand-wash baseboards, doors, and trim
- Clean doorknobs and light switches
- Dust furniture and decorations
- Hand-wash the exterior of kitchen cabinets
- Sanitize sinks, faucets, and drain
- Clean appliance exteriors
- Clean microwave interior
- Scrub kitchen counters, stove, hood, and backsplash
- Product cleaning
- Empty trash
- Vacuum floors
- Mop hard floors
- Clean windows
Bathroom
- Dust ceilings, ceiling fans, and remove cobwebs
- Dust light fixtures and vents
- Hand-wash window coverings and window sills
- Hand-wash baseboards, doors, and trim
- Clean doorknobs and light switches
- Clean toilets inside/outside
- Hand-wash the exterior of bathroom cabinets
- Polish mirrors
- Sanitize and wash counters and sinks
- Scrub bathtubs and showers
- Sanitize sinks, faucets, and drain
- Empty trash
- Vacuum floors
- Mop hard floors
- Clean windows
Common Areas
- Dust ceilings, ceiling fans, and remove cobwebs
- Dust light fixtures and vents
- Hand-wash window coverings and window sills
- Hand-wash baseboards, doors, and trim
- Clean doorknobs and light switches
- Dust furniture and decoration
- Dust picture frames
- Polish mirrors
- Vacuum floors
- Mop hard floors
- Clean windows
Pro-tip: We always recommend using microfiber cloths for cleaning surfaces that are prone to streaks. Their fine fibers, positive charge, and high absorbency ensure that dirt and bacteria are captured and removed, rather than being left behind as with other types of cloths.
By following these steps and tips, and dedicating an uninterrupted chunk of time, you’ll find that deep cleaning your home is manageable and highly rewarding.
What Are the Benefits of a Deep Cleaned Home?
- Improved Health: Eliminating hidden dust, dirt, and grime from your home can significantly improve your family’s health by reducing allergens, bacteria, and viruses, which helps prevent illnesses and allergies.
- Reduced Stress: Research indicates that living in a cluttered environment can elevate stress levels and adversely impact your health and mental well-being. When you’re surrounded by messes you don’t have time to tackle, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and anxious. Clutter forces your mind into overdrive, distracting you with minor concerns, and leading to increased stress. However, an organized environment promotes a sense of peace. When your home is free of clutter and filth, you’re more abt to feel more relaxed and at ease.
- Increased Productivity: An organized space can significantly boost concentration and efficiency. Thoroughly cleaning and removing clutter makes your home feel more spacious alleviating stress and worry. This creates a more conducive environment for organizing thoughts, prioritizing tasks, generating ideas, and finding time to relax. Ultimately, it allows you to focus on what you love and spend quality time with those who matter most.
- Improved Indoor Air Quality: The air quality in our home is directly influenced by cleanliness. Over time, air ducts can accumulate dust, mold, and debris, which gets circulated through the air whenever you use your A/C or heating system. By thoroughly cleaning these hard-to-reach areas and removing harmful pollutants, you can improve air quality and reduce potential triggers for asthma and allergies.
- Sense of Accomplishment: Finishing a task like cleaning your home triggers your brain’s reward system, releasing endorphins and dopamine. This leaves you with a clearer mental state and a feeling of accomplishment while also boosting your confidence to tackle other projects and tasks.
Conclusion
Let’s face it: Deep cleaning isn’t necessarily difficult, but it can be incredibly time-consuming. With busy schedules juggling work, family responsibilities, and personal interests, it’s often beneficial to get some help. That’s why so many clients turn to Clean Queen for professional deep cleaning services.
Contact Clean Queen for our comprehensive deep cleaning service. Our skilled technicians bring expertise and enthusiasm to every job, customizing their approach to meet your specific needs, and ensuring every surface is thoroughly scrubbed and sanitized for a clean and healthy home. Let us do the dirty work so you can enjoy the peace of mind you deserve.