With extra time being at home, what better way to use this time to clean your apartment! Since we are spending most of our time at home, it is important to set time aside to do a deep dive clean AT LEAST once a week. Now is the perfect time to start a routine for when the world gets back to normal and lives become hectic once again. Lucky for you, we have a step-by-step guide for how to clean your apartment in the most productive way!
Step 1: Gather your house-cleaning essentials
In order to be efficient when cleaning, make sure you have all of the items you’ll need out of the closet, drawer, or cabinet. Having them out in the open and in one space makes it easy for you to grab and go to each room! Don’t forget to make this time fun as well. Put on some tunes or a TV show as background noise when you start this process! You’ll need the following items:
- Trash bags
- Gloves
- Sponges
- Dish soap
- Glass cleaner
- Multi-purpose spray
- Disinfecting wipes
- Toilet wand and cleaner
- Foaming shower cleaner
- Paper towels or cleaning cloths
- Floor stick mop (we love the Bona or Swiffer!)
- Vacuum
- Duster
Step 2: Start with the kitchen
The best place to start when cleaning your apartment is the kitchen. This is because the kitchen gets most of the foot traffic day in and day out. Take out the trash and do all of the dishes in the sink with dish soap and a sponge. If there is any clutter (ex: dry dishes on the drying rack, appliances on the table, food not in the pantry) make sure to put these away too. You’ll want to use your multi-purpose spray and towels here to wipe down the counters, kitchen table, and even your kitchen faucet, stove top, and refrigerator.
Step 3: Time for the bathroom(s)!
Cleaning your bathroom is probably the most daunting place to clean. However, with all of the necessary cleaning items, it’ll go by in a breeze.
Wear your gloves when cleaning the bathroom! Start with your toilet. Spray the toilet bowl cleaner and make sure it covers the entire interior and don’t forget the bottom of the rim. Let the toilet bowl cleaner sit, we will come back to this last, as we want the cleaner/bleach to really work it’s magic. While we wait for the toilet, clean your shower next. You’ll want to use your foaming shower cleaner to clean the tub, tiles, and fiberglass. Then just simply turn your shower on to clean up the soap. After the shower, it’s time to head to the sink area. Be sure to put any clutter away and then start with your mirrors. Make sure you use glass cleaner and a cleaning cloth. After wiping the mirrors, use your multi-purpose cleaning spray and a cleaning cloth to wipe the counter. Don’t forget the sink basin and soap dispenser!
By now you have probably spent about 10-15 minutes cleaning up the bathroom. Take disinfecting wipes and wipe down the toilet from top to bottom, including the seat and underneath too. At this point you can go ahead and use your toilet wand to clean the interior of your toilet. Don’t forget to flush afterwards! Use another disinfecting wipe to wipe the door handles. Collect the garbage from the bathroom and wash your hands.
Step 4: The bedroom
In order to be efficient when cleaning your bedroom, be sure to take all dirty laundry to your washer and dryer and complete a load(s) while finishing up your chores. That way, by the time you’re finished cleaning your entire apartment, it’ll be time to fold the laundry you completed, which is the very last step. After putting a load in, it’s time to get to business. If your bed isn’t made yet, be sure to make it. Or, if you plan to wash your sheets, make sure this is the first load you complete. Pick up any clutter as well.
Use your duster to dust counter tops of your dresser, bedside tables, and in-between blinds. After dusting it is a good idea to take your multi-purpose cleaner and cleaning cloth and wipe these surfaces too. If you are doing a deeper cleaner, it is important to dust your ceiling fan, top of the doors, and picture frames. Before leaving, be sure to take a disinfecting wipe and wipe your door handles!
Step 5: The living room
We are halfway done my friend! Now that you are in the living room, you want to copy similar steps as the bedroom. Pick up any clutter and put away items in their homes, such as the TV remote and throw pillows/blankets. You’ll want to use your duster first and follow up with your multi-purpose cleaning spray and a cloth to wipe down all of the surfaces: fire place, TV stand, bookshelf, coffee table, etc.
Bonus: Light some candles in the living room! This is a fun step to make your apartment smell good. After all, who doesn’t like candles?!
Step 6: Handheld floor mop on HARDWOOD or TILE
It is a great feeling to know that all of the rooms are individually done. Now, it is time to clean the floors! If your apartment is all hardwood or vice versa, you can skip Step 5/6 and clean every single room. However, if your apartment is part hardwood and part carpet, use your floor mop first.
Floor stick mops should be an essential item in every household. Not sure which brand to invest in? Check out the Swiffer vs. Bona post where we breakdown the pros and cons for you.
Don’t forget any floor space when using your floor stick mop! That includes your front entryway, the kitchen, bathrooms, etc. Make sure you are making the most out of your wet pad by making sure that you’re cleaning your floors until you notice it isn’t picking up dirt anymore. Have extra wet pads handy so it is easy for you to change them if necessary!
Step 7: Vacuum the carpet
First, empty your vacuum bag if it is not emptied already. Regardless if it is full or not, it is a great precaution in making sure everything gets vacuumed up. It is important to note that your vacuum plays a key role in your household. Remember all of the dust you dusted in the bedroom and living room? The vacuum will not only gather that dust that fell on the floor, but also dirt and crumbs in your carpet/rug. Lastly, use the specific attachments of your vacuum to clean your couch and any other tight spaces. You can say bye-bye to a dirty floor after step 5 and 6!
Step 8: Enjoy the clean
When your laundry is completed, make sure to fold your clothes, towels, or make your bed with your clean sheets. You will always bring all of the trash that you collected from each room and take that outside! Lastly, be sure to put away all of your household cleaning supplies you initially took out. We recommend utilizing a utility closet as a one-stop shop, or using under the sink cabinets to store the supplies.
All in all, cleaning your apartment isn’t so bad after all. With these 8 easy steps, you’ll be able to get the job done. It doesn’t hurt to ask family members to help with the process! A simple task like cleaning your apartment is contributing to getting through this pandemic. And these tips are great for cleaning your apartment when times are normal as well. Happy cleaning!