10 House Cleaning Tips & Guides We are Thankful for in 2020

By
Karen Saunders
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If your 2020 new year’s resolution was to learn new things, learning more practical and effective ways to clean your house should definitely have been a part of that! This year, we at Simply Maid have learned and shared many amazing house cleaning tips and guides with our readers in a bid to help them maintain a pristine home throughout the year. From cleaning those commonly overlooked places to disinfecting your home during COVID-19; we’ve covered a wide range of cleaning topics that will benefit anyone looking to meet a desirable level of cleanliness and tidiness in their homes.

So, in the spirit of giving thanks and showing gratitude during the festive season, here is a compilation of Simply Maid’s 10 best cleaning tips/guides we are thankful for in 2020! 

1. The Best Approach to Cleaning a Garage

This adjacent room of your house is often neglected and used as a storage space to dump possessions in a haphazard manner. Even if this isn’t the case, cleaning and organising your garage is an overwhelming thought when you don’t have a solid plan in mind. It’s really all about a systematic approach, as well as tackling each task in the same way. 

Here are some key tips from our garage cleaning guide that will help you get the job done efficiently.

Empty Out the Garage

For a deep clean, and a more organised one, it helps to carry out all the contents of the garage and transfer them to a wide space where sorting through the piles will be easier.

Use Storage Boxes/Containers for Better Organisation

Anything that can fit into a box or container should be stored in one! This is the best way to organise your garage and keep things from getting lost or misplaced.

Deep Clean While Empty

With nothing to get in your way, you can clean the space from top to bottom more efficiently and thoroughly.

2. How to Organise a Crowded Pantry

What starts out as an organised cabinet or cupboard, typically ends up in a total mess as it begins to crowd up. Even for big pantries with ample storage space, lack of organisation leads to a truly chaotic space which can be frustrating to look at or use. Luckily, organising your pantry, regardless of the size, is a lot easier than you think.

Here are the most important tips to keep in mind when cleaning out and organising your pantry.

Categorise Items

All the contents must be categorised according to their type or use. For example, baking items can be stored on one shelf, canned foods on another, and so on.

Organise with Storage Aids

Containers, large bottles, trays and other storage aids are great for keeping your pantry contents neatly organised.

Use Labels

No pantry is complete without labels! However, you can go one step further and use colour codes for easy identification of different food categories.

3. COVID-19 Home Sterilisation

This was by far the most important home cleaning guide we put together in 2020. Although our guide for disinfecting your home during COVID-19 was posted in March, till date, the coronavirus continues to thrive in many countries around the world. While the situation has greatly improved in Sydney and all across Australia, the importance of keeping your home clean and sterile at all times should not be devalued.  

To continue down this path of taking precautions that keep viruses at bay, here are a few things you should be doing.

Sterilise Frequently-Touched Areas

So often, germs are spread by touching surfaces that are crawling with bacteria. In your home, these are defined as high-touch areas that need to be sanitised regularly including door knobs/handles, switches, and handheld objects.

Clean Your Bathroom & Kitchen Daily

The level of hygiene in your bathrooms and kitchen must never be compromised. For this, daily cleaning to keep these rooms spotless and sanitary is advised.

Wash Upholstery More Often

Bed sheets and pillowcases should be laundered every other week, and once a week if a house member is sick. Other household upholstery such as curtains and cushion covers need to be washed and replaced at least twice a month.

4. When to Clean with Hot/Cold Water

You often see cleaning guides advising the use of hot, cold, or warm water; but have you wondered why? There are a couple of reasons for this; to the average person, this is assumed to be suggested for more effective cleaning results and nothing more. While that is often the case, sometimes the temperature of the water can be detrimental to the surface/material/object you are cleaning. Therefore, knowing the correct water temperature when cleaning is crucial for a safe and effective end result.

Here’s a quick look at when and what to clean with hot/cold water.

Hot Water

      • Dishes
      • Bathroom and kitchen surfaces
      • Most types of flooring
      • Stainless steel appliances

Cold Water

      • Most types of fabrics
      • Wooden floors
      • Spot cleaning stains
      • Washing windows

5. How to Clean & Organise Your Attic

The attic is often the dustiest and most disorganised room of the house because most homeowners only ever go up there to add more stuff to the space! This leads to the accumulation of clutter which, in turn, collects dust and leaves the whole place looking like a mess. While attic cleaning isn’t meant to be a one-time thing, getting things in order and deep cleaning the space will make a routine clean up of the attic that much easier and quicker. 

If you’re wondering how to do this, here are the top tips to keep in mind when cleaning and organising your attic: 

      • Clear out a large space to sort through items
      • Keep boxes and storage containers at hand; consider getting rid of items you no longer need and bag/box them
      • Clean from top to bottom
      • Inspect the walls and ceiling for moisture damage and mould
      • Reorganise the space to maximise convenience for locating frequently used items

6. Cleaning & Sanitising Kids’ Toys 

Everyone knows the importance of keeping kids’ toys sanitary but not everyone is aware of the correct cleaning methods required to sterilise them safely. Without the right information at hand, you run the risk of your kids falling sick due to improper cleaning which either leaves the toys (still) germy, or worse, traces of the cleaner present on the toys which are harmful to children. Therefore, the use of non-toxic cleaning agents is a must when cleaning and sanitising your children’s toys.

Here is some crucial information to keep in mind when cleaning different types of kids’ toys.

Stuffed Toys

Most soft toys can be machine-washed, however, it’s important to check their labels for washing instructions before you do so. It’s also advisable to place stuffed toys inside a laundry bag when washing them in a machine. 

Rubber/Plastic Toys

While they can be hand-washed using baby soap and water, plastic and rubber toys can also be cleaned and sanitised in a dishwasher using lukewarm water. If you choose to clean them by hand, be sure to wipe each toy with a child-safe disinfectant thereafter.

Electronic Toys

Since they cannot be washed, you will need to wipe electronic toys with a damp cloth and spot clean stains with a mild soapy solution. Finish off by wiping over them with a disinfectant wipe.

7. How to Clean & Sterilise Your Home Gym & Equipment

During the quarantine, a lot of people used their free time to focus on their health and fitness. This led to the buying of workout equipment to set up one’s own home gym which, by now, may or may not still be in use! Regardless, not a lot of people take the time to clean and sanitise their home gym and equipment which is of utmost importance due to the presence of germs and bacteria.

Here are a few tips to help you get the job done efficiently:

      • Clean surfaces/equipment first and then sanitise 
      • Pay attention to areas/objects that are frequently held or touched by your hands
      • Clean and disinfect anything that encounters sweat 
      • Don’t leave out mirrors, racks, chairs/stools, etc
      • Wash your gym bag and shoes regularly

8. Cleaning Those ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’ Places

We’re all guilty of doing it; neglecting those places that accumulate a lot of dust and dirt but no one ever sees them. Well, this year we learned that that has to change! Hard-to-reach places must be cleaned routinely if we wish to maintain healthy indoor air quality and a pristine home. Fortunately, Simply Maid has covered all those dirty, unseen places that are often ignored, and explained the best way to go about getting them cleaned up. 

Here are some of the commonly neglected areas/surfaces from the guide that need your attention when cleaning:

      • Cabinet tops
      • Behind the toilet
      • Underneath sinks
      • Dishwasher filter
      • Crown mouldings and baseboards
      • Window tracks
      • Ceiling fans and light fixtures
      • Refrigerator coils

9. Things You Didn’t Know You Could Clean with Baking Soda

If you knew baking soda had cleansing properties but weren’t sure of what and how it is used in household cleaning, you’re not alone! For years, homeowners have been using the ingredient in a very basic way to clean certain areas in their house, however, we are here to enlighten you about all the things you can clean with baking soda for 100% effective results!

Take a look at this brief list of things you can clean with baking soda + other household uses for the ingredient:

      • Kitchen and bathroom counters
      • Toilet bowl
      • Burnt pots and pans
      • Stainless steel appliances
      • Remove wall stains
      • Clean and freshen up upholstery
      • Deodorise gym shoes/bags
      • Brighten up laundry
      • Brighten up sterling silver jewellery

10. Cleaning Tips to Prepare for the Holidays

Rounding off the 10 tips and guides we are thankful for in 2020 is our comprehensive Holiday cleaning guide to prepare your home for the festive season! We often get caught up with jobs and other responsibilities, and find ourselves scrambling at the last minute to get ready for the Holidays. Well, this year will be different thanks to the key information shared in this guide! 

Here are some of the takeaways from the article that will help you achieve your Holiday cleaning goals.

Tackle Clutter Each Day

In the days/weeks leading up to the Holidays, it’s important to stay on top of household clutter by tackling the problem every day. This allows you to spend a minimum amount of time on the task and yet, ensures that it is taken care of as the festivities near.

Get Your Fridge Cleaned Out

You don’t ever want rotten foods in your refrigerator, especially not during the Holidays when there are a lot of yummy leftovers to store! Spare a Saturday afternoon to clean and organise your fridge in time for the festive season.

Clean the Wall + Ceilings

Nobody wants to put up decorations when the walls and ceilings are covered in dust. Luckily, all you need for this is a long-handled broom and about 5-10 minutes per room.

Deep Clean Upholstered Furniture

With guests and family visiting during the Holidays (or even otherwise), you will definitely want your upholstered furniture looking and smelling fresh. This can be achieved with a DIY deep clean of your couch, sofas, chairs, ottomans, etc.

As we are approaching the Holidays and 2020 draws to a close, there is so much to be thankful for. We, the team at Simply Maid, are thankful for all our new and old clients who have put their trust in us and allowed our cleaning teams into their homes; and for all the new cleaning tips and guides we have been able to use to make lives simpler, and homes a lot cleaner!

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Karen Saunders
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