Tips and Essential Advice on Home Cleaning

When you're a working professional, you need a fairy Godmother to help you with your housework, especially if a holiday like Christmas is approaching. Setting everything in order, making sure the brass is polished,  the wood is clean, the furniture fabric is dust-free, and keeping the floor and the walls spic 'n span is no walk in the park kind of job.

First, go with a plan in mind. Sit down and give this a thought - how much time can you dedicate to cleaning? Then, you can structure your chores, and the cleaning will be performed in an orderly fashion, because haphazard plans can increase frustration if a particular part of the house is missed.

Try to start cleaning at such a time when there are no distractions whatsoever, and that includes keeping the television off too. This is because cleaning is hard-work hence, any sort of distraction is going to be welcomed by you which is going to either interrupt what you're doing, or completely stop it.

A very big hindrance to keeping a place clean and tidy is clutter. The more useless stuff you harbor in your house, the more demotivated you're going to get from cleaning your house. Hence just chuck everything that you don't need and start afresh.

Disinfectants can be used for any object in the bathroom, except the mirror. Immediately after having a bath or a shower, clean the bathroom, as it is already heated by the steam. The walls, tiles, and the grit stone will clean more easily, as steam softens soil and gunk. In order to remove light colored stains, rub the wash basin with a fresh sliced lemon.

Dark stains such as rust stains can be removed by using a solution made of borax and lemon. Clean the toilet by first pouring half a cup of bleach into it and then letting it take action. After giving it a few minutes, flush the commode and the area where you applied the bleach.

Most professional window cleaners use cold and clean water. If the windows are very dirty, add 2-3 spoons of vinegar to every liter of water. In order to dry the windows, newspaper is as efficient as paper towels which are actually quite expensive. Protect your hands by wearing rubber gloves.

Wooden Floors:
If done right, hardwood floors are the easiest to clean and maintain. To get it done right get a special wood cleaning solution and a lightweight mop, something like a micro-fiber dust mop.

Vinyl Floors:
Such floors need to be cleaned in such a way that they don't lose their shine. So, you have to use a cleaner with a PH value that is neutral.

Stone Floors:
Being the hardiest type of floor, once installed, it never needs to be replaced. That's also the reason why you have to maintain it properly. Basically any kind of cleaner will do for this type.

Utensils and the counter-top are the two important things that need to be washed on a daily basis. Never leave your utensils pending for a wash, because (i) it's unhygienic hence unhealthy and (ii) dry gunk takes a longer time and requires more effort to be scrubbed off.

In the weekends remember to empty the refrigerator of all the spoiled food and just run a wet cloth inside. The sink too will require your attention because the constant moisture will encourage growth of fungus.

Clean the stains immediately, before they dry. You'll have more of a chance to remove them if you attend to the stain as soon as it was made. Use a dish detergent for stains on the carpet. It does not contain chlorine, will dissolve the dirt very well, and it does not whiten the carpet. Only use a white duster to remove stains.

As with all products bought, when you purchase your furniture there are always guidelines mentioned about how to maintain it. Following those guidelines is the best advice that you could get as regards cleaning your furniture. Even so, make sure that the wood is polished and the leather is thoroughly vacuumed.

The following is a list of ingredients that you can use to clean up different kinds of stains.

• Baby Oil - baking soda and cornstarch, let stay for 10 mins, vacuum.
• Toothpaste - hand-wash and water, blot and then sponge.
• Red Wine - first blot with soda, sprinkle a little salt.
• Gum - freeze area, then break or scrape off

• Ink Stain - apply liquid laundry detergent, let sit, warm water to wash.
• Blood Stain - wash normally with cold water or use club soda.
• Wax - cover and iron.
• Stains on Leather - always wash the whole fabric to avoid water stains.
• Urine Stains - any mild detergent is enough.

Keeping a few things in mind is enough to get you by, while expending little effort and time. Maintain a proper hygiene routine both inside and outside the house. Make sure the garbage bins are emptied every morning and place dirty clothes hampers in every family member's room. Keep the doors and windows closed on dry days as more dust enters on those days.

Increase your house cleaning frequency because dedicating 10-15 minutes each day to any particular area is more productive than spending a whole weekend doing what you didn't do the whole month. With time you'll be able to formulate your own house cleaning routine, so keep at it and you'll be proud of the results that it will bring.