How to organize the Christmas cleaning
With some organisation you'll be cleaning like a pro
With some organisation you'll be cleaning like a pro

–without disorganizing the entire house

“WHERE should I start?” is the question I always ask myself at this time of the year, when I attempt to, at least, try to give the house a thorough cleaning. cleaning-3Whether they are doing it because they are traditional ‘Christmas’ persons or are just using the end of the calendar year as a marker for making a fresh start, many people embark on more intense cleaning or sprucing up right about now.
Well, unless you’re Martha Stewart, this can be a daunting task. So here are some tips to prepare your home for the season:

Closets need cleaning too, get rid of stuff you don't wear
Closets need cleaning too, get rid of stuff you don’t wear

Day One: Since you need to prepare your home to be deep-cleaned, you have to decide what cleaning tools and solutions you need. Get all the stuff out of the way. Pack away books, wall hangings, and clocks; take down curtains etc. Make clear the surfaces for cleaning.

Day Two: Cobweb or wipe ceilings, if necessary. Start wiping walls. If you don’t have a ladder, use a

If you don't get to clean you might want a mat like this!
If you don’t get to clean you might want a mat like this!

new mop to reach high places.

Day Three: Continue wiping walls if necessary; clean windows as well.

Day Four: Wash all the heavy materials that need washing: Curtains, carpets, bedspreads etc.

Sometimes you just want to surrender
Sometimes you just want to surrender

Day Five: Clean the bathrooms, not just the toilet and the shower stall and mirror, but ALL surfaces.

Day Six: Deep-clean the kitchen. Clean the stove oven, cupboard, refrigerator, microwave oven, and whatever else there is to be cleaned. Also, scrub all pots and pans.

The right tools can make the job easier
The right tools can make the job easier

Day Seven: Brush or vacuum upholstered furniture; polish wooden ones; sweep and mop the entire house.

Day Eight: Re-hang curtains on your clean windows.

Day Nine: Fold the laundry, and arrange the clothes in the closet. Get rid of anything you don’t wear.
Day Ten: Do finishing touches and clean anything you may have missed. Wipe fans, shoes, ornaments etc.

Cleaning tips for specific tasks:
Cleaning glasses/mirrors.
It is commonly thought that glass cleaners are capable of doing the job, but they are no substitute for soapy water. First, wash your glass (including windows and mirrors) with a solution of warm or hot water, dish soap and a rag, sponge, or squeegee.
Powdered no-scratch cleaners are fantastic for cleaning mirrors, glasses, ceramics, and metals because they scrub off hard water residue without scratching the surface of what is being scrubbed. Next wipe down the surfaces with a dry, lint-free cloth or lint-free paper towels.
If you want to clean glass and be environmentally friendly, clean the glass with vinegar and water, dry with a lint-free cloth, and rub the glass with newspaper. This method leaves no streaks! Alternatively, spray glass cleaner on a paper towel and clean the glass surface. The glass cleaner acts as a shield to help keep spots and dust easy to remove.
When misused, glass “cleaner” will leave streaks. You can also use old newspapers to wipe the glass surface after washing. The glass will be streak free, and this is a great way to reuse old newspaper.
Using all-purpose cleaners: Be cautious with all-purpose cleaners. They aren’t always safe for every purpose you’ll have in mind. Make sure to thoroughly read labels before purchasing, to ensure it fits your needs.
Do not mix cleaners! Use them one at a time and follow the directions on the label.

Cleaning the floor
Mop your floor. Some new and innovative substitutes for mopping can be helpful, but they still cannot substitute a good rag mop for getting rid of glued-on grime. If you have tile or textured floors, nothing else will get the dirt out of the cracks and depressions other than a good mopping.
There are a vast number of options for rag mops. Rag mops with real fabric scrub better and last longer than mops with a sponge. With a good rag mop, one thing is guaranteed: when you use a little elbow grease, your floors will look fantastic. Use hot water and the appropriate cleaner for your floor (again, read the labels).
Washing dishes: It’s much easier to wash your dishes if you do it right after you use them. You will rarely need to soak anything or scrub hard, because the food juices won’t have a chance to dry and harden.
If you use the soaking method, picture this: a bucket of brown water with dirt, grease, food particles, millions of germs, and a lot of other things that come off your dirty dishes. Now you know how disgusting (and unsanitary) that soaking water can be. If you need to soak a casserole that has baked-on gunk for ten or fifteen minutes, that’s okay; but when you can, it’s usually better to just wash the dishes promptly and avoid soaking.
Either way you do it, place the thoroughly rinsed dishes in a clean drying rack, and allow to air dry. Be sure to let your brush, sponge, and dish towel dry between uses, to keep them from accumulating germs too.

Speed-cleaning tips from the professionals
Take speed-cleaning lessons from the pros! Paid cleaning services are masters of the art of speedy, efficient cleaning. Watch professional cleaners work: They don’t waste time, cut corners, or dawdle over the job; and they know how to clean fast, and to clean right.
To organise speed-cleaning chores in your organized home, take a tip from their copybook. Try these tips from professional cleaners.

1. Schedule cleaning as a job
Professional cleaners schedule every job, right down to the minute. Nobody hires a cleaning service that promises to arrive “some Saturday when nothing else is happening.” Take a tip from the pros and set up a regular weekly cleaning schedule. The pros don’t quit until the job is done, and neither should you. Schedule the job and stick to it to get the work done in record time.

2. Dress for success
Professional cleaners dress for the job in comfortable, washable clothing designed for work. Check out their supportive shoes and kneepads. Goggles and gloves protect against chemicals, while a cleaning apron keeps tools and supplies at their fingertips.

3. Invest in proper tools
Professional cleaners don’t use gadgets. You’ll never find them toting specialized, one-use tools, or gee-whiz gimcracks hawked on some television infomercial.

4. Pick it up
Professional cleaners come to clean counters, furniture, appliances and floors. They can’t do the job if each horizontal surface in the home is covered with papers, toys, dirty dishes, and just plain clutter. Pretend that you’ve hired a high-priced cleaning crew. You wouldn’t make them sweep the clutter to one side to do their job! Give yourself the same head start you give professional cleaners: pick up before you clean. Without the distraction caused by out-of-place items, cleaning chores will fly.

5. Organize your tools
Watch an average home manager clean the bathroom. Ooops! You forgot the powdered cleanser, so down the stairs you go. Where is the toilet brush? It’s in the kids’ bathroom down the hall. Run to the laundry room for more cleaning towels; to the kitchen for a box of tissues. Did your teenager husband take the squeegee to wash the car?
Professional cleaners tote their tools with them — all their tools! Look in the cleaner’s tote tray: all tools, cleansers, brushes and rags needed to finish the job are right there. Vacuum, mop and mini-vac wait in the doorway.
A plastic bag for trash is tucked into a pocket next to the waving feather duster. That’s why the pro has finished the entire bathroom before our amateur makes it back up the stairs with the powdered cleanser.

Last-minute touchups
Here are a few Christmas Day or before-party touch-ups:

1. Clean trash receptacles and add fresh liners.
2. Wipe down any soiled areas in the bathroom using household cleaner and paper towels. Wipe down bathroom mirrors and counters. Pass a clean damp mop over the floor. Put the toilet bowl cleaner in the toilet as well as the brush. Hang fresh towels and put out fresh hand soap.

2. Damp-mop the kitchen floor.
3. Vacuum carpets and sweep wood floors.
4. Fluff sofa cushions and pillows.
5. Decorate with special touches, such as flowers or candles.

Don’t procrastinate! Start cleaning now!

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