UpdatedApr 17, 2024 6:55 PM EDT
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Deep cleaning has a way of turning a Saturday into a three-day saga if you let it. But it doesn’t have to be an annual spring panic attack. Start at one end of the house and attack one room at a time, says Laurie Brown, CSO of Earthstone International. As you move, collect stray items and either return them home or march them straight to the donate pile.
We asked three cleaning pros how to get every room done and dusted without losing your mind. Here’s the room-by-room breakdown.
Your fridge and cabinets are the main event. Pull everything out, evict expired condiments, and wipe down every shelf and drawer. It’s basically a reunion show where you find out which sauces didn’t make it, says Melina Marcus, cofounder of Rebel Green.
For most counters, warm water and dish soap do the trick. For stain-prone surfaces like linoleum, Thelma Meyer of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day swears by a paste of baking soda and warm water.
Grease splatter from your Sunday bacon? Wipe with a warm, soapy sponge, follow with a spritz of white vinegar, then finish with a little dish soap and water. Pantry ingredients to the rescue.
Your garbage can has seen things. Rinse it with warm water, then wipe inside and out with an all-purpose cleaner so it stops being a biohazard.
Lauren Haynes of Star Domestic Cleaners has a pharmacy-aisle trick: take the toilet seat off, spread a baking-soda-and-water paste on the grim zones, then drop two antacid tablets in the bowl and let them fizz while you tackle the rest.
Curtains go straight into the washer. Liners get their own load, or if you have an EVA plastic one like Quiet Town’s, rinse and scrub until the soap scum surrenders. Glass doors get the squeegee-and-vinegar treatment. Then move on to the tub.
For tub and tile, coat the walls with a vinegar-dish-soap mix or a baking-soda paste, let it sit for three minutes, then scrub and rinse. Hello, sparkle.
If your sofa has a slipcover, toss it in on delicate. Curtains, throw-pillow covers, and the blanket your dog has claimed all deserve a spin, too.
Wood tables and cabinets love a spray of wood cleaner and an old rag. Leather sofas prefer a slightly damp microfiber cloth—no fancy products required.
Don’t ignore the stuff on the shelves. Vases, book stacks, picture frames—lift each one and dust underneath with an old sock over your hand. Pro tip: the sock method is weirdly satisfying.
Now is not the time for a full closet identity crisis. Just move everything off the closet floor, dust, and put it back. The emotional closet purge can wait.
Strip the bed, wash pillows and comforter, then sprinkle a cup of baking soda over the mattress and let it sit for a few hours. Vacuum it up and say goodbye to every lingering odor, including the ones your dog left behind.
Before you know it, the whole house is clean and your Sunday is suddenly wide open. Time to make brunch plans.
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