The Art of Prioritizing in Home Cleaning
If you’re among many residents trying to tackle house cleaning in Durham or anywhere else in the Greater Toronto Area, you already know it’s no easy task. More than just a chore, home maintenance is a series of tasks needed to keep your home in great shape. But realistically, not every nook and cranny will get attention every time you set out to clean. So, how do you achieve the best results if you, like most people, struggle to find the time or energy for thorough cleaning?
The answer lies in prioritizing: it’s more important to learn which tasks have the biggest impact on the hygiene and looks of your space and to tackle them first than to deal with it all at once. Are you interested in learning how to prioritize your home maintenance tasks? Read on!
How do you prioritize your tasks when cleaning a house?
Unless you’re starting a planned spring cleaning journey or if you regularly rely on cleaning services for help, you likely won’t be able to address every corner of your living space during one cleaning session.
Prioritizing is your secret weapon, allowing you to tackle the most crucial tasks first and navigate the most efficient path to a pristine home. But with so many tasks, how do you decide what to tackle first? Let’s dive into some suggestions for a strategic order:
1. Tackling the clutter
Decluttering is your next priority because it paves the way for a smoother process. Clutter can hide a lot of dust and dirt and make it harder to spruce up the surfaces where it’s located. Before you grab a mop or a microfiber cloth, you should always take time to sort, organize, and put all those misplaced items away. Use this opportunity to discard any items you no longer need and introduce additional storage to prevent clutter, such as baskets and bins. Decluttering gives us a sense of accomplishment and makes it more manageable to tackle the cleaning that follows, one step at a time.
2. Addressing visible messes
Always start with the areas that are dirty enough to catch your eye. This includes any spills, messes, or visible grime in any area throughout your home. Usually, it’s places where you or your family spend a lot of time that tend to get dirty quickly. Think about the kitchen counters with food stains, bathroom sinks with toothpaste residue, a muddy stain on the floor.
As soon as you tackle this task, you’ll notice the visual impact on your home. Additionally, you’ll prevent dirt from spreading to other areas, which is great on its own, but also makes the following upkeep easier.
3. Frequently touched surfaces
Surfaces that get touched often should be next on your list. These include door handles, light switches, remote controls, and more. Items and surfaces that see a lot of hands can easily become hotspots for germs, so it’s important to properly sanitize or disinfect them. This should be a part of your regular routine, not just to improve the looks of your home but to make it healthier.
4. “Wet areas” of your home
Kitchens, bathrooms, laundry, and such spaces combine moisture, organic matter, and frequent use, which all makes them both easy to get visibly dirty and highly susceptible to bacteria and mold growth. These are some of the areas that need regular cleaning the most to keep your home hygienic and prevent build-up and odours.
In the kitchen, focus on surfaces where you prepare food and areas where spills and splatters are common. Don’t forget to clean those kitchen appliances too! In bathrooms, pay extra attention to showers, bathtubs, and sinks to prevent dirt accumulation and mold growth. Wiping bathroom baseboards regularly is also recommended as toilet paper lint, water drippings underneath hand towels, and moisture in the air lead these to quickly accumulate dust and dirt.
5. Dusting every surface
For good indoor air quality and to keep your home clean, focus on dusting next. Dust easily accumulates on almost every surface, is unsightly, and can be an irritant if inhaled, especially if you suffer from allergies or asthma.
Make sure that you dust all horizontal surfaces, from bookshelves to window sills, including hard-to-reach areas like ceiling fans and the tops of cabinets. If time permits, dusting baseboards, doors, door frames, window sills, and trimwork will also help to spruce up your home. Regular dusting is a way to keep any unwanted particles from building up and keeps your living space fresh.
6. Miscellaneous tasks
Finally, it’s time to fine-tune your home’s cleanliness with a variety of smaller tasks that have a big impact. Vacuum the nooks and crannies of your upholstery, open the windows to let in a breeze that’ll sweep away stale air, and don’t overlook the simple act of changing linens.
Finally, don’t forget to sweep, vacuum, and mop away the last remnants of dust and dirt from the floors. With the floors spruced up, your living space will feel much fresher and thoroughly cared for.
Who should I reach out to for a high-quality house cleaning in Durham?
At Hire A Maid, we’re at your service with our top-notch professional house cleaning in Durham Region and across the Greater Toronto Area. Even with efficient prioritizing, tackling all your home maintenance tasks can be a challenge, and that’s where our team of experts steps in.
We’re here to provide the extra support you need and make sure every corner of your home shines. Whether you would love to enjoy your entire home cleaned all at once by the professionals at Hire A Maid, instead of a bit at a time as your busy schedule allows, or you simply need a break from the housekeeping routine, trust us to take care of your space with the attention to detail it deserves. Reach out to us today to schedule your service!