Cleaning is probably the most important task in maintainng a home, however, it can also be one of the most daunting. Not only can it be physically exhausting or mentally draining to clean, but it can be hard to know where to start. There are so many rooms and so many elements in each room to consider! How do you handle cleaning walls as opposed to floorboards? Can you dust electrics the same way you dust nic-nacs? What’s the best tool for the job? Are all liquid soaps the same?
Never mind all that, we’re here to help. BISSELL has put together this handy guide to show you how to handle every inch of your home’s clean-up routine. Armed with this guide, you need never fear the cleanup ever again.
In this blog will discussing BISSELL's guide to home cleaning, which includes:
The Set Up
Cleaning is like an avalanche, it starts from something small and then builds the deeper you get into it. With this in mind, there are a few small tasks we can do to help us tackle the big clean later on. You’ll find that doing these things before starting the cleaning properly will assist you in tackling other tasks later on, and help to make the work feel less daunting.
Clear Away Simple Clutter
Bits of paper, pens, letters, cups, dinnerware, anything that’s on a surface it shouldn’t be, put it where it needs to be. Go around the house with a bag, and throw away any errant rubbish that hasn’t made its way to the bin throughout the week. Make sure you’re separating recyclables from the garbage. Maybe use a cardboard box to gather recyclable waste in, so that once it’s all gathered you can throw it away, then break down the box and throw it away too. This task can take a long time, but once it’s done you will have earned yourself a little rest and made some space for the next task.
Make a List/Schedule
The jobs best done are usually done according to a methodology. While clearing out the clutter, you should have gained a bit of an idea about what needs to be done and where. Write down the name of a room, then an itemised list of all the tasks that need to be done therein. If you want to be super in-depth about it, then take your list room-to-room, jotting down every little thing you see that needs doing. Maybe you can make it a game for yourself. Make an estimate on how long it will take you to do each thing. If you beat the clock, reward yourself!
Get Kitted Out
Now we’ve got all the litter out the way and we’ve got our list of tasks. Excellent. Now we just need to have our equipment ready. Make sure your broom bristles are cleaned of any dust, debris, and detritus. Put a new head on your mop and change the water. Empty the dirt bag or chamber of your vacuum cleaner and make sure that the vacuum head(s) are free of dirt. It also helps to have your sprays and detergents in a single area so you know where everything is when you need it. Make sure you’re wearing gloves so your hands are protected from any chemicals you might be using, as well as a filtered mask and eye protection to protect from fumes, dust, and splash back. If you want to, maybe put on an apron or wear some clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty or damaged.
Time to get started!
Kitchen
The kitchen is a universal hub for your home. It’s more than likely that at some point everyone in your home has stepped through your kitchen, even visitors, depending on the purpose of their visit and how close you are to them. And even if this wasn’t the case, the kitchen is an area where a lot of mess gets made. Chopping meats and produce, cooking, splashes, snacks, crumbs. It all involves work and that work gets messy more often than not. Knowing how to clean your kitchen is paramount to a beautiful home.
Walls and Ceiling
The first thing you want to take off is the dust on your ceiling, followed by your walls. You have a couple of choices, you can either use a duster with an extendable handle, or use a vacuum like the ICON Pet Turbo that’s light, manoeuvrable, and has attachments for dealing with the dust in corners and crevices. The reason we deal with the dust on the ceiling first is that any debris that doesn’t fall prey to our cleaning will fall onto the walls and surfaces that will comprise the following steps of keeping our house clean. A good rule of thumb for cleaning is to start with higher surfaces because any dirt they drop can be picked up later. Once the ceiling is done, dust the walls in the same way.
Surfaces
The next step is to take care of any surfaces. Benchtops, cupboard doors, the top, sides, the floor, and the front of the pantry and fridge. Keeping these clean is integral not only to the cleanliness of your kitchen but to food preparation within the kitchen. Start by dusting all surfaces with a damp cloth to both clean them and pick up any dust that dropped from the ceiling and walls, then disinfect. For this, BISSELL recommends the use of our Powerfresh Slim, an awesome household steam cleaner for floors and surfaces that is proven to destroy 99.9% of bacteria.
However, it is important to remember that some steam cleaners utilise too much heat or pressure to be good for certain surfaces. The aforementioned Powerfresh Slim, while great, will cause significant damage to wood or laminate surfaces. Please make sure to thoroughly read any instructions and warnings that come with your steam cleaner, lest your kitchen suffer the consequences. If your surfaces aren’t suitable for steam cleaning, then some kitchen-grade disinfectant, hot water, and elbow grease will get the job done.
Appliances
Finally, you need to take care of any appliances and nick-nacks that your kitchen might be home to. These appliances, such as the oven, microwave, and more, are generally central to the food preparation process and therefore it’s vital that they’re kept clean. When it comes to cleaning in the kitchen, you can’t beat steam cleaning, so we suggest the use of BISSELL’s Steam Shot to clean your appliances. The Steam Shot is a powerful hand-held steam cleaner with a variety of brushes and attachments for a variety of applications.
Again, be sure to read the instructions and warnings with your steam cleaner. The Steam shot is versatile but remember that steam is heated and pressurised water - it’s not great for electric appliances like microwaves. Be sure you understand your tools!
Floors
The final step to cleaning your kitchen is to clean the floors. You can either sweep up any debris, then use a dustpan and brush to dispose of it or simply use a vacuum cleaner to more easily pick up the debris on the floor. Once done, we recommend the use of a hard floor cleaner such as the Crosswave Cordless Max or the Crosswave X7.
Bathroom
The bathroom is generally where people groom themselves. Face washing, teeth brushing, hair brushing, beautification processes, showering and bathing, all go towards making our bodies clean. Therefore it makes only perfect sense to keep this space clean, otherwise, you’d be cleaning yourself in a dirty space. Not only is that counterintuitive to keeping yourself clean but it also means that the appliances and utensils you use to clean yourself become dirty, lessening their effectiveness and possibly causing you harm.
Shower and Bath
We are going to follow the same top-to-bottom methodology we applied in the kitchen, but unlike the kitchen, there’s a bit of pre-work we need to do first. You see the shower and bath deal with some very stubborn types of dirt called “soap scum” and “limescale”. Soap scum is a sticky residue left on surfaces where soap is frequently used. This residue collects dust, dead skin, and other nasties over time, creating a filthy stain on any surfaces that have not been properly rinsed with soap. Limescale is calcium carbonate deposits that form on the flowing points of hard water. This deposit is hard and chalky, which serves as a breeding ground for bacteria, and also eats away at metal.
Dealing with this generally takes a soak-and-rinse methodology. Before you set about cleaning your bathroom, give your shower and bath a generous coating of your chosen cleaning and descaling products, then allow them to sit for 15-20 minutes so they can soak into the grime. If there is scum on your shower head, fill a plastic bag with your chosen products then submerge the showerhead in the chemicals and wrap a rubber band (or several) around the bag to attach it to the neck of your showerhead. Again, leave this for 15-20 minutes. This should sufficiently weaken any limescale or soap scum that has accumulated in preparation for the next stage.
Please remember to wear PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) during this stage. Many of these chemicals are noxious or harmful in some way, and direct contact with the eyes and mouth or prolonged exposure to fumes can cause serious harm. Be sure to read the instructions on the labels of these products so you know what to do should you come into contact with them. As for PPE, you want to use some good quality gloves, safety glasses or goggles, and a facemask, preferably one with a respirator.
Walls and Ceiling
There is nothing like a good steam cleaner for bathroom walls and ceilings. When the waiting period for your bathroom is up, don your PPE then head in with a steam cleaner. Products like the BISSELL PowerFresh Slim are perfect for steam cleaning bathrooms. It has a long neck for ceilings and floors, and it can be removed for steam cleaning walls, taps, and showerheads. The chemical soak coupled with a good-pressured steam cleaning, and cleaning attachments should provide the right balance of disinfectant, heat, agitation, and cellular breakdown that allows for an easy clean. And remember, top to bottom!
Toilet
The toilet can carry a lot of harmful bacteria if not properly maintained, and deep cleaning your toilet should be something that happens at least monthly. You may be used to standard disinfectants and bleach, however, these can be harmful in and of themselves. Once again, this is where steam cleaning can pick up where modern chemicals leave off, and the BISSELL Steam Shot is a great little steam cleaner that can get into every nook and cranny of your toilet. It’s also a great solution for cleaning your sink!
Bedroom
Your bedroom should be your sanctuary! Your own calm, private space away from the rest of the world where you can relax and unwind. After all, it’s important to have “me” time, and your bedroom is often intrinsic to this - but when was the last time you said “sanctuary” and pictured dust bunnies scrambling across the floor?
Bed
Again, we’re following the general rule of top-to-bottom, but like the bathroom, there’s a bit of prep work that needs to be done first. Strip your bed of any bedclothes and manchester that it may be adorned in, then put it all in the washing machine. While it’s washing, tackle the ceiling, walls, and windows of your bedroom. Once that’s done, set about hoovering your bed. You can use a vacuum cleaner for this, as most have an upholstery setting or attachment. However, if you feel your mattress needs a deeper clean, BISSELL suggests the use of the SpotClean Portable Upholstery and Carpet Washer, or the SpotClean Turbo. Both are excellent upholstery cleaners and will ensure that your bed is spotless and free of dirt.
Surfaces and Storage
Barring major spills or accidents, the surfaces in your bedroom’s surfaces and storage shouldn’t have much grime on them, and at most should be a little dusty. This can be dealt with fairly easily with a damp cloth and cleaning products of your choice, but for the corners of wardrobes, or drawers, the BISSELL Featherweight Vacuum cleaner is a great stick vacuum that converts into a dustbuster to get those hard-to-reach areas. Or, if you prefer a cordless option with a little more versatility, the Pet Hair Eraser Slim should be right up your alley. It’s a powerful, lightweight, cordless vacuum that converts into a hand vac, allowing for peak range of motion, and enabling you to get into all those nooks and crannies that a standard vacuum would have trouble with.
Floors
If you have pets, then pet hair can be an excessively massive problem, as carpet has a tendency to cling to hair. This generally requires an intensely powerful vacuum cleaner, such as the Pet Hair Eraser Turbo or its Slim variant. Once the vacuum has taken care of the pet hair, you can then go about removing any odours and rejuvenating your carpets cleanliness with a carpet washer. BISSELL’s ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Upright Carpet Washer is a great option for large floors, while for smaller spaces, we recommend the HydroWave ULTRALIGHT Carpet Washer.
Nursery
If you have a baby or infant with their own room, then knowing how to keep their nursery clean is incredibly important. Infants don’t have a developed immune system and may react badly to irritants that would normally not phase adults or more-developed children. The best nursery cleaning products are essential to keeping your infant's nursery clean.
Changing Table
The changing table is a naturally messy area. Cleaning up babies isn’t clean, nor easy work, as the little monsters wriggle and kick and become interested in everything other than being clean. However, it is much easier to maintain a clean changing table. Again, using the top-to-bottom method, dust the ceiling and walls first, then move on to the changing table.
Refresh your mat cover, then go over handles and drawers with baby-safe antibacterial wipes. We would recommend against using anything harsher than these wipes, and as long as your change table does not have a wooden frame, then the rest of the changing table can be cleaned quickly and safely with a steam cleaner such as the Steam Shot, though again, make sure to read any instructions and/or warnings to avoid potential damage to your change table.
Cot or Bed
To clean the area your baby sleeps, follow the same steps as outlined in the “Bed” portion of the “Bedroom” section of this blog, however, there is a slight change in recommended equipment. Baby cots and beds are generally much smaller, so using a hand vacuum like the Multi Cordless Hand Vac makes this task much easier. Once the cot or bed has been vacuumed clear of any allergens, running the blankets and sheets through the wash before disinfecting the mattress is a great way to ensure a clean environment for your baby.
Toys
Toys are fairly easy to clean, but the importance of cleaning them can’t be overstated. Although they are playthings, babies are inherently curious, and they generally express this curiosity by putting things inside their mouth. Toys can end up all over the place, and when a baby puts one in their mouth they may accidentally ingest something that has clung to the toy. Most toys can be safely washed in the washing machine, however, when it comes to toys made of wood, may require hand washing, in which case be sure to use baby-safe antibacterial disinfectants.
Floors
Many people choose hard floors (occasionally decorated with a rug) for their nursery, but no matter what type of floor you’ve got, BISSELL wet and dry vacuums will keep your floor free of debris. However, if you prefer the old vacuum-and-mop method, then we recommend using the AirRam Cordless Upright Bagless Vacuum before following with the SpinWave Cordless Electric Mop.
Home Office
A home office is a specialised space of concentration and productivity. To have a home office is great, and is proven to maximise productivity. However even if you’re the primary user of the office, that doesn’t mean that it won’t be used by other members of your family and disinfected is the best way to keep any potential users safe during your home office cleaning. Learn how to keep your home office clean with the best home office cleaning tools.
Desk
Cleaning up your desk is a simple matter. Once you’ve given the ceiling and walls a dusting (again, top-to-bottom) you’ll want to dust any nick-nacks or appliances with antibacterial, skin-friendly wet wipes. Make sure to clean screens and electronics with wipes designed for use with electronics, otherwise, you may do lasting damage to your equipment. Then take to your desk with a skin-friendly antibacterial wipe before replacing all your desk equipment and decorations.
Computer Chair
Something that sees the most use in a home office is the chair. You may spend hours a day sitting in your chair in that office, dropping dead skin cells and other debris on it over time. To clean it is a simple matter though, as a quick go-over with something like the Multi Cordless Hand Vac should be perfect for picking up dead skin flakes or snack crumbs. If you’re using an upright vacuum cleaner, however, simply switch to its upholstery attachment and you should be fine.
Floors
This will depend entirely on the type of floor that you have. For carpets that are prone to coffee stains, the ICON Pet Turbo will definitely get the job done, and BISSELL’s range of carpet washers, offer a variety of solutions for homes and offices of all sizes.
Hard floors may benefit from a vacuum and mop, in which case the CrossWave Cordless Max will take care of any dirt and grime that your office may have.
Rest
Remember to take rest breaks! Any physically strenuous activity demands regular rest in order to stave off injury, and cleaning is more physically taxing than most people would like to admit! Be sure that for every major task you complete, you have a short 15-30 minute break to catch your breath, drink some water, and mentally prepare for the next task.
Cleaning is tiresome and laborious, but we hope that with this simple guide and our stellar cleaning products, BISSELL can contribute to making a job that would normally be a tremendous hassle, into a more manageable, stress-free endeavour.
To learn more about BISSELL’s ultimate guide towards home cleaning, follow our master series to gain a better understanding on how house cleaning can be beneficial to you.
Contact us or shop at BISSELL’s full selection of innovative household cleaners available online today!