Sick and wondering if you should clean your house?
During flu season, you may just catch yourself lying in bed snuggled up with a cold. You’ve got a ton of work to do and a family to take care of though, you don’t have time to be sick let alone clean up after it.
So, how much of the house should you clean when you’re sick? Which areas are the most important? Should you even clean your house when you’re sick?
Should I clean when I’m sick?
You probably know that it’s important to clean your home after being sick, but you might not know that it’s also important to clean in when you’re sick. When you’re sick with an infectious disease, germs can go everywhere. The only way to stop the spread is to clean up your house. This is especially important if you live with children or elderly people.
When bacteria and germs spread from one surface to another, one thing can lead to another and then you might just find yourself in the emergency room before you know it. If you’re having trouble keeping the house clean don’t worry, just start with the basics: making sure you have the right cleaning products.
Using the right cleaning products
Before you find the motivation you need for cleaning the house when you’re sick, you need to make sure that you’re using cleaning products that aren’t harmful to you and your family. Certain cleaning products can be really harmful, not only to certain surfaces in your home but to the air that you breathe in.
The last thing you want is to start cleaning with a chemical that only enhances your illness and sends you to the hospital. Consider making the switch to all-natural cleaning products to help protect you and your family from ingesting toxic chemicals.
Finding the motivation to clean the house when you’re sick
It can be hard to get up and clean when you don’t even feel like getting out of bed. But just like money motivates you to get up and go to work, you can find something to motivate you to get up and clean the house.
Now we’re not saying that you have to get on your hands and knees and scrub the entire house, but keeping it organized and free from germs is crucial during this time. Not only will you stop the spread of germs in their track, but you’ll also benefit mentally from having a clean house. And the better you are mentally, the better you’ll be physically.
So, where can you find the motivation to clean while sick? Here are some ideas:
- Make a list: Write down a list of things you want to clean. It doesn’t have to be a comprehensive list, just a short list to keep you from getting overwhelmed while cleaning.
- Take a shower before: Showers can infuse you with energy and help you get up and relax before cleaning. After all, if you’re cleaning yourself, why not clean where you live too?
- Clean when you have energy: Being sick drains your energy. If you feel too tired, take a break and resume cleaning when your energy replenishes.
- Reward yourself: Love that chicken soup from that delivery place? Feel like having pizza? Think about how you’ll reward yourself when you’re done to keep you motivated.
Maybe your motivation is music. Maybe it’s germs. Or maybe it’s knowing that you’ll feel better once you do it. No matter what it is, there’s a motive behind every household cleaning routine (sick or not).
It’s time for you to find yours!
How to disinfect your house
As we’ve mentioned before, cleaning while sick will keep the germs at bay. So, which are the most important places to keep clean?
Bed
You spend a third of your day in bed, and even more when you’re sick. That’s why you need to pay close attention to your bed linens when you’re sick.
Use a double layer of pillowcases to prevent germs from reaching your pillow. When you’re changing your linens, don’t pile them onto the rest of the dirty laundry. Wash them immediately using your hottest washing cycle to disinfect them and to prevent the germs from spreading all over the contents of your hamper. Do the same with your pj’s.
Bathroom
The bathroom is another area of your house where you’ll spend more time when you’re sick with something like a stomach bug. When you vomit or have diarrhea, tons of microparticles filled with germs go on the air, infecting surfaces when they land.
When you’re sick, try to use only one bathroom. Use only one set of towels for yourself and, like the linens, clean them as you use them. Use any disinfectant to clean all surfaces, like toilets and countertops, and make sure to disinfect the toilet bowl and the toilet brush as well.
Once you’re better, don’t forget to replace your toothbrush.
Living areas and points of contact
We touch many surfaces without even noticing it. TV remotes, light switches, doorknobs, handles, and many more. When you’re sick, you can transmit germs onto those surfaces, and infect other people that come into contact with them.
Luckily, most of them are very easy to clean. All you need is to spray them with a disinfectant and clean them with a paper towel. Thoroughly disinfect your TV remote and smartphone after using them.
Clean all surfaces of any living areas you’re using. If you’re going to use your sofa, cover it with a blanket to wash it later.
Don’t forget to air out your home to replace stale air and keep your house fresh!
Tips to help you succeed in cleaning the house when you’re sick
Ready to clean? Here are a few tips to get you started:
Soak the dishes
Doing the dishes can sometimes feel like one of those overwhelming household tasks. Sometimes you might just want to look at them and pray that they start washing themselves.
The last thing you want to do is wash them when you’re sick. So at the end of the day go ahead and fill up your sink with hot water and dish soap and let your dishes soak overnight. In the morning you’ll be able to clean them without effort.
Use gloves when cleaning and doing the laundry
When you’re sick, you usually touch your face when sneezing or coughing. Those germs can stay on your hands for hours. That’s why, besides frequent hand-washing, you should use gloves when doing your daily cleaning.
Don’t forget to avoid touching your face and disinfect them when you’re done.
Have a cleaning basket on hand
Having a cleaning basket in your house introduces a whole new level of motivation into the equation. There’s just something about having a nice little basket with all of your supplies together in one place that just makes you want to get up and start cleaning the entire house. And it’s super helpful when you don’t feel like looking all over the place for that bottle of Windex you could’ve sworn you left under the bathroom sink.
Make sure you have disinfectant wipes ready
When it comes to cleaning the house when you’re sick, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to make sure that you have disinfectant wipes in every room of the house. This way, if you touch anything or start to sneeze all over the remote, you can simply grab a wipe and stop the spread of germs.
For best results, make sure your disinfectant wipes have over 60 percent ethanol or 70 percent isopropanol, and wipe only in one direction to prevent spreading the germs.
Run a diffuser with essential oils
Having a diffuser in your home is great for many reasons. One of them is that you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil in it and it will help clean the air around you while strengthening your immune system. So not only are you cleaning the air, you are actually helping cure your sickness in the process.
Delegate the weekly chore list
If you’re still having trouble finding the motivation to get up and start cleaning when you’re sick, consider delegating the weekly chore list to others in your home. You should also avoid preparing meals for anyone else while sick. If you have kids or a partner, this is perfect – just give them a list of things to do while you sit back and relax.
But what do I do if I don’t have children or a spouse?
Maybe you don’t have kids or a partner to help you when things get tough around the house. Not everyone does. Maybe you have a roommate though. And if you do, it’s perfectly reasonable to ask them to pick up some of the slack. After all, you are sick.
But if that’s not the case, the last thing you can do is…
Hire a professional house cleaning service
Sometimes we just can’t clean the house when we’re sick. But don’t worry we’re here for you! Our professional house cleaners will help you get your house back on the right track. Contact us today for a free estimate.
Do you ever wonder how some people manage to maintain an absolutely flawless house, yet you never see them cleaning? This is because they do not attack the house in one sitting. Most of the time, they have a home cleaning checklist.
A cleaning checklist gives you a system that enables you to continually keep your house in tip-top shape without feeling like you are running around like a headless chicken.
Four Reasons to Maintain a Home Cleaning Checklist
- When you have a house cleaning checklist, you can prioritize what needs to be cleaned, and when you need to clean it. This makes it easier to handle different tasks. By breaking down your cleaning chores, you accomplish more than trying to tackle everything at once.
- Sometimes, the people living with you may not ‘see’ what needs to be cleaned. Having a cleaning to-do list also helps you to delegate duties as everyone will know what is expected of them.
- Consistent cleaning will prevent clutter and make your house safer. Routine house sanitization and disinfection prevents the spread of germs. Dust is less likely to build up, reducing the chances of allergic reactions and respiratory diseases.
- A home cleaning schedule can save you from the embarrassment of a messy house, especially when you have unexpected visitors. It is not a nice feeling to apologize for the ‘state of the house’ when company just drops in.
Basic Cleaning Equipment
Before you begin spring cleaning your home, you will need some products and equipment to help you get the job done right. No, you don’t require a hotel housekeeping trolley, but there are some necessary cleaning supplies you would need to stock up on if you don’t already have them. These include:
- Microfiber cloths or disposable rags
- Scrub brush, scrub sponges and abrasive scrub pads
- Mop and bucket
- Extendable duster
- Toilet brush
- Grout brush or an old toothbrush
- Lightweight vacuum
- Rubber gloves
- Indoor broom (if you have a balcony or patio, have a separate broom for that area)
- Dustpan
- Squeegee
- Plunger
- Stovetop scraper – only for flat-glass ceramic cooktops
Cleaning Products You Can Purchase for Your Home:
- All-purpose cleaner – these are generally mild solutions used to remove grease and dirt. They can be used on a variety of surfaces such as stovetops, countertops, and sinks. It is good to note that all-purpose cleaners are not disinfectants.
- Disinfectant – This is essential for the kitchen and bathrooms. These should be left on the surfaces for at least 5 minutes before wiping them off to kill germs.
- Tile and grout cleaners – Scrub free solutions are the better option for shower tiles and bathtubs as they will not eat through the enamel.
- Wood cleaner – This should match the type of wood you have in your house to maintain its appearance.
- Glass cleaner – A no-streak or streak-free glass cleaner will give you the best results.
If you are not a big believer in commercial cleaning products, there are several things around the house that can be substituted for cleaning supplies.
The Best Way to Maintain a Clean House
It may sound like a daunting task, but a daily home cleaning routine will ensure that you are not living in a never-ending mess. This little known secret to keeping a clean home goes a long way. When you get into a daily cleaning routine, you will find that it takes just about 15 minutes a day to get your house in order.
Before we get into the daily cleaning checklist, there are a few tidy habits you could start on:
- Make your bed as soon as you get out of it.
- When you take off your clothes, either hang them if they are still clean or drop them in a laundry hamper.
- Try your best not to leave dirty dishes in the sink before you go to bed.
- Use wet wipes to clean bathroom counters and sinks after use.
- Keep kitchen counters free from appliances to make wiping down easy.
- Teach kids to put away their toys before they go to bed.
- Squeegee the glass walls after a shower to prevent stains.
Daily cleaning checklist
Your daily cleaning schedule should tackle the areas in your home with the most traffic. This includes the living room, kitchen, and bathrooms.
Kitchen:
- After your last meal, load dirty dishes into the dishwasher.
- Use an all-purpose cleaner to wipe down kitchen counters, dining table, and food preparation surfaces.
- Sweep and mop dirty floors.
- Clean the coffee maker.
Rooms:
- Straighten up the living room – fold blankets, tidy up remotes, magazines, or paperwork.
- Wipe down tables in the living room, playroom, or home office.
- Make beds and collect dirty laundry.
Bathrooms:
- Wipe down the exterior toilet, sink, and bathroom surfaces.
- Squeegee shower walls.
- Fold or hang towels.
Weekly cleaning checklist:
Having a weekly home cleaning checklist can help you knock down one household task every day. This way, you do not get overwhelmed by a load of laundry or a messy kitchen.
Mop up Mondays
After all the weekend activities, you would like to start the week with a clean home. Dedicate Mondays to moping and vacuuming:
- the entrance hallway
- family room
- stairs
- corridors
- bedrooms
- bathrooms
- kitchen
Be sure to go under the dining table to collect any crumbs that may have fallen there. Keep this weekly mop up to areas that can be easily accessed.
Scrub down Tuesdays
A day of pulling out those gloves and dealing with the bathrooms.
- Scrub and sanitize the toilets, bathtubs, showers, sinks, and counters.
- Plastic shower curtains and bathmats can be sprayed with disinfectant.
- Change towels and do an inventory of toiletries. You do not want to run out of toilet paper.
Wipe away Wednesdays
- Using an all-purpose cleaner and microfiber cloth, wipe away any dirt or smudge from the kitchen sink, stovetops, faucets, counters, and backsplash.
- Wipe down the exterior surfaces of the microwave, oven, coffee maker, toaster, fridge, blender, mixer, and other kitchen appliances.
- Dust and wipe furniture; lamps and lampshades, picture frames, windowsills, doorknobs, light fixtures, ceiling fans, and vents.
- Wipe the TV, entertainment system, and remote controls.
- Dust off cobwebs and clean mirrors.
Throw out Thursdays
Organize your home by getting rid of unwanted, outdated, or expired items. You can start with the fridge and move on to the medicine cabinet. Throw away junk mail, newspapers, old make-up, and lotions. Chuck out clothes with holes that you know you will not mend or craft projects from 10 years ago.
If you have not used something in your house for the past two years, then there is the likelihood that you will not use it this year. Ridding your house of old, unused items every week will not only create space for other important things, but decluttering also gives you peace of mind.
Fold it up Fridays
As the week comes to an end, the laundry basket should have filled up pretty well. Friday is a good laundry day.
- Soak your whites separately as well as clothes with tough stains.
- Strip the sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, kitchen, hand, and bath towels and throw them in the washing machine.
- Fold, iron, and put away clean laundry.
Pet-friendly Saturdays
If you have furry friends in your household, you can make use of Saturday mornings to show their living spaces some love. Empty the kitty litter box and scrub it with soap and water. Do not use any chemical cleaners such as bleach or ammonia because certain chemicals can be harmful to cats. Felines are also very picky and sensitive to smells. Any chemical odor may make a fussy cat have a bathroom break on your freshly cleaned carpet.
Saturday’s are also a great day to change the bedding for dogs and caged animals. If you have fish, doing a partial water change for the aquarium will keep them swimming happily.
By following this weekly home cleaning checklist, your weekend should be free to enjoy with friends and family in a squeaky-clean home.
Three Months Spring-Cleaning Checklist
Every three months, we recommend that you set some time aside for a thorough, top to bottom, house spring cleaning. Understanding that not everyone can spring-clean like maid service, we suggest that you dedicate a specific section of the house for this particular task. You can work through the kitchen at one time, the living room, and bedrooms the next time and attack the bathroom last, then rotate. This way, you will not get tied down cleaning up for hours, and you can concentrate your effort on one cleaning duty.
Kitchen checklist
Refrigerator
Clear out your kitchen area because you will need space.
- Take out everything from the fridge first. This includes the shelves and drawers and wash them in dishwashing liquid and warm water. Rinse and wipe dry.
- Using a microfiber cloth dipped in warm water and baking soda, wipe inside the walls and floor of the refrigerator, as well as the top and outside. You can use a stainless-steel cleaner if that is what your fridge door is made of.
Food inventory
- Take an inventory of items that need to be eaten soon, thrown out, or restocked before putting things back in the fridge. Do this with food in the freezer as well as the pantry.
Oven
- Using an oven cleaner and a cloth, wipe away any grease, grime, residue, or crusts from the door and inside the oven.
- Clean the rangehood to remove any grease as this can be a fire hazard.
- Clean the oven racks in dishwashing soap and hot water.
It is good to note that oven cleaners contain harsh chemicals that can irritate. You should protect your hands with a pair of gloves and safety glasses for your eyes.
Microwave
- Clean the inside of the microwave by mixing a quarter cup of vinegar with one cup of water and boiling it in the microwave for 3 minutes. When the walls are all steamed up, wipe them with a clean cloth.
Dishwasher
- If you start to smell something foul coming from the dishwasher, put one cup of vinegar and another bowl with baking soda on the top rack, and run a normal cycle.
Living room and bedroom checklist
Check out the recent Redfin article we were featured in:
The Complete Living Room Cleaning Checklist
The living room is one of the most important rooms in the house. It’s where you relax, entertain guests, and spend time with your family. However, because people use it so much, it can be one of the most challenging rooms to keep clean. This is especially true if space is limited, like in a small apartment in San Francisco, CA, or a condo in Seattle, WA. From dusting to vacuuming to deep cleaning, there’s a lot to do to keep your living room looking its best.
- Vacuum all carpeting, upholstery, and area rugs. Don’t forget to get behind large pieces of furniture and under couch cushions.
- Take down and wash curtains, drapes, duvets, comforters, pillows, and cushion cover
- Dust and wipe down window blinds, windowsills, air vents, doors, walls, and molding
- Use a glass cleaner on the windows and glass cabinets
- Dust the smoke alarm and check the batteries
- Change your air conditioning and vacuum filters
Sparkling bathroom cleaning checklist
If not well looked after, your bathroom can become a good host for nasty fungi. Mildew and mold thrive in dark and damp environments. Discourage unwanted bathroom guests with these bathroom cleaning hacks.
- Clean and disinfect the trash can with a cleaner that can kill bacteria and neutralize odors. Rinse it and let it air dry in the sun to prevent mold.
- Disinfect the toothbrush holder – most of them are dishwasher friendly.
- Check the label on your shower curtain or liner and see if it can be run in the washing machine. For plastic shower curtains, you can soak them in water and vinegar and hang them out to dry. If the time has taken its toll, replace your shower curtain.
- Wipe or vacuum the inside of drawers and cupboards. Put new lining in drawers.
Shine your porcelain throne both inside and out
Using a disinfecting spray, spritz the entire toilet, inside, outside, at the back of the base, under the seat, and the wall behind. Let the cleaner do its magic for at least 5 minutes. Wipe the exterior of the toilet from top to bottom with a paper towel. Use a stiff-bristled toilet brush to scrub under the rim and inside the toilet. Flush to rinse.
Annual house cleaning checklist
Good news – there are some areas of the house that can remain overlooked for a year. Having said this, you still need to have a go at them as they are essential for the overall upkeep of your home.
- Clean and organize the garage and basement.
- Clear out gutters.
- Clear out chimney and fireplace.
- Special projects – Declutter, donate or sell any clothes, shoes, toys, sporting equipment, gadgets, or things you have stored in the house that you have not used in the past year.
When to call the experts
Starting a home cleaning routine when your house is already ‘too far gone’ can seem hopeless. Spekless House Cleaning is here to help. In just 60 seconds, you can book a quality cleaning appointment through our online and digital communication platform.
You can choose whether you would like a standard cleaning to get you started on your way to maintaining a home cleaning checklist, or you prefer a deep cleaning where we get under every nook and cranny. We can help you create a house cleaning schedule and checklist that will work around your needs.
We’ve got your back, so you don’t break yours while trying to keep a clean home.
Despite that cleaning our house should be on the top of our priority list, it is often the last thing on our mind when it comes to our busy lives. We may try to ignore our growing to-do list of cleaning tasks, but doing so only makes it harder to catch up. That’s why spot cleaning makes so much sense. Instead of leaving all of the hard work until the last minute, why not clean up little by little, as you go?
If you’re ready to master the art of spot cleaning, read below to learn some handy tips to get you started.
1. Clean Up Messes On-the-Go
We all know we should clean up the messes we make on-the-go, but how many of us actually follow through? Cleaning up messes right after, or at least within a reasonable timeframe of making them is the key to making your house tidier bit by bit.
Whether you’ve spilled your drink on the way to the dinner table or dropped some crumbs while munching food on the couch, you need to clean up messes when you make them, or you’ll keep putting them off. Remembering to clean up on-the-go is a habit you’ll have to form, so try to keep this tip in mind next time there’s an accident.
2. Regularly Use a Handheld Vacuum
If you haven’t already invested in a handheld vacuum, you don’t know what you’re missing out on! Less bulky and troublesome to use than a regular vacuum, handheld vacuums make it a piece of cake to clean up any crumbs, dust, or any other small or big messes that you or your family make.
The great thing is that there are so many handheld vacuums to choose from, making it easy to find one to suit your needs. For example, perhaps you’re after one that’s specially designed to clean floors or carpets (or both), or one with an extra long cord. Or maybe a wet vac for stain removal, or a pet hair brush attachment. Believe us, there’s a handheld vacuum for whatever your needs are!
3. Start Buying Effective Cleaning Products
Without effective cleaning products to get any cleaning jobs done efficiently, you’re wasting precious time and energy. Buying the right product for a particular cleaning situation is essential if you want to get in the habit of spot cleaning. After all, there’s no point in using the world’s best carpet cleaner to clean your wooden floors!
Investing in some quality cleaning products will make a huge difference when it comes to making your spot cleaning worthwhile. You’ll soon find yourself spending less time scrubbing, wiping, and vacuuming, and more time enjoying spending time in your spick and span house.
This guest post is from the Pet Life Today team.
