Tips for Cleaning Success
- Assign age-appropriate chores and responsibilities to any members of the household who are able to help.
- Budget realistic amounts of time for cleaning, breaking it up into bite-sized chunks if needed. Kids (especially younger kids) will find it hard to clean for a long stretch of time. Make it more enjoyable for everyone and set a sensible time limit for how long everyone will clean.
- Use the room-by-room method for cleaning, tackling only one room at a time per person. Giving each helper a room to take care of is a great way to give kids alone time when they’re stuck inside the house.
- If someone is sick and disinfection is needed, always clean first, then disinfect.
- You know the drill – have one bag for garbage, one bag for recycling, and a box for donations or to sell. In some cases, you may need another box to take items like hazardous waste to the Eco Station.
- Before you start, get all the equipment and cleaning products you’ll need together. If you need help deciding what to put in your cleaning cupboard, check out the ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS.
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ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS
- All-purpose cleaner – can be used on many surfaces. Must be rinsed off.
- Bathroom cleaner – gel, spray, or cream – to clean sinks, counters, showers, and tubs.
- Disinfectant – only to be used when necessary and as directed.
- Microfibre cloths – Microfibre cloths are a great investment to make cleaning easier. They hold onto dust and dirt more than other cloths, break water into very small particles to dry droplet-free, and can be washed out by hand or machine to reuse. Have several for cleaning and one for glass and mirrors.
- Soft, light-coloured, lint-free cloths
- Toilet bowl brush
- Toilet bowl cleaner – slightly acidic to prevent hard water mineral build up.
Household Cleaning Schedule
Here is our weekly and monthly cleaning to-do lists for each room in your home.