Why Your Order Of Cleaning Actually Matters

When faced with a dirty home and guests who are due to arrive, many homeowners find themselves running from one random chore to the next. Maybe they start by washing the dishes and mopping the floors. Then, they dust the window blinds before — finally — they rush to make the bed. Unfortunately, this is not the most productive way to clean a space, as rushing around your home and completing tasks out of order could cause you to get less done. 

This is why cleaning not only each room but also your whole home in a particular order is essential. You should have a strict plan of action that allows you to get the most done, even if you only have a limited amount of time. For instance, in a room, you should dust before you vacuum, and in the home, you should scrub the bathroom before tidying up the bedroom. There are a couple of reasons why having an order of cleaning and sticking to it is critical to keeping a spotless home.

Reasons for the specific order

If you complete your tasks in a random order, you may mess up something you previously cleaned. For instance, if you wipe down your coffee table before cleaning your ceiling fan, the dust may fall onto the table, creating more work for you. On the other hand, if you dust before you wipe down surfaces, you'll be able to wipe away the fallen dust, and when you vacuum later, you'll suck up the remaining dust that fell onto the floor.

It's also important to stick to a routine for the whole home, like cleaning the bathroom before the bedroom. If you start with a less critical chore like vacuuming the bedroom floor, you may not have enough energy or time for more important things like cleaning the toilet and shower. However, because the bathroom can get dirty fast and is used daily, it's typically the most crucial space to clean, so it should be the first room that gets a good scrubbing.

The correct order of cleaning

When cleaning a room, moving from the top to the bottom is essential so that dust and debris don't settle on something you've already polished. For example, in the living room, this may mean dusting your ceiling fan first, wiping down the windows and window coverings, addressing any surface smudges, and finally, removing dust and debris from the floor. It's also crucial to use dry tools before wet ones, such as vacuuming before mopping, as this will eliminate any large debris before you freshen the space with a household cleaner.

If you're cleaning your entire home, following the plan from Modern Maids may prove to be helpful. They begin with the bathrooms, then move onto the kitchen, as these are top priority spaces. While moving from one room to the next, tidy up any entryways, hallways, and staircases. Then, clean the living room and family room, and finally, freshen up the bedrooms. However, while this is an excellent cleaning strategy, you may also want to throw in a load of laundry and dishes before you begin so that these tasks can be taken care of while you're working.

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