Already have an account?
Get back to the
Home

There’s a ‘Right’ Order to Cleaning Tasks in Your House — Are You Following It?

Tags:

Everyone thinks they know how to clean a house like a professional, but according to an actual expert, most people get it wrong. Kadi Dulude, owner of Wizard of Homes NYC, says that the most common mistake a person will make when cleaning his or her home comes down to the order in which the sweeping and scrubbing happens.

Many people (ourselves included!) hate dusting and save it for last. Better to clean the items you can reach first and work from the bottom up, right? Actually, this bottom-to-top method undoes all your hard work once you start washing those high, hard-to-reach surfaces, like the ceiling fans and the top of your refrigerator. That’s because you’re pushing dirt, dust, and grime all over the lower surfaces you already cleaned.

“Here’s a cautionary tale: You decide to deep clean your kitchen and start with the stovetop,” Dulude says. “You move on to wiping down the cabinet doors and oven hood, and every time you spray or scrub anything above the stove, you’ll be sending drips and debris straight to your freshly polished stovetop. Which means you’ll have no choice but clean the stovetop again.”

The simple solution is to work from top to bottom: Clean your overhead kitchen cabinets before your granite countertops, and vacuum up dirt and lint on the shelves of your closet before going for the dust bunnies in the corner. Now, you’ll never have to worry about cleaning the same area twice.

One last thing before we send you off with your mop and broom: Make sure you finish cleaning an appliance, a surface, or an item before moving onto something else. “Another mistake we see being done is not concentrating on the task at hand and moving from one task to another before completely finishing,” Dulude says. “Sometimes even moving from room to room without finishing one room first. You might think, ‘I’ll come back to it later,’ but distractions are easy to come by, so it’s best if you have a strict plan — like cleaning from top to bottom — for each room.”

Feeling inspired to clean? Watch the video below to discover how to clean your Keurig with vinegar: 

More From FIRST

Your Washing Machine Has a Secret Drain Trap That Needs to Be Cleaned Out If You Want It to Work Properly

Does Unplugging Everything Before You Leave the House Save Money?

If You Accidentally Eat Mold, Don’t Panic — But Keep an Eye Out for Reactions

Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items. Use right arrow key to move into submenus. Use escape to exit the menu. Use up and down arrow keys to explore. Use left arrow key to move back to the parent list.