The holidays are rapidly approaching, so it’s time to freshen up your home to prepare for spending time with friends and family! Lucky for you, we have prepared these house cleaning tips to make cleaning your home quick and easy so you can spend more time with your loved ones.
Remove Clutter
The first task you will want to complete is removing any clutter in your home— from that pair of shoes by the front door to the junk mail sitting on the kitchen counter. Throw out any trash and make sure everything is in the place that it belongs. This will make the rest of the cleaning go much more smoothly!
House Cleaning Tips for Soft Surfaces
How to clean upholstery
Vacuum your upholstery! Make sure you are using the right vacuum attachment for upholstery that is gentler on these fabrics so they don’t get worn or snagged. Click here for more information on proper vacuuming. This will remove of the dry particles in your furnishings, which make up the majority of soiling.
Damp Dusting removes soil that vacuuming alone does not remove and prevents build-up of oils from humans and pets. Damp dusting is simple— mist a small amount of pHnominal on a white terry towel and dust the soft surface as you would a tabletop. If you are working with a dry-clean only fabric, use Kleen-Tec instead of pHnominal. Both pHnominal and Kleen-Tec can be found in the Fabric Care Kit Fiber-Seal provides to clients after protecting furnishings in their home or office. You may use other cleaners as well that are best suited for your fabric type— just be sure to test beforehand to make sure no color changes or other issues occur.
How to clean a rug
Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum! Similar to upholstery, the most important thing you can do to keep your rugs in tip-top shape is by consistently vacuuming them. When vacuuming, be sure to vacuum in all different directions to ensure all the loose particles are freed from the fabric. Avoid vacuums with a beater bar attachment on loop pile fabrics such as bouclé.
Rotate your rugs regularly so that as the rug wears, it looks even across the entire rug. This is especially important if a rug is in a high-traffic area and gets a lot of use.
Cleaning and spot cleaning instructions for your rugs vary based on the fiber type and construction of the area rug. For more detailed information on maintaining and cleaning rugs, explore the resources below.
How to clean a carpet
Vacuuming is the best way to clean the surface of your carpet. The absence of frequent vacuuming leads to dry particles acting as sandpaper on the carpet fibers as you walk across it, slowly wearing down the carpet. When vacuuming, make multiple passes over each area to dislodge and remove any particles that could be causing your carpet to wear down!
For information on common types of carpet cleaning, click here.
maintaining clean fabrics
DISCLAIMER: If spot cleaning is necessary on your home furnishings, be sure to test the cleaning agent you are using to clean with first so that no color changes or any other issues occur! Fiber-Seal offers a Fabric Care Kit with cleaning agents, along with a spot guide containing instructions on how to clean common spots.
Maintaining the fabrics in your home can be time-consuming, so if you prefer to have someone else do it you can hire professional cleaning services. Deep cleaning is recommended on all your furnishings occasionally, and we recommend leaving the cleaning to professional cleaners who know the best way to address different fabric types. Wet cleaning fabrics yourself could lead to shrinking, color changes, wear and other issues.
Here are some things you can do to ensure your fabrics stay looking fresh for longer and prolong the time needed between professional cleanings.
- Damp dust upholstery regularly
- Vacuum regularly (more often in high-traffic areas)
- Protect your fabrics
- Using a fabric protection spray or fabric protection service allows spots and spills to be cleaned up more easily, so they will stay cleaner for longer. Some fabric protection services, such as Fiber-Seal, also offer complimentary spot cleaning on protected furnishings.
House Cleaning Tips for Hard Surfaces
How to clean Countertops
Spray a cleaning cloth with an antibacterial cleaning product and wipe the area thoroughly. You can quickly dry the surface by wiping with a dry cloth after. You may also consider natural cleaners such as white vinegar & water solutions or lemon juice & baking soda for your countertops.
How to clean wood furniture
To clean wood furniture, use a mild dish soap and water. Be sure to always test an inconspicuous area of the furniture to ensure that the solution will not damage the finish.
There are many different ways to shine wooden furniture, including wood polishing. Click here to learn more about wood polishing.
How to clean hardwood floors, lamiate floors & vinyl floors
First, you will want to sweep or vacuum your flooring to remove any loose particles.
Next, you will want to mop. You can either use a mop after wringing most of the water out, or a flat mop with floor cleaner suited for your type of flooring. It is important that these flooring types do not get too wet.
There are also plenty of spray-and-mop products made specifically for different flooring types, which many find to be a more convenient option. Just make sure to read the floor cleaner label closely to determine if it is meant for your flooring type.
Be sure not to allow water to sit on the hardwood or laminate for too long because it can damage the flooring. You can always dry the flooring with a microfiber towel or speed up the process by turning on some fans.
Polish your floors with an appropriate floor polish made for your flooring type to really make them shine!
How to clean tile
Sweep your tile and grout with a soft broom. Rougher brooms can scratch the time. Alternatively, you vacuum with a brush attachment that is gentle on your floors.
Using a mixture of warm water and a small amount of mild dish soap, clean your tiles one by one. Dry each tile when you are done cleaning it.
For stubborn grout stains, you can use a toothbrush and some grout cleaner and warm water to freshen them up.
We hope that these house cleaning tips make cleaning your home for the holidays a smooth and straightforward process. There’s nothing like a sparkling clean home to celebrate the holiday season in!
