Who doesn’t feel better coming home to a clean, organized, clutter-free house? If you’ve ever wondered if the stress you feel when your home isn’t as tidy as you’d like is all in your head, science assures us that it is not. The truth is, we feel more stressed out and anxious when our homes are messy. Research reveals that clutter has a negative impact on our perception of home and our subjective well-being. And one study even found an increase in depressed moods and higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol in women whose home environment was cluttered.
Keeping our homes clean and tidy is an easy way to reduce daily stress, but even the act of cleaning itself can make some of us anxious. Feeling like we don’t know where to start or how often we need to do certain household chores can stop us in our tracks. So, we asked three cleaning professionals for their best house cleaning secrets. Utilize these pro house cleaning tips to get — and keep — your home sparkling.
Have these cleaning products and tools on hand
The best way to set yourself up for cleaning success is to make sure you have the right tools for the job. The good news is that you don’t need a lot of expensive products to keep your home clean. Putting together a caddy of a few basic and reliable items is your best bet.
1. Microfiber cloths are your must-have cleaning tool
Our experts all named microfiber cloths as their favorite go-to cleaning tool.
“Not only is microfiber better at cleaning surfaces than sponges, paper towels and the like, but it’s also machine washable and quick-drying, which means they are far less likely to hold onto germs,” says Debra Johnson, home cleaning expert for Merry Maids.
Johnson says she favors pairing distilled white vinegar with microfiber cloths for surface cleaning. “Combined with water and dish liquid soap, white vinegar is your go-to multipurpose cleaner for stains and general cleaning,” she says.
Jennifer Gregory, brand manager for Molly Maid, is also a big fan of microfiber cloths.
2. Put together a cleaning caddy filled with supplies
Dawna Boone, owner of Valet Maids, also lists microfiber cloths as a must-have and adds that a glass cleaner, a mildly abrasive cleaner, an all-purpose cleaner and a pair of latex gloves are the products that you should have in your cleaning caddy before you get started.
Kitchen cleaning tips
The kitchen is ground zero for messes during the day, but there are simple ways to keep this room from getting the better of you.
3. Keep up with spills and mess throughout the day
“Clean as you go,” says Johnson. She recommends cleaning the kitchen daily to keep things from getting out of control. Making quick work of the daily pileup of clutter and mess will also help you avoid cross-contamination of germs.
“Keep a microfiber cloth handy,” Johnson says, “so you can immediately treat spills. That way they don’t harden and become ten times more difficult to clean later.”
4. Tackle simple tasks quickly and frequently
“Do your dishes after every meal,” says Gregory.
Like Johnson, she recommends keeping up with the daily and hourly mess that can accumulate in a kitchen to prevent having too much to handle later on. “This goes for taking out the trash, too,” she says, “As soon as it begins to brim to the top, take it out.”
The key to making kitchen-cleaning easier is remarkably simple: “Don’t procrastinate,” Gregory says.
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