Cleaning Made Simple

Enlarge Image Image Gallery With a few simple tips, you can make your house cleaner and fresher in no time. Courtesy Getty Images

Giving your home a good cleaning doesn’t have to be a big chore. You can make the whole house look and feel fresher by focusing on a few key areas.

Floors

Even if you vacuum regularly, floors and carpets could use a deep down cleaning now and then.

For carpeted areas, start by vacuuming as usual, to pick up surface debris. Move as much furniture out of the room as possible. (If you can’t move it, put some plastic under it to protect the legs.) If you don’t want to rent a carpet cleaner, you can use a handheld electric spot scrubber to remove stains.

For hardwood or vinyl tile areas, vacuum as usual. Remove as much furniture as possible. Use a steam mop to clean and sanitize the floor. Many models have triangular pads to help you get into corners and around furniture more easily.

For other tiled areas, if your tile is natural stone, treat stains based on type. If the stain is calcium based, from grout buildup, mineral deposits or hard water, use a pH balanced cleaner for stone.

Bathroom

Freshen up the bathroom with these simple cleaning tricks.

Take care of the tub by scrubbing with baking soda on a clean, damp sponge. Rinse, then wipe dry. You can clean and deodorize your vinyl shower curtain by giving it the same baking soda treatment.

If you have stone, granite or marble surfaces, use a cleaner made specifically for those materials. Some general purpose cleaners may contain acids, bleach or ammonia that could break down the sealer on natural stone, making the surface more likely to stain.

Brighten up the bathroom by cleaning the windows, mirrors, light fixtures and even the light bulbs with multipurpose surface wipes.

Kitchen

Take care of those areas that might not get daily attention.

Empty the refrigerator and toss anything out of date or that looks like a science experiment. Remove the shelves and bins, and give them a good cleaning with a solution of 1/4 cup multi-surface cleaner and one gallon of warm water. Rinse and dry thoroughly before putting them back.

Clean and sanitize surfaces that come into contact with food. To sanitize washable hard, nonporous surfaces such as granite, without damaging them, use a cleaner made specifically for those materials.

Use a duster with a long handle to clean in higher areas, such as the tops of cabinets, ceiling corners, vents and recessed lighting fixtures.