When it comes to cleaning your home and trying to achieve the most out of the cleaning chores, you cannot do it without paying close attention to your cleaning tools and supplies. It may seem a little counterintuitive, but the fact is cleaning equipment needs cleaning too. In order for your supplies to be put in their best use and perform effectively, they need to be cleaned and disinfected, just like everything else.
A lot of people ignore this action and only take upon cleaning their supplies in mid-use time, which brings up discomfort and additional effort. By cleaning regularly and replacing your cleaning materials you will achieve better end-cleaning results when doing chores and increase the life of your supplies.
Tool cleaning:
– Mop
One of our most favourite and helpful companions is with the household chores is the mop. We recommend a cotton mop, as it is more efficient and does not need to be replaces as fast the sponge broom one. Because there are different types of mops, you will use different methods to clean and sanitize it to utilize its performance around the house. The mob is an item that collects a lot of dirt, but also cannot help but keep some in the process.
To clean your mob rinse it good with water first to eliminate the bigger dirt particles and debris. You can, either throw the mop head in the washing machine, and wash with warm water, or you can create your own cleaning mixture in a bucket, by adding equal parts of water and white vinegar into the bucket. Let it sit in the solution for at least an hour, rinse it out with water and then lay it out to dry.
– Broom
Who doesn’t keep a broom in the house? The broom is a must-have in every household, as it is very easy and convenient to use. Its use prevents the collection of dirt and dust on the floor surfaces, even helps take the cobwebs down. It is only understandable that it needs refreshing too. To ensure your broom is kept well-cleaned and sanitized we suggest the following cleaning methods.
To help the broom loose the larger dirt debris you ought to beat it up against a wall or hold up the spade in one hand and broom in another, beat it against each other gently to dislodge any dirt and dust particles in there.
Soaking your broom in a solution of warm water and dish soap and letting it soak for an hour, is a nice way to disinfect it and help loosen some the dirt, but you should avoid using this cleaning method if your broom is made of straws, as it may damage the broom’s bristles.
– Vacuum
We couldn’t have left to mention the vacuum. Such a big part of almost everybody’s house cleaning after tenancy routine. If it wasn’t for the vacuum’s efficient use, we would be so much more worried over spilling and collecting dirt, as well as dust. To keep your vacuum doing its job properly you will have to clean the bag or the canister of the vacuum very often. Vacuums with canister should be cleaned out after every use, to prevent germ infestations and smells. Vacuums that use bags should emptied when full and wiped from the inside to prevent the collection and piling of dust. Shake the bag for some time before wiping it down to loosen and get most of the dirt out.
The vacuum filter as well as the vacuum’s attachments should also be cleaned regularly. As very important features of the vacuum they deserve the proper care in order for the vacuum to function and perform better.
Running the filter through warm water every 2-3 months will do the job, but you have to let it dry out nicely before putting back in.
Clean up all the vacuum features and attachments with warm, soapy water, after which rinse them good and let them dry outside for at least 1 day before attacking them back.
– Brushes, sponges and towels
We use all kinds of brushes to do our bidding and clean up after our messes, and it is only fair to pay them respect by refreshing them from time to time. Gather all your brushes and try to pick out the stuck hair and dirt debris from them, then create a solution of water and a good disinfectant and put them in to soak for at least an hour. For your dish sponges you need to rinse them out thoroughly and while still wet you can put them in the microwave for 2 minutes tops.
All bacteria should be dead under the effect of the appliance, rinse and resume using the sponge. As for your towels and rags, simply pick a laundry day only for your cleaning towels and rags and wash them together. Lay them out to dry and reuse!