Barbecue, road trips, cocktails, bikinis, picnics… Summer is for a lot of great things, and cleaning is definitely not on this list.
Photo by Francesca Tosolini on Unsplash
However, want it or not, summer brings lots of nature into our houses in the form of dust, heat, sand, or pollen, which means our homes get messy easier. Instead of wasting precious sunny days on hardscrabble summer cleaning, the best solution is to deep clean your home before the summer arrives and then just easily keep it spotless with brief cleanups. We will tell you about what should be on your summer deep cleaning to-do list and how this cleaning routine can actually help you get ready for the bikini season.
What is included in a deep house cleaning?
Every New Yorker knows summer months are too short and fleeting to be wasted on cleaning, so if you want to have both a bright summer and a clean house, deep cleaning is the shortcut to it. Deep or thorough cleaning is focused on sanitizing and disinfecting areas that usually stay overlooked during the regular cleaning (such as trash cans, kitchen appliances, ceiling fans, carpets, window treatments, baseboards, etc). So over time (and especially in the hot season), they can accumulate dust, grime, and germs and become a source of health issues. So the main idea behind deep cleaning is to reboot your home to its pristine purity to make maintaining and cleaning it during the summer months a breeze. This cleaning task is a must for
- busy people who don’t like to clean often,
- those considering to start using a cleaning service (as the first cleaning visit),
- or those who skipped a thorough spring cleaning and need a fresh start now.
Deep house cleaning checklist for this summer
- Keep your home minimalistic
Your goal is to make house cleaning effortless this summer, so first and foremost, declutter. Get rid of junk and debris accumulated during cold months and hide/store stuff you will not use during the summer months.
- Deep dust the hidden
As opposed to regular dusting, deep top-to-bottom dusting is about wiping ALL surfaces, including those hidden from the eyes, for example, ceiling fan blades, photo frames, window treatments, door frames, blinds, AC air vents, etc. Dust can be easily trapped with a damp cloth (microfiber cloth is better!) with some all-purpose cleaner sprayed on it.
- Make your windows sparkle
Windows in a New York City townhouse or apartment get grimy very fast. Even if you cleaned your windows during the spring cleaning, it is high time to deep clean them again to enjoy more invigorating sunshine this summer. Spay on some glass cleaner on windows and easily remove grime with a microfiber cloth. If you prefer using a “green” window cleaner instead, you can easily make one at home by mixing vinegar and not very hot water in a 1:10 ratio.
- Reset your kitchen in 3 steps
Germs and bacteria love the company of food and heat, so deep cleaning your kitchen before hot summer days arrive helps you maintain this place clean and safe effortlessly. Here is what requires special attention this summer:
- Kitchen cabinets. Remove those sticky dust and dirt from shelves and fronts with a damp cloth soaked in warm soapy water. If you have wooden cabinets, better use a solution of water ( 1 gallon) and oil soap (¼ cup).
- Fridge. It is time to make room for delicious summer food and make your refrigerator smell nice. Get rid of expired food first and then remove shelves to wash them in hot soapy water (you can use dish soap for that). We do not recommend using harsh chemicals for cleaning inside of your fridge because there is a risk that they can get into your food. Use green cleaning supplies or baking soda instead. Sprinkle some soda over the shelf, spray it with hot water and rub it with a sponge. Remove residue with a paper towel.
- A trash can and garbage disposal. Needless to say, everything that has close contact with trash requires some proper disinfection in the hot season. Simple vinegar and soda are great not only for cleaning these hotspots but also for combating harsh odors. To clean a trash can, pour in 2-3 gallons of hot water and add 2-3 cups of vinegar and some dish soap. Let it soak for half an hour, then scrub and rinse with clean water. For garbage disposal cleaning, pour ½ cup baking soda into it and add one cup of vinegar. Let it bubble, rinse with hot water, and enjoy amazingly fresh air in your kitchen.
- Deep clean your carpets
Carpets, especially high pile ones, can be a source of dust mites that cause allergies. A regular household vacuum can make shaggy rugs look visibly clean but it cannot remove dust (and thus dust mites) totally. So unless you have a vacuum cleaner that can wash carpets, it is always better to have a professional carpet cleaning service as a part of your seasonal cleaning.
How many calories burned cleaning a house
Thorough cleaning is laborious, and this is probably the only reason to do it yourself. An hour of intense cleaning (like mopping or scrubbing tiles or a bathtub) helps you burn from 200 to 300 calories (of course, depending on your weight and enthusiasm). This is similar to pilates or power yoga. Still, if you know a more interesting way to burn calories before the bikini season, you can always delegate your deep summer cleaning to a house cleaning service like White Glove Cleaner.