Deep cleaning tips and tricks: Beyond the reach of humble broom

With the change of season, a whole lot of spring cleaning is due. In addition to the cleaning one regularly does, the task of deep cleaning is humungous. Here are a few tips from the experts at the Urban Company to help you to overcome some of the most difficult cleaning challenges, and reach sports beyond the humble broom.

Break down the challenge: Depending on the size of the house or the fight in the cleaning army, you should break down the cleaning challenge. Identify the most difficult challenges like washrooms and kitchen, and take them on first. Both spaces have a whole lot of corners, fixtures, and equipment to be cleaned – with really tough grease and stains. If you keep them for the end, you may get tired by the time you get around to cleaning them up.

Stick to the basics: The first round of cleaning has to be a basic one-- dusting, wiping, vacuuming, washing, etc. Then comes the hard part, scrubbing, brushing, etc., and thereafter, closing the whole ritual with a final round of basics.

Arm yourself with the right gadgets: Cleaning everything with the floor mop, kitchen duster, or even the utensil scrubber will hardly get the stains out but surely wear you out. Similarly, it is important to get the right kind of cleaning agents, solutions, and equipment.

Use gloves and homemade cleaning solutions: You may not be wearing gloves during regular cleaning, but during deep cleaning you may end-up using a variety of harsh cleaning reagents. Therefore, it is advisable to wear gloves and use homemade cleaning solutions. Domestic options like vinegar and baking soda are highly effective in removing toughest stains by themselves and even amplifying impact of detergents and cleaning solution. Baking soda in combination with vinegar, salt pastes, and other mixes can be used to unclog the drain, clean oven, ceramic stovetop, stainless steel, and even refrigerator. Similarly, lemon is an equally effective cleaning weapon in your pantry which can help to remove rust to stubborn stains.

Cut the Grease with a Hot Rag: Indian cooking leads to easy greasing of food which collects dust over time. You would find it easy to cut the tough grease on cabinets, slabs, etc, if you use a hot rag with a cleaning solution that has orange oil. Hot rag or sponge can be microwaved for 20-30 seconds or even in dipped in hot water. The heat helps to cut the oils in the grease and helps it come out easy. The orange oil is to leave a shiny coating.

Use microfiber cloth or scrubs for cleaning: Microfibers have dual benefits. They are good collectors of dust, and are great cleaners. Plus, they help in giving finishing touch to fixtures, mirrors, tiles, etc. They are best used towards the final round of cleaning.

The Rust Strains in Washrooms: Rusting of sinks, tubs, and toilets leaves some really hard stains. A good anti-rust strain remover would see you through this problem. However, it is important to caution against use of bleach for removing rusts as it will leave stains. Use stiff nylon brushes to clean toilets and make them look sparkling clean.

Use Duct Tape on sofa and carpets: Yes, duct tape has yet another use — cleaning, especially if you have pets like dogs and cats at home. Roll duct tape on a sponge or paint roller and use its stickiness to remove pet hair from sofas and carpets. However, we caution to use this first on a part of the mattress and sofa to see if the tip is actually working on the kind of upholstery you have at home.