8 Tips for Deep Cleaning Your Home Efficiently

Cleaning the house intensively involves getting into the corners, rolling the furniture, throwing away what is not useful and much more. It is not a convenient daily job, because it takes at least a whole day. To reduce this time, here are some tips.

Reviewed and approved by the doctor Leonardo Biolatto.

Written by Luz Marina Carpio Hernández

Last update: 20 March, 2023

Dusting, dishwashing, and sweeping are all doable household chores that can be done in a day. After all, they don’t take up too much time and are not as time-consuming and exhausting as deep cleaning the home. However, deep cleaning includes tasks that demand meticulousness, so hours and even days may be necessary if you want to leave your home looking like new.

To perform this kind of cleaning, you need more than a broom and a feather duster. We’re not just talking about cleaning utensils; we’re also talking about patience and stamina, because the physical activity involved in tidying up the house is comparable to exercise. Let’s take a closer look.

The importance of deep cleaning

The goal in deep cleaning is to disinfect and completely get rid of the dirt that invades the nooks and crannies of the house. It’s different from daily cleaning, because it includes much more, like the doors, chimneys, windows and gutters, for example.

For deep cleaning, you have to prepare yourself with products, tools and, above all, organize yourself with plenty of time. At the very least, you will likely spend a whole day going over objects, discarding what you don’t use, repairing what’s damaged and, in general, doing more things than conventional cleaning normally entails.

The process covers all the rooms and some require more intervention than others. As tedious as it may seem, it’s important to schedule cleanings of this type at least once a month, especially if you suffer from allergies or live with someone who does.

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, such pathology represents the sixth leading cause of chronic diseases in the United States. And as mentioned by the Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), the best way to prevent these immune system reactions is to avoid contact with the allergen.

In this case, these substances are present in house dust, dust mites, fungi and mold. All these elements can be combated through cleaning.

The benefits of deep cleaning at home

When you clean deeply, you guarantee an aesthetically pleasing home and generate a sense of peace. You also contribute to improving your physical and mental health.

Regarding the former, Indiana University determined in a research study that the condition of the residence drives physical activity. In the interest of keeping homes tidy, people are actually getting exercise.

In terms of mental health, the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin stated in an analysis that the way someone describes their home reflects whether the time spent there is restorative or stressful. Specifically, women who scored highest in stressful homes reported a depressed mood during the course of the day. Conversely, those scoring highest in the restorative home showed decreased depressed mood.

Tips for deep cleaning your home without spending too much time

Understanding the importance of a spotless home, let’s take action. To comply with all that a thorough deep cleaning entails and not take a long time to do it, the key is to do a little every day: vacuum the carpets and furniture, do not leave dirty dishes in the sink, sweep your rooms regularly.

If you always maintain order and apply the recommendations that we will soon reveal, when the D-day arrives you will spend less time cleaning.

1. It’s all about organization, first and foremost

Make a list of activities by room, so you cross out the jobs as you complete them. You can set a deadline for the completion of each task.

If you need extra time and if your schedule allows it, do not postpone the task. It will accumulate for the next day and worsen room conditions.

2. Prioritize high-frequency rooms

The kitchen, bathrooms and the hall are rooms that are constantly occupied in the house; therefore, they tend to get dirtier. These are the ones that should be given sufficient attention in deep cleaning. After all, you reduce the commitment needed if you take care of their regular cleaning.

The same goes for frequently used objects: children’s toys,  computer keyboard, door handles and stove tops. Natural or commercial disinfectants spread with a cloth on these surfaces can make them as good as new.

3. Keep the kitchen tidy

Don’t go to bed with a dirty kitchen. This habit saves hours of work when you clean in depth, because you just have to empty the shelves and degrease, without wasting minutes washing dishes.

4. Clean beneath your furniture once a month

A key to deep cleaning is to remove dirt from the furniture, especially those pieces that you never move. Go over them frequently for sweeping and vacuuming; it doesn’t matter if you don’t change their position. Microbes find an ideal habitat under these places.

5. Clear out the refrigerator

You can’t forget refrigerators during a deep cleaning. To clean the refrigerator, unplug it and take out everything you store in it, then dip a cloth in 1 liter of warm water combined with lemon and baking soda; this eliminates bad odors. Finally, rinse with water and dry before returning the food to the appliance.

A useful tip is to check for what’s no longer needed in the fridge one a week – that is, find what’s expired and throw it away. Sometimes you may keep food or drinks thinking of consuming them later, but it never happens and they end up damaged, taking up space and harboring bacteria that could contaminate the rest of the refrigerated products.

6. Cleaning and organizing closets and cupboards is part of the deep cleaning of the home

While techniques like batch dressing help preserve order in the closet, it’d one of the key areas of the house that lends itself to the accumulation of clothes and dust. Get rid of the clothes you don’t wear and wash those that smell like they’ve been put away.

As most organization methods suggest, setting aside one day a week to inspect the closet helps you have less to do when it’s time to deep clean.

7. Make bathroom cleanliness a regular habit

Faucets, the shower, the toilet…the entire bathroom must remain clean. Needless to say that this can be a health issue, due to the proliferation of germs that can arise in these places.

When it’s time for deep cleaning, you waste less time if these areas are clean, because the heavy work is often the disinfection of walls and floor.

8. Tackle the walls and ceilings

Deep cleaning is not just for floors, beds, or cabinets. Walls and ceilings are where cobwebs weave, dust collects and moisture settles. Work them from the bottom up, reaching up to the fans and light fixtures built into them.

Sponge then down with a damp sponge and liquid soap and water. If you clean the walls frequently, when it’s time for the “big clean,” the chore will be reduced.

If you need it, get professional help for deep cleaning

It’s not impossible for a person to do the deep cleaning by him or herself. However, sometimes it’s a good idea to get some help if there are too many tasks, your house is very large, or there is some condition or health impediment that hinders the process.

There are companies dedicated to this job that work with the appropriate equipment and with a staff prepared for deep cleaning in record time. Thus, if you have the budget and need the collaboration, it would not hurt to take advantage of their services.