How to Clean Like a Professional (Plus a Free Download!)

Let’s talk about cleaning. Cleaning is a drag. I hear there are people out there that actually like to clean, but I am not one of them, even though I used to work as a housecleaner. The good thing about having that job is, I learned to clean very quickly and efficiently. Now, I pass that professional cleaning knowledge along to you, Curbly readers!

The mantra of the company I worked for was top to bottom, left to right.  This way you could easily walk into any room and know exactly where to get started. The work was divided into wet rooms (bathrooms and kitchens) and dry rooms (living room, dining room, bedrooms). If we were lucky and weren’t understaffed, we’d go out with a partner and one person would do the wet rooms and the other person would do the dry rooms. One wet room and one dry room would be deep cleaned each cleaning.  

I still clean my house in the same manner. I try to clean on a weekly schedule, and deep clean on a rotating basis. I start with the wet rooms first, as I hate cleaning them the most. Getting it out of the way means it’s all downhill work from that point on.  

Cleaning Supplies

Here’s what you’ll need to get the job done! Hopefully you have most of this around your house, but we’ve included links to our favorites here just in case. Keep all your cleaning supplies in a caddy you can easily carry from room to room.

• blue shop rags
• white rags (old diapers work great)
• all purpose cleaner
• glass cleaner
• heavy duty cleaner (Simple Green)
• floor cleaner (depending on your floor material — wood, tile, etc.)
• toilet cleaner
• duster
• cleaning supply caddy

all purpose cleaner

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cloth diapers

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shop rags

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glass cleaner

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duster

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floor cleaner

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simple green

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toilet cleaner

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cleaning supply caddy

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Cleaning wet rooms

In bathrooms, I start first with putting the toilet bowl cleaner in the toilet to let it sit while I’m doing everything else. Then (in any room) knock down cobwebs from the ceilings and dust light fixtures. Spray counters, tubs, showers, appliances, and sinks. Spray the dirtiest parts first, then move around the room scrubbing everything down from left to right. Only bother to wipe down the mirror if it’s smeary. If you want your fixtures to really shine, use glass cleaner on them.

Run your duster along the baseboards and cabinet fronts, then swish the toilet. Sweep the floor. Toss down some floor cleaner, mop it up, and you’re finished.

This is probably obvious, but make sure you don’t use the same rag in the kitchen as you do in the bathroom.  E. coli is a bad, bad thing. 

😉 Housekeeper’s Tip: Cleaning your microwave is easy peasy.  Put a bowl of vinegar and water in the microwave, and cook on high for 3 minutes. Then just wipe out the microwave with a rag. The vinegar will take care of that funky popcorn/bacon smell combo most everyone’s microwave has, and the steam will soften even the most funky funk that’s in your microwave. 

Cleaning dry rooms: 

 Dry rooms are a breeze. Knock down cobwebs, dust light fixtures and ceiling fans. Dust all other furniture and picture frames, moving from left to right. Our bosses at the cleaning service would occasionally come behind us and check our work- the place they got us most was by doing the “white glove” test on the tops of picture frames. Don’t forget the picture frames! Change the sheets if you’re in a bedroom. Run your duster along the baseboards, then vacuum the carpet and rugs. 

😉 Housekeeper’s Tip: There is no good, fast way to dust an area that has lots of knickknacks and clutter. My personal design aesthetic keeps me from having those kinds of little items, but if you must have them, only bother to dust those suckers when you’re “deep” cleaning. Trust me on this one.  

By using this method and making sure you keep up with it weekly, you’ can clean extremely quickly’ll have a clean house in no time at all. I can clean my entire 1200 square foot house in about 45 minutes this way. To get your cleaning projects kick started, we’re offering a downloadable cheat sheet to help you clean as quickly and thoroughly as a housekeeper.

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