We love Jolie Kerr, Esquire’s columnist about cleaning and author of My Boyfriend Barfed in my Handbag, which we reviewed here last summer. She’s got a great (and comprehensive!) guide to cleaning your house on the New York Times, but it’s over 3,500 words and we know your attention span is not that long. Therefore, as a service to you, we offer our TLDR version… a mere 230 words:
Kitchen
- Wash your dishes every day. Clean the sink by wiping off bacteria and food particles.
- Nuke your sponges in the microwave to cleanse.
- Wipe your counter and stovetop after each use.
- Wipe down the exteriors of appliances that get splattered.
- Keep your refrigerator under control by tossing things that have gone bad and wiping up spills immediately.
- Take out the trash when necessary. Just do it.
Bathroom
- Don’t let things get out of control otherwise it becomes disgusting and you won’t want to tackle this room.
- Scrub your shower, sink, and toilet
- Vacuum, sweep or mop for hairs
Bedroom:
- Make your bed each day.
- Wash your sheets more often than you probably are doing now.
- Put clean clothes away after laundering them.
- Use a feather duster to dust, then vacuum.
Living Room
- Everything has its place, make sure things that don’t belong in here are taken back to their homes.
- Straighten up—fold blankets, fluff pillows, square a stack of magazines… it makes a huge difference.
- Clean your couch if necessary
- Vacuum, sweep, or mop your floors.
Keep Pets and Kids Under Control:
- Wash stuffed animals on occasion, by hand if necessary.
- Toss hard plastic toys in the dishwasher.
- Accident? Absorb as much of the liquid as possible with rags or paper towels. Nature’s Miracle works at getting rid of urine stains and smells.
- Vacuuming will keep pet hair managed.
That’s it! If you’d like more in-depth tips, be sure to check out Jolie’s article on the New York Times site.
