Your living space can get cluttered and messy over time, and before you know it, you may find yourself with a seemingly insurmountable cleaning task ahead of you.
How in the world can you even begin to figure out where to start cleaning when your house is a disaster?
We understand that it can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve bundled together this guide on where to start when cleaning a house to help you take the necessary steps to get your space back in order. We’ll go over everything from the first few tasks you can take to build some momentum to the details of deep cleaning a home.
Before we dive into the first steps, let’s begin our conversation on where to start when cleaning a messy house by discussing why it is vital to start on the right foot.
Why Figuring Out Where to Start When Cleaning a Messy House is So Helpful
Having a solid plan for where to start when deep cleaning a house is more important than you may think. Cleaning an entire house can be a daunting task, especially if it has been neglected for a while. By breaking it down into smaller, more manageable tasks, you can make progress without feeling like you have to do it all at once.
Working with a whole house cleaning checklist in mind also allows you to build up momentum while saving mental energy from decision-making fatigue. With less time spent trying to figure out where to start when cleaning a messy house, you can rapidly speed up the process.
Prevent Stress & Decision Overwhelm
If you’re waking up daily in a dirty living space, your brain will likely be at a loss as to the best place to start cleaning. You may spend hours standing there deciding if you should dust windows and counters, remove clutter, or clean your bathrooms.
With a great plan on where to start deep cleaning a house, you can prevent stress and remove decision-making fatigue because it allows you to approach the task in a more organized and structured way. When you have a plan, you don’t have to waste time and energy trying to figure out where to begin or what to do next.
A clear idea of where to start when cleaning a messy house allows you to quickly check off tasks on your list, building momentum that is essential to keeping you focused and motivated throughout the cleaning process.
Speed Up the Process and Get a Better Clean in Less Time
Knowing where to start cleaning when your house is a disaster helps add structure to your cleaning process. A strong plan lets you tackle important tasks first, bringing an instant feeling of accomplishment and a clean area of your home that you can use as further momentum.
Having a plan can also help you avoid backtracking or redoing tasks. When you approach the cleaning process in a haphazard way, you may end up backtracking or redoing tasks that you’ve already completed. This can waste time and energy and slow down the cleaning process.
Now that you have a good idea of the benefits of knowing where to start when deep cleaning a house, let’s jump right into how you can speed up your efforts.
Where to Start When Cleaning a House: Our Advice For Quicker Cleaning Processes
Creating an efficient and stress-relieving cleaning a plan requires a little bit of research. It isn’t just enough to know what is included in a basic house cleaning or deep house cleaning. You’ll want a strong beginning task to ensure you are on the right track.
There are a couple of tasks to tackle before you begin cleaning, including drawing out a plan for each section of your living space and decluttering, but after that, we’ll be going room by room for the best possible results.
Breaking Down the House into Manageable Zones
Every good cleaning plan starts with organizing your home into smaller, manageable sections. You can separate different types of rooms like bathrooms, your kitchen, living areas, and bedrooms to shrink the required amount of cleaning you will need for each step.
By focusing on one area at a time, you can ensure that each area is cleaned thoroughly and efficiently without wasting time or energy moving back and forth between different areas. You’ll also have a better idea of where to start when cleaning a house or living area, since you can quickly assess which rooms need the most help.
Decluttering Before Cleaning: The Crucial First Step
The best choice of where to start when cleaning a house is decluttering. Decluttering makes the cleaning process easier and more efficient. When you declutter, you remove unnecessary items from your home, which can help create more space and make it easier to clean by providing extra room for vacuums, brooms, mops, and other tools you may need.
In addition, decluttering can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed or burnt out. Cleaning an entire house can be a daunting task, but decluttering can help break the task down into smaller, more manageable steps.
When you remove unnecessary items from your home, you can create more space for the things that matter most to you. This can help you feel more relaxed and comfortable in your home, and that initial burst of motivation will inspire you to continue cleaning the rest of your home as outlined by your cleaning plan.
Begin in the Bathroom
Bathrooms are a great choice when trying to figure out a good place to start cleaning. As one of the most frequently used rooms in a home, bathrooms tend to accumulate dirt, grime, and bacteria quicker than other spaces.
Bathrooms tend to be smaller and more contained than other rooms in a home, which means that they can be cleaned quickly and efficiently. By starting with the bathroom, you can make progress quickly and feel a sense of accomplishment.
Additionally, bathrooms often require specific cleaning products and techniques, such as disinfectants and scrubbing brushes. Beginning with your bathroom allows you to ensure that you have all the necessary cleaning supplies on hand and that you know how to use them correctly.
Starting with the bathroom also can help you create a more hygienic and healthy living environment. Bathrooms can be breeding grounds for harmful bacteria and germs, which can pose a risk to your health and the health of your family.
Move Onto the Kitchen Next
Like the bathrooms in your living space, kitchens are frequently used and can gather unwanted materials like debris and bacteria at a rapid rate. Since kitchens are a natural part of your daily routine, they can often go uncleaned for weeks on end.
Kitchens are generally larger spaces than bathrooms, with several appliances like ovens, refrigerators, and microwaves, among others, that need to be cleaned regularly. Disinfecting and cleaning these objects is crucial to preventing the spread of deadly bacteria that can cause foodborne illnesses.
Cleaning the kitchen can also help you maintain the functionality of your appliances and cooking tools. You can ensure your devices work at their best by regularly cleaning them of any grime or buildup.
Access to a clean kitchen can also provide another safe haven in a messy home once you’ve tackled the task, further building momentum and perhaps inspiring you to cook healthier meals and entertain guests, which can serve as additional motivation to move on to the following areas on your list.
Hit the Entryways and Hallways
The passageways of your home can be breeding grounds for dust, dirt, and grime, and they can often go unnoticed without a proper cleaning plan. They tend to have a lot of foot-traffic throughout the course of the day, and dirty hallways can make your living space feel excessively grimy.
Cleaning entryways and hallways can help prevent the spread of dirt and debris to other areas of your home. When you enter your home, you may bring in dirt, leaves, or other debris on your shoes or clothing that will spread quickly if not immediately removed.
Depending on the type of flooring in your home, you may also find that debris in your entryway or hallways can spread to carpets or flooring, potentially lowering the lifespan of these aspects of your home if left uncleaned.
Living Rooms and Family Rooms After That
With a busy schedule, your living and family rooms may often have the least traffic, but they can still build up dirt over time. These areas may also include heavier furniture that could require multiple people in order to properly move and clean the room.
By saving these areas for later, it allows you to ask for assistance without delaying the start of your cleaning process. While these areas tend to be larger than other rooms of your home, you can generally clean them with tools like vacuums and mops once you have properly decluttered them.
Finish With the Bedrooms
Bedroom areas are similar to living room spaces, with large furniture and less debris build-up than smaller areas like bathrooms and kitchens. You can generally clean these spaces by dusting counters and windows, vacuuming or mopping your floors, and changing your bedding, making it a simple final task on your list.
While you spend a lot of time in a bedroom, a large amount of it is spent asleep, so you can often let a dirty bedroom go unnoticed for long periods of time. Once you’ve decluttered the space and changed bedding, additional cleaning tasks like dusting create a smaller sense of accomplishment that you may find in more crucial areas like bathrooms or kitchens.
Essential Tools and Cleaning Supplies to Make the Job Easier
Regardless of your choice of where to start when deep cleaning a house, there are a few tools you can use to make your process simpler.
Vacuums, mops, and brooms are excellent choices for cleaning flooring areas. You can also opt for microfiber cloths and towels for dusting surfaces and appliances without leaving any scratches.
You’ll also want an all-purpose cleaning solution along with rubber gloves to use on tough surfaces, especially bathrooms and kitchens. You can also pair cleaning solution with scrubbing brushes or sponges to get into hard-to-reach crevices.
Of course, some of these tools may still be unable to outperform the results you can expect when professional house cleaners. If you are still undecided as to where to start when cleaning a house or you find the idea of learning new cleaning tools to be nerve-wracking, we recommend reaching out to professional cleaning services to achieve the best results.
Rather Then Stressing Over When to Start Cleaning When Your House is a Disaster, Reach Out to Cleaners Joy!
A strong house cleaning plan can go a long way, but there’s no substitute for professional guidance, especially when your living space is a messy disaster. If you’re looking for cleaning services in Portland, Maine, look no further than Cleaners Joy.
Our house cleaning services in Portland, Maine, include deep cleaning, cleaning for critical areas of your home like bathrooms or kitchens, move-in/move-out cleaning, and more. We provide a simple-to-use online booking platform without requiring a quote or a walkthrough. Just book on our website, let us know what areas you want to be cleaned, and we’ll get the job done.
Our dedicated team is subject to an intense screening and interviewing process, and we only hire cleaners that are skilled and can be trusted in your home. We also offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, along with dedicated customer service at every step of the process.
Final Thoughts on Where to Start When Cleaning a House
To wrap things up, let’s take a look back at where to start when cleaning a house and why it is important to keep in mind.
Without a proper plan in place, you may find yourself stuck in a dirty home trying to determine if bathrooms, counters, or hallways are the most important places to begin, leading to added stress and decision-making fatigue. Conversely, a thorough plan will streamline the process and build much-needed momentum to fuel your cleaning efforts.
You’ll want to begin by dividing your living space by room, then start by decluttering areas of any unwanted items. From there, tackle your bathrooms and kitchens before moving on to other areas of the home.
If you want to save yourself the stress of crafting your own cleaning plan or just need an encouraging first step, our team here at Cleaner’s Joy is the perfect choice for residents of Portland, Maine, and nearby areas. We have a skilled team that is vetted for safety, along with a streamlined booking process that you can complete in just a few minutes.
When you are ready to take the stress and decision-making fatigue out of the equation by working with skilled professionals that know exactly where to begin cleaning a home, reach out to us at Cleaner’s Joy or use or convenient online tool to book your appointment today!