When I go to a client’s home as a house cleaner for the first time, BUT they are a recurring client, they want to know what exactly it is that housekeepers are doing to maintain their home. While you should remain detailed oriented, and you should be keeping up with things that need monthly attention, (see below) there are things that are required to be done, every time they come to clean.
Vacuuming: One of the main tasks house cleaners perform in your home is vacuuming your carpets. Dust, dirt, and hair tend to collect on your carpets and can make them look and feel dirty, so house cleaners vacuum your carpets regularly to prevent such buildup, especially if you have pets.
Dusting: House cleaners dust all hard surfaces, including ceiling fans,(that can be done once a month) windowsills, ledges, shelves, baseboards, (once a month) and decorative items. This keeps dust from building up in your home and causing allergy issues for you and your family.
Removing trash is not only essential to prevent foul odors in your home, but also to ensure it does not attract unwanted pests. Most house cleaners take out your trash (and recycling, if you have it) when they clean your home.
Changing beds: Clean sheets indicate a clean home, and most house cleaners will change your bed linens as part of their usual services. (Make sure the clients are leaving their clean sheets and pillow cases for you, this a job that can and should be done once a month)
Cleaning glass surfaces: Dirty glass on windows, doors, and mirrors can make your entire home look dirty and can make it difficult to see through glass doors and windows. Therefore, house cleaners generally clean your glass surfaces to prevent a buildup of grime
Cleaning hard-surface floors: Hard-surface floors tend to collect dust and other particles that not only make your home look unappealing, but also can cause allergy issues. House cleaners vacuum and mop all hard-surface floors in your home.
Cleaning exteriors of cabinets: Professional house cleaners clean the exteriors of all your cabinets to ensure your home is actually clean when you touch certain surfaces. Cabinets that should be wiped down EVERYTIME are in the bathroom and kitchen.
Cleaning outside of all appliance (large and small): Most housekeepers clean outside of all appliances to prevent appliances from looking and feeling grimey.
Scrubbing toilet, tub, and shower: Cleaning the bathrooms is one of the most essential services house cleaners provide. If bathroom fixtures aren’t kept clean, they can develop soap scum and grime, as well as give off foul odors.
Cleaning and polishing sink and faucets: House cleaners clean all sinks and faucets in your home to prevent grime and bacteria from building up in these areas.
Often times, house cleaning is seen as a luxury, others know the importance of maintaining a clean and healthy home for themselves and their family. Make sure you know what your house cleaner is suppose to be doing!
For the deeper cleaning, and things that shoud be done monthly and bi monthly:
- Ceiling fan blades
- Light fixtures (hand washed in place / not removed)
- Blinds and shutters (vacuumed or washed) Mini-Blinds (dusted and washed )
- Moldings, woodwork, and window sills (hand washed or wiped)
- Baseboards (hand washed or wiped, reachable w/out moving furniture)
- Lamp and lampshades (dusted or vacuumed with attachment)
- Pictures and knick-knacks (hand wiped)
- Furniture (polished, fronts, sides, legs and or vacuumed)
- Stovetop and drip pans scrubbed
- All Cabinet fronts cleaned(should be done in bathroom and kitchen everytime
- All doors (washed)
- Light switch plates (washed)
- Countertops and backsplashes (washed)
- Mirrors ( all the way to top*)
- Tub / Shower tiles (double scrubbed if build up)
- Wastebaskets (emptied / washed/relined)
- Stairs (vacuumed, wood washed)
- Vacuum all carpet crevices (crevice along the edge where bugs, animal hair, carpet fibers collect)
Most companies such as Sparkly Maid Cleaning Service in Elgin have a detailed checklist to ensure these things get each and every time. This is also the same checklist we use for our house cleaning service 🙂
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