The Best Way to Clean a House (From a Professional Cleaner)

Something you might not know about me is that I've been cleaning other people's houses for a living for about a decade. I'm a freelancer who's been working solo now for maybe six or so years, and for the first three years I was working with another woman as a contractor. If you're better at math than I am you might also realize pretty quickly that that means I've seen a LOT of mess, and helped a lot of people get their homes back into tippy top shape from a straight up disaster zone. 

I don't panic, I don't get overwhelmed, I've pretty much seen it all. 

Because of this skill set I have, of being able to calmly take a disaster and get it back into a state where folks can function again, I'm thinking it's about time I start teaching folks how to do this and make a bigger impact with the skill I've honed over such a long period of time (I'm thinking workshops, mini courses, 1:1 coaching/customized plans etc.)

If you're reading this however, I'm about to give you my secret sauce that I use in my business every single day to be able to clean an entire home in one manageable cleaning session, no bathroom on Tuesday and then dusting on Saturday, vacuum and mop on Sunday so you're cleaning all throughout the week.. after reading this you will be able to get it all done at once without being overwhelmed (because the thing is, if you follow this formula: it has a predictable end, you're not just cleaning into oblivion and taking on way too much at one time). 

Here is my professional maintenance cleaning routine:

The first thing I recommend doing is putting on some clothes that are designated for cleaning (or working out, or are just comfortable and maybe you're not worried about getting ruined). Then put on some indoor sneakers, and put on a podcast or some music or whatever audio you're resonating with that you think will have enough juiciness for your mind to grab onto while you're completing a task.

Then what you want to do is gather all of your cleaning supplies and set them up in the biggest bathroom at the top of the house, leave them there (behind a closed door if you have pets or children in the house) and tidy the entire house going room to room (this is not the time to re-organize closets or drawers, this is about getting the foundation of what you can see in the house "set". So make beds, put away clothes, do the dishes, pick up toys from the floor, put away shoes, fluff pillows etc. Don't take on a major organization undertaking, accept the mess that is hidden behind doors and drawers). 

Then go back up to the biggest bathroom at the top of the house, clean the tub/shower, then the toilet, then the sink and mirror. Then go to the next bathroom on that level, clean the tub/shower, then the toilet, then the sink/mirror. Then go down to the main level, clean the toilet and clean the sink/mirror. Then go down to the basement and clean the toilet and then clean the sink/mirror. What ever bathroom your laundry appliances are in (if they are in a bathroom) wipe the outside of these while you're in that bathroom. If your home is smaller and you have less bathrooms that's incredible news I'm so happy for you. 

Next you want to go back up to the top level of the house and damp dust every surface from room to room, and clean window and mirror glass from room to room then work your way down to the main level and the basement level doing the same. (Now I don't want to confuse you... but if you're a super pro you could do one level at a time entirely, where you start at the top and clean the bathrooms, then dust and do glass before moving down to the main level to then do bathrooms and dust and do glass etc. but if this description in parentheses is making your head spin then literally just forget about it and start at the top and work down before going to the top again. It's more times going up and down stairs but if you happen to be able bodied and doing this then you're literally exercising so might as well go all in) .

Then you clean the kitchen, starting with the sink, then the counters, then backsplash, then outside of the cupboards, then stovetop, then any stainless steel. Then you're going to put all of your cleaning supplies away and take out your vacuum, and go all the way to the top of the house and vacuum from room to room all the way down to the basement. Then put the vacuum away, take out the mop and mop your way from the very top of the house room to room all the way to the basement and you're DONE!

The whole house is CLEAN (woo!). 

The laundry can get done another day, the baseboards can get done another day, the re-organizing of that closet that drives you nuts can get done another day, you're house is clean by a professional standard. Depending on the size of your home this could take up to five hours, but my most common amount of time to clean is about three hours (for a one and a half bathroom home). Depending on your home, your lifestyle, and how often you will realistically clean (you know yourself better than I do), I recommend following this routine anywhere from once a week to once per month.

If you really want to get a good idea of how long it should be taking you based off of your home, you can check out my business Instagram "Eco Clean Halifax" and look at the description in the post titled "How Long does it take to Properly Clean a House?" (mostly I'm suggesting this so you can see I do in fact clean for a living, and if you're from Nova Scotia maybe give a gal a follow and one day I can come and clean your home for you so you don't even have to). 

Natasha MacIsaac