How to clean like a professional

If anybody knows how to clean thoroughly and efficiently, it is those who do it for a living. Here are some of the hottest tips and tricks that only the professionals know… until now. These simple tips will help you clean like a professional and achieve a brilliantly clean home in less time.

Book it in

It’s all too easy to clean whenever you get around to it, and to let it take as long as it takes – but that’s a quick way to let it pile up and start to feel overwhelming. Take a hint from professional cleaners, and schedule your cleaning time, whether it’s a couple of hours to blitz it at the weekend, perhaps, or in bite-sized chunks throughout the week. Time yourself tackling each task and make a note of it, then you know how much time to block out in the future.

Figure out a system that works for you – whether it’s working room by room or task by task  (vacuuming the whole house, for example, or cleaning all the windows) and make yourself stick to it.

Start with clutter

As tempting as it can be to try to work around clutter, it’s a false time economy. It might just take a couple of seconds to move things aside to clean, but all those seconds add up. Professional cleaners get all the clutter out of the way first so they can tackle clear surfaces and floors.

Work top to bottom

Professional cleaners know to let gravity be their assistant. They start with dusting and wiping high places, then work their way down, letting debris and crumbs fall to the floor rather than trying to bin them as they go. A single satisfying vacuum will finish the job!

Go all in one

Cleaning product manufacturers would love you to buy separate products for each room, but the truth is, a good all-purpose cleaner (even a homemade one) will do the trick for almost everything – including your bank balance!

Another tip from the pros: give your cleaning product time to work. Spritz the bathroom or kitchen counter then go and do something else for a few minutes. Going back to wipe or rinse after the product has had a chance to do its job minimises scrubbing effort.

Similarly, don’t clutter yourself up with twenty different specialised gadgets: all you need is a few quality microfiber cleaning cloths, a couple of sponges, a brush and detail scrub brush (or an old toothbrush will do the trick!)

Set yourself up with a caddy – or even tool belt! Think of a mini version of the carts hotel cleaners use, and gather all the products and tools that you’ll need in one portable place, so you’re not wasting time dashing back and forth.

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