Tips on How to Clean Your Apartment Quick and Efficiently
Dream Steam's cleaning hacks that will make your apartment more livable and pleasant.
Dirt, slime, sludge, and grunge all begin to surface from simply using and living in your apartment. Why do we allow our spaces get this way? It is because cleaning is just plain difficult and time-consuming. Allowing the dirt and muck to stick around reduces the quality of your home. Here are some cleaning hacks that will make your apartment more livable and pleasant.
Move in cleaning tips
Kitchen
Your kitchen should be quite clean when you're moving into a new space. However, in the off chance that the stove in your new apartment isn't clean, there's a simple way to clean off grease. Don't be surprised, but the power of oil will remove food residue and splattered grease from the cooktop. Only try this method with an electric or non-gas stove. The problem with many kitchen cleaners is that they are water-based and this causes problems when you are trying to clean oil and grease stains. As you know, oil and water simply don't mix. For quick cleanup, you can sprinkle a few drops of vegetable oil onto a paper towel and easily wipe away grease from the stovetop. The oil helps break up stubborn stuck-on food and leaves the surface with a polished look. However, if you have a gas stove avoid this method. Gas stove tops can obviously cause problems if there is oil in the presence of an open flame.
1. Begin by cleaning the ceiling; dust corners, fans, vents, and light fixtures. The kitchen ceiling is constantly exposed to smoke and is often overlooked during cleaning.
2. Use a mild cleanser to clean the interior of the cabinet, especially if they are lined or painted.
3. Clean cabinet doors and their tops if you're able to. Use an appropriate cleaner such as wood cleaner for wood cabinets. If there are grease stains on the cabinets you can remove them with a water and baking soda paste. Allow the paste to sit for a while before wiping it off.
Countertops
Counters typically don't require as much work as other parts of the kitchen. If you have a small crack where the counter and wall meet, you can clean tiny corners using a putty knife. This small tool will come in handy for removing debris in areas that are difficult to reach or scrape with your fingers. Your backsplash can be easily cleaned off with a water and baking soda mixture. If your grout is extremely dirty, it needs professional cleaning service.
Oven
Take a peek and see if your new oven is clean. If not, you can spray some oven cleaner on the interior. It only takes about 20 minutes to start breaking up food particles, grease, and dirt. If you have a self-cleaning oven this process is even easier. You can simply use the special self-cleaning setting for this cycle to run.
Rangehood
Range hoods can get terribly dirty, especially in homes where cooking occurs frequently. Lay down a newspaper to catch any drippings that fall from the range hood as you’re cleaning. You may want to avoid cleaning your range hood with water-based products. Be sure to use a special cleaner that specifically for removing grease and you'll save yourself a lot of time.
Microwave
Cleaning the microwave by hand can be difficult and sometimes gross. You can try a more hands-off approach with this hack. Set aside 5 minutes for this one and you'll have a clean microwave. Simply cut up two lemons into chunks and put them in a glass bowl of water. All you have to do is heat up water for a couple of minutes and debris stuck on the inside of the microwave will begin to break down. You want to heat the water until it is boiling, stop the microwave, and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Once you open the microwave, you'll probably see steam billowing out which is normal. This method makes it really simple to wipe away all of the dirt with a paper towel.
Air Vents
Your air vents can be cleaned with a knife, cleaning spray, and a cleaning rag. Air vents that truly serve their purpose are going to get dirty. They're constantly sucking in and blowing out air, making it easy for dirt particulates to get trapped on or inside of the vent. It can be removed with these very basic materials, just wrap the cleaning rag around the knife and swipe through the vents until clean. Cleaning air ducts should be a part of your deep cleaning and can be done by a professional.
Bathroom
You don't have to work as hard to clean your bathroom as you might think. Yes, some soap scum can be a serious problem, but the key to hacking bathroom cleaning is allowing dirt to soak rather than using elbow grease to scrub it away. Work smarter, not harder. Fill a plastic bag where vinegar and wrap it around your shower head. The showerhead should be sitting in the vinegar and soaking in order to remove mineral deposits, which allows the water to flow more freely. You can secure the bag with a simple rubber band and let it sit for an hour before removing the back. Finish off by wiping the showerhead with a towel.
Getting your carpet cleaned
Without a doubt, carpets get extremely dirty. Arguably, the carpet is the filthiest area of your home. Your landlord should get your carpet cleaned at least once per year with mindfulness as to the type of carpet installed. There should be a stain protector applied after treatment. Also, most landlords provide units with basic entrance mats, nothing fancy, but it certainly helps keep dirt from entering your apartment and being spread all over your carpet. You can prevent about 80% of the soil that enters your home with a welcome mat. It's a basic and very effective solution. While you're in between professional carpet cleanings, it's recommended that you spot clean as soon as a stain appears. Avoid scrubbing as this pushes the stain further into the carpet. Block the stain with a soft clean towel to lift stain rather than making it worse with rubbing. Rugs require a different kind of care and shouldn't be cleaned exactly like a carpet.