Recently moved into your new home and can’t wait to show your humble abode to friends and family? This is when you’ll need a detailed plan on how to clean and disinfect your home effectively before the guests arrive and after they leave.
What’s the difference between cleaning and disinfecting? Cleaning is typically easier, as you’ll only need soap and water to remove any dirt. On the other hand, disinfecting means that you’ll need a stronger, antibacterial solution to kill any surface germs.
Armed with these value-for-money first home bundles, keep reading for some tips on how to clean your home before, during and after your guests visit your home!
1. Clean your home before your friends arrive
Cleaning floors
Before welcoming your friends and family into your well-decorated home, you’ll want to clean your floors to get that shiny finish! But how often should you clean your floors?
- High-traffic areas: once a week
- Low-traffic areas: once every 2-4 weeks
- Kitchen: after deep frying or once every 2-3 days to prevent food bacteria build-up
Cleaning surfaces
Oil splatters from your MasterChef adventures or water stains from your cleaning endeavours may leave your countertops, tables and shelves looking old, worn and dirty.
Before your friends or relatives catch sight of this, wipe down these surfaces so they’ll look as good as new!
How often should you clean your surfaces?
- Dining table and kitchen countertops: wipe after every meal, scrub once a week
- Bathroom countertops: daily
- Study/work tables: once every 2 months
- Shelves: once every 2 months
2. Maintaining hygiene while guests are around
You’ve spent a great deal of time cleaning and prepping your home for house visits so you’ll definitely want to keep the standard up even as different groups of people come and go. However, where there are finger food and sauces, oil stains and spills are bound to follow.
Put together some essential cleaning items on standby to help you clean up when things get messy! An air freshener will also help to keep your home smelling great all day even as guests linger.
3. Clean and disinfect your home after each visit
Washing dishes
Your guests loved your homemade dishes and enjoyed every last bit of it. However, they’ve left and you’re now faced with a mountain of unwashed dishes in the sink. As dreadful as it is, we’re here to help!
How to get rid of stubborn stains on dishes? Soak the dishes in water and vinegar for a few hours. The acidity in vinegar should help to dissolve the stain. Now all you need to do is to use a good sponge and dishwashing soap to clean the dishes as per normal!
Laundry
You might have used a number of rags and cloths to clean up your home before, during and after the visit. It’s now time to ensure that you properly wash them to get rid of any bacteria and dirt.
How to launder cleaning cloths/rags?
- Soak the rags in hot water for 15 minutes to kill any bacteria
- Wash using liquid detergent in a washing machine
(If you have antibacterial liquid detergent, you may skip the first step!)
Cleaning surfaces
As your guests come and go, the two places that will probably need the most attention are your floors and toilet. Take extra care to clean all the nooks and crannies out thoroughly and regularly with a formula strong enough for cleaning surfaces that may have a lot of germs from frequent contact.
Disinfecting surfaces
On top of cleaning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends disinfecting frequently touched surfaces at least once a day¹. Furthermore, being outside and coming into contact with different surfaces could mean letting unwanted germs get into your home unintentionally. Thus, you’ll want to disinfect immediately after your guests leave, especially since we’re still in the midst of a pandemic.
Please note: When using disinfectants, do ensure that you follow the instructions on product labels carefully to ensure safe and effective use.
Cleaning and disinfecting your home for housewarming
Keeping your home clean and free of germs doesn’t have to be as difficult or dreadful as you think, even for first-time homeowners. With a couple of helpful tips and value-for-money bundles galore, your home cleaning journey can be fuss-free and easily achievable!
Please note: The efficacy of the tips provided may vary depending on skill, quality of tools used and build of machines involved (if any).
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References:
¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2021, Cleaning and disinfecting your facility, viewed 15 Feburary 2021
