How to Deep Clean a House: The Key Steps to Take

Abigail Bassey November 5, 2021May 18, 2022

You can have a clean, organized home, but there’s still a lot of dirt and grime lurking about your home. You might be one of the people who kind of clean.

About 78% of people say that they hide messes rather than clean them. Almost a third of people say that they never deep clean a house.

It’s often overwhelming to think about deep cleaning a house. There’s so much to do and it seems like you have to upend your home.

You can learn how to deep clean a house without frustration and overwhelm. It takes a little planning and a few tips to get started.

Fortunately, we have you covered. Read on to learn the best methods for cleaning a house that you can use the next time you deep clean your home.

Page Contents

1. Clear Space

Is there a lot of clutter in your home? It can be hard to do a deep cleaning if you have stuff lying around everywhere.

If you have a pile of papers sitting around, go through it. Throw out anything you don’t need and file the important documents.

Go through your closets and drawers. Throw away and donate anything you no longer need.

There’s something about clearing out old things and old energy. Some believe that it makes way for new and exciting things to appear.

2. Get Supplies

Check your cleaning supplies. Make sure you have cleaning gloves, sponges, an old scrub brush, mop, bucket, vacuum, dish soap, vinegar, and baking soda.

Other cleaning items include toilet, tub, and sink cleaners. You might have these and paper towels on hand already.

If you plan to deep clean the carpets, get them done professionally or rent a carpet cleaner and do it yourself.

3. The Best Deep Cleaning Strategy

Cleaning a house requires a strategy and a plan. The big approach should be to start cleaning at the top and work your way down.

Apply this strategy to each area of the house. That’s because if you start at the bottom and work your way up, the dust and debris from the ceiling and walls will wind up on the floor.

You’ll just end up cleaning the same area twice.

Cleaner Wiki recommends starting from the top and don’t forget to clean light fixtures, and ceiling fans, and dust the corners of the room. Clear scuff marks off of the walls.

You can then move to the other areas of the room, like counters, tables, and floors.

It helps to have a strategy for certain parts of the home. Figure out the best way to clean blinds and other hard-to-reach areas before you start.

4. Make a Plan for Each Room

It’s time to make a plan for each room in the house. Writing checklists for each room keeps you on track. Create checklists on your computer and print them out each time you need to deep clean your house.

That keeps you from reinventing the wheel or forgetting something important.

Go through each room and figure out what needs cleaning. In the kitchen, you’ll need to take care of the stove, microwave, dishwasher, counters, refrigerator, and floors.

In the living room, take down the drapes, clean the blinds, and vacuum the couch and chairs. It’s a good time to deep clean the carpets.

The bedroom doesn’t require that much work if you’re not deep cleaning the carpets. Wash the duvet and move the furniture to vacuum in those areas that don’t get a lot of attention.

5. Give Yourself Enough Time

Deep cleaning a house takes a lot of time. You want to make sure that you give yourself enough time to get it all done, especially if you haven’t given your home a deep cleaning before.

You can take on a little bit at a time or you can do everything in a few days. Yes, it will take a few days to deep clean the entire house, unless your home is small.

How Often Should You Deep Clean a House?

How often should you deep clean your house? It depends on the area and how much traffic your home gets.

High traffic areas like kitchen floors should get scrubbed every month or two. A deep cleaning of the fridge, microwave, and dishwasher can wait for three to six months.

Windows, blinds, and drapes can be deep cleaned once a year. Deep cleaning the carpets in your home should happen every 12 months.

You can split your tasks into checklists based on time. For instance, every day you should make your bed, wipe down shower walls, clean counters, and take care of dirty dishes.

On a weekly basis, go through your refrigerator and pantry. Throw out expired food. Sweep, mop, and vacuum your floors.

How often you can deep clean comes down to your schedule. You might decide to deep clean one room every month. Depending on the size of your home, each room gets a deep clean once or twice a year.