PHOTO ILLUSTRATION / JESSICA CRABAUGH
Clean without getting your hands too dirty
by Elyse Weidner
Using a disinfectant wipe to sanitize a table in her room was the only cleaning effort Emily Rush made this year. One wipe, one table, one time. Rush, Plymouth, Minn., junior, says cleaning is simply something she's never been good at, or had the interest and motivation to do.
Cleaning your crib becomes a necessity, however, when you're moving out of a dorm, apartment or house and want to ensure the return of your security deposit and avoid additional cleaning charges. Picking up a few routine cleaning habits can also cut back on illnesses picked up indoors and make vacating your pad easier when moving day arrives.
"Anemyproomisprettymuch a breeze to clean, unless you've lathered mud on the walls," says Jeff Bredenberg, author of How to Cheat at Cleaning. So whether you're moving in or out of a residence, try to arrange the move so there's a period of time when everything is out of the home except you and a box full
IMPORTANT CLEANING SUPPLIES
Conventional vacuum
Hand-held vacuum
Dusting wand with disposable head
Disinfecting cleaner that cleans and kills germs
Kitchen and bathroom cleaner that can eliminate grime and lime deposits
Degreasing cleaner, such as Formula 409
Glass cleaner
Source: Jeff Bredenberg
Because hauling around bottles of liquid cleaners can be a hassle, especially during a move, Bredenberg suggests purchasing cleaners in the form of disposable wipes. Wipes are a better use of space and easier to transport, he says, and with one wipe you have a cleaning cloth with a pre-measured amount of cleaner.
of cleaning supplies.
After you've gathered the necessary supplies, Bredenberg says the most efficient strategy for cleaning any family, dining, living or bedroom is to start at the perimeter of the room and then work your way toward the center. To clean a furnished room, move all lamps, chairs, sofas and other furniture to the center of the room before beginning the peripheral cleaning.
When the outer-edge of the room is clear, begin to dust, working from the top of the room to the bottom. "Get your dusting device and clean the top two to three feet of the room, across doorways and wall hangings," Bredenberg says. After letting the dust settle, clean off everything at mid-height, such as entertainment centers and shelves, and finally the lower portion of the room's border such as baseboards. At this point in the cleaning process, he says, you've moved 95 percent of the dust in the room to the floor and can easily pick it up with a vacuum.
After vacuuming the rim of
the room, move all furniture back in place and vacuum the center of the floor, Bredenberg says. If time permits, pick three objects for incidental cleaning such as a dusting a picture frame, television screen or window.
The number-one priority of cleaning is safety and sanitation, Bredenberg says, so cleaning a kitchen or bathroom should be centered on eliminating germs that are literal dangers.
When sanitizing the kitchen, Bredenberg recommends using a disinfecting cleaner to spray down the kitchen sink, counters where food is prepared, the handle of the refrigerator and the telephone nearest to the kitchen. In the bathroom, focus
most of your cleaning energy on sinks, faucet handles and toilets
Beth Brandsted says she does a thorough cleaning of her house once a week or so. Last year when Brandsted, Topeka senior, lived in her sorority house, she was the only resident who owned — and actively used — a bottle of 409.
"It's not that my roommates are dirty," she says. "But because I'm more of a neat freak, I'm the one mopping the floors and cleaning out the sink only because it bothers me first."
For the sake of your physical well-being and financial status, follow Bredenberg's advice on how to cheat at cleaning or find someone to do the dirty work for you.
WASH YOUR SHEETS FOR SAFETY
If dust, dust mites, animal dander or pollen abound in a home, occupants put themselves at risk for a number of allergic reactions, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. To lessen
the risk of allergic reactions and control household dust, the commission recommends washing bedding in hot water every seven to 10 days and avoiding sleeping with feather or wool-stuffed pillows.
WHERE BIOLOGICAL POLLUTANTS MAY BE HIDING IN YOUR HOME
→ Dirty air conditioners
Dirty humidifiers and/or dehumidifiers
Bathrooms without vents or windows
Kitchen without vents or windows
> Dirty refrigerator drip pans
→ Laundry room with unvented dryer
Unventilated attic
Carpet on damp basement floor
Bedding
Closet on outside wall
Closet on outside wall
Dirty heating/air conditioning system
conditioning system Dogs or cats
Dogs or cats
Water damage
(around windows,
the roof or basement)
Source:www.cpsc.gov
05.10.2007 JAYPLAY
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