How to Maintain Cleanliness in the Apartment: Pro Tips

Deep cleaning is not the most pleasant task, especially when you need to spend long-awaited weekends on it. However, if you maintain cleanliness in your home regularly, cleaning won't take up much time and energy. We tell you how often to pay attention to various corners of your apartment to keep it always clean.

Kitchen countertop

To maintain order in the kitchen, wipe down the countertop with a damp cloth and soapy solution after each cooking session — this will take literally just two minutes. Once every 1–2 weeks, use cleaning products.

What areas to focus on: joints with walls, area near the sink, places where household appliances and dishes are located.

What to clean with: use eco-friendly creamy cleaning products. They are safe for children and leave no smell.

Refrigerator

Store different types of food in airtight plastic containers to prevent odors from mixing. Once a week, wipe shelves with a soft sponge dipped in soapy water. Once a month, do a deep clean: unplug the refrigerator from the power source and remove all food items. Occasionally, you need to clean the condenser of dust with a vacuum cleaner with a thin nozzle.

What areas to focus on: distant walls, all corners and recesses.

What to clean with: baking soda dissolved in warm water. You should not clean the refrigerator with aggressive cleaning agents: they can damage rubber gaskets or get into food.

Microwave oven

The easiest way is to use the steam cleaning mode. If you don't have one, do it manually: mix 0.5 cup of water and 0.5 cup of vinegar in a heat-resistant dish and bring it to boil. Then you just need to wipe down the microwave with a damp cloth.

How often should you clean? Once every one to two weeks.

Bedding

Sleeping on freshly washed bedding is much more refreshing. To avoid overwhelming the bedding with chemical scent from laundry detergent, choose the most neutral one for bedding and set your machine to double rinse cycle.

Store sheets with aromatic sachets — for example, lavender scent helps promote calmness and deep relaxation.

How often should you clean? Once a week.

Rug

You can vacuum the rug every day, but it's much more effective to do regular steam cleaning. As an alternative, you can hire a professional rug cleaning service at home, but it's more cost-effective to buy a steam cleaner.

Just make sure your rug can be washed (for example, handwoven wool rugs shouldn't be washed). Also, don't overdo it with water to prevent the rug from mildewing due to excess moisture.

How often should you clean? Once a month, and more frequently if you have pets.

Bathroom

To make the toilet sparkle, apply a stain remover under the rim and let it sit for five to ten minutes, then clean with a brush.

It's equally important to clean the tank and flush button — this area harbors the most microbes. To avoid doing it manually, spray the cleaning solution from a spray bottle. Then wipe with a damp cloth.

How often should you clean? After every use, thoroughly once a week.

Don't use harsh sponges or scrubbers on the bathtub to avoid damaging the enamel. Eco-friendly cleaning products in paste and gel form will work well. For acrylic bathtubs, there is a special line of cleaning products (after using aggressive cleaners, the bathtub may yellow).

How often should you clean the bathtub? Weekly.

What about towels? If you have sensitive skin, it's better to use paper wipes to avoid changing face towels every day. Towels for hands are easier to manage — change them every three days.

How to Easily Maintain Cleanliness in Your Home? + 5 Rules of Marie Kondo

Let order become your lifestyle — then you won't need to force yourself to clean. Easily get rid of unnecessary things. If an item doesn't bring joy, it's no longer needed. Clean not a specific room but a category: for example, start with all window sills, then move to wardrobes. This speeds up the process. Don't put it off: it's easier to do small cleanups regularly rather than wait until you accumulate enough dirt. Use vertical storage systems, so your wardrobes will always be organized.