Hacks for deep cleaning your house

Though cleaning is likely a regular part of your daily or weekly chores, every now and then you may find yourself wanting to deep clean your home. Deep cleaning goes beyond the regular sweeping, wiping and dusting you normally do. When you give your home a deep clean, you're sanitizing surfaces and scrubbing areas — baseboards, for instance — that you'd normally skip during your usual routine. Whether you choose to give your house a deep clean every few months or just once or twice a year, the deep cleaning hacks below can help make the process a bit easier.

What to know before you deep clean

Before you get started, there are a few tips you may want to know about how to deep clean a house.

• Declutter: Before you even start cleaning, you may want to clean up any clutter around your house. You'll likely find it easier to stay motivated if you don't have to keep pausing to move stuff or put it away as you try to wipe down surfaces.
• Dust first: While this comes down to preference, you may find it easier if you dust first. That will make it easier to do the following steps like vacuuming and sanitizing, as the dust is already out of the way.
• High to low: An essential deep cleaning house tip, working high to low can help you get the cleanest house possible and eliminate doing any work twice. This means you should start with the highest parts of the room — ceiling, ceiling trim, light fixtures — and then work your way down the wall and to the baseboards. This way any dust or dirt will only be falling to the level you plan to clean next.

Once you decide you're ready to deep clean your house, you'll want to make sure you have the right supplies.

Supplies for a deep clean

Many of these cleaning supplies you may already have, but anything you're missing can likely be bought at a fairly low cost. While not every item is necessary to give your home a successful deep clean, you may find some of these items can make the process a bit easier.

• Rubber gloves
• All-purpose cleaner
• Glass cleaner
• White vinegar
• Baking soda
• Sponge
• Scrub brush
• Detail brush or old toothbrush
• Plastic bucket
• Cleaning cloths or paper towels
• Mop
• Vacuum
• Broom (or vacuum with hard flooring setting)
• Trash bags

Once you have your supplies, it's time to start using deep clean hacks to get your home sparkling.

Room-by-room deep cleaning hacks

Different rooms in your home will require little tips and tricks to get them as clean as can be.

Kitchen

• Clean your cabinets — inside and out. Working one cabinet at a time, take whatever's inside and place it on your countertops. Then wipe down the shelves inside your cabinets, and consider lining them with shelf liner that can just be replaced during your deep cleans. Then clean the inside and outside of the door — you'll want to at least do the outside before you replace the contents of the shelves to avoid getting cleaning chemicals on any of your kitchenware.
• Get in and around appliances. If you're planning on deep cleaning, do it when your fridge is getting close to empty. This will make it easier to take the shelves and drawers out so you can give them a good scrub. You'll also want to pull your refrigerator out a little bit so you can sweep up around it and get any crumbs that are sitting there. You'll also want to clean inside, outside and around your oven, microwave and dishwasher. Pro tip: If your appliances are stainless steel, you may want to consider a specialty stainless steel cleaner to really get rid of those greasy fingerprints.
• Scrub countertops. Remove everything from your countertops before spraying and wiping them down. This will ensure you don't miss any crack or crevice. You'll also want to spray and clean the hood over your stove and the walls and backsplash between your countertop and cabinets.
• Pantry clean out. Go through your pantry and get rid of anything that's expired. Then clean out any crumbs on the shelves, spray and wipe them down, and return your food items to the pantry.

Bathroom

• Wash your shower curtain and liner. Check the care tag first, but many shower curtains can be washed on the gentle cycle. You can either hand clean the plastic shower liner or just replace it if you notice it's gotten moldy.
• Get squeaky clean shower doors. Using warmed distilled white vinegar and baking soda can help remove soap scum, water stains and any other product build up with ease. Your shower doors will look brand new.
• Get organized. Declutter your vanity, shelves or medicine cabinet. Get rid of products you don't like or use, wipe down the shelves and then reorganize what you're keeping.

Living room

• Clean the upholstery. Use the upholstery attachment on your vacuum to clean your couch, chairs, pillows and cushions. Additionally, you may want to throw your blankets and pillow covers into the wash for an extra deep clean.
• Dust the décor. It's easy to forget to clean décor pieces. During a deep clean be sure to wipe down picture frames, art pieces, wall art and any other decorative pieces in your living room.
• Clean under electronics. Using a thin duster or a cloth, wipe away the dust under electronics or around the base of your television, gaming consoles and speakers.

Bedroom

• Wash everything. Bacteria and dust mites can build up in your linens, so take the opportunity to wash more than your sheets. Launder bed skirts, duvet covers, shams, pillows, comforters and even down-filled items. Pro tips: Put clean tennis balls in the dryer with your down pillows to prevent clumping and use a laundromat for any bulky items that are too large for your washer.
• Freshen your mattress. While the linens are being washed, sprinkle baking powder on your mattress. Let it sit for about 30 minutes before vacuuming it up with the hose attachment. This is also a good opportunity to flip or rotate your mattress.
• Closet clean out. Go through and declutter your closet. Anything that's still in good condition can be donated or sold to a consignment shop. Once you've pared down your wardrobe, try and reorganize it in a way that's easy to maintain.

What's more

Deep cleaning can be a lot of work, so don't feel like you have to tackle everything in a weekend. Spread it out throughout a schedule that works for you, and then enjoy your sparkling clean house.