How to clean your house and get it ready to go back to school

There is back-to-school shopping, and then back-to-school cleaning. Whether your child is going to school at home, at Zoom, or coming back in person last spring, you need to consider what to do at home to transition to the new school year. Getting in and out of the house every day means a lot of use of mud rooms and entrances, food pantry and kitchen for lunch preparation, closets for clothes, all high contact areas-even, especially cars. We asked a house cleaning expert, an organizer and a minimalist mom how to make these spaces shine.
Leanne Stapf, Chief Operating Officer of the Cleaning Administration of Columbia, Maryland, said that first, “we usually recommend tidying up and tidying up the area you plan to clean.” Then perform a deep cleaning, which may include interior windows, floor mats, bathtubs and showers, Pillow and quilt.
Homework is not just for kids: ideally, do a deep cleaning once a month. Stapf also recommends cleaning sinks, bathroom mirrors, stoves, knobs and trash cans every week. She said she pays attention to toilets, floors, hand towels, microwave ovens and carpets every two weeks.
Organizational space: The first place you leave and go home last-the entrance or mud room-is the hardest hit during the school year. Evaluate where the area fits your location and clean it up. Make sure everything has a place: backpack, shoes, keys, jacket. Bridget Sralko of Unclutter It, a Detroit organization, said: “Even just a shoe rack and some hooks on the wall can ensure clutter.” “It doesn’t have to be something fancy. But everything that comes in should have a place to live.” It takes a minute to reset the space once a day.
Wear shoes: Sralko recommends buying plastic insoles so that your child can put a set of shoes at the door every night for the next day. “Spray the mat regularly with soap and water to wash away these bacteria,” she said. Diane Boden, the host of the “Minimalist Mom” ​​podcast, said that ensuring that there are not many choices of shoes can also eliminate morning decision-making fatigue.
Cleaning the backpack: Stapf said, turning the backpack over and throwing it into the washing machine from time to time. Use a small amount of detergent, wash gently in cold water, and then dry.
Wipe with vinegar: prepare the kitchen and pantry for early breakfast and quick pack lunch. Vinegar is your friend, Staf said. Use a mixture of half a cup of distilled white vinegar and half a gallon of warm water to scrub the countertops and mop floors. Use half vinegar and half a water solution to wipe the bacteria and odors in the trash can.
Prepare food: Next, check the refrigerator and pantry, and throw away anything that has expired or is left over a few months. Boden said that she recently went to her kitchen. (Refrigerators can also benefit from vinegar and water wipes.) When putting back food, make sure you have the essentials.
Lunch and snack station: Sralko recommends an easy-to-use meal preparation station, including a drawer for storing food containers and water bottles. Find a place to eat a snack after school. “Make sure the lunch box is emptied and emptied every night,” she said.
Check the filter: prepare for the daily water bottle filling by checking whether the filter on the faucet or water dispenser needs to be replaced.
Reset the space every day: In order to really pay off all this hard work, Stralko said, “Spend at least 10 minutes to reset your kitchen first thing every night or morning: wipe the counter and re-evaluate what’s in the refrigerator, and remove the leftovers. Pulled to the front so things were actually eaten.”
Get out of the house and think about it: When it comes to pre-school cleaning, “cars are definitely important,” Stapf said. “This is the first place your child was picked up from school, so a lot of germs are likely to be transferred there.”
Remove the car seat: Stapf said, please refer to the user manual for cleaning instructions. For most car seats, the fabric sheet can be washed with cold water in a delicate or hand-washed environment. (Pro tip: take a picture of the seat and how it is assembled to facilitate reassembly.) Hang to dry. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove the debris from the car seat base, and then use a microfiber cloth to wipe the base and straps.
Clean the interior: You can do it yourself or use the service. Then put cleaning wipes on your car to regularly repair the steering wheel, knobs, seat belts, and door handles.
Check the size: Having clean and tidy clothes can make the morning less busy. “Make sure all your clothes are the right size,” Boden said. “Children can grow so fast, especially when they are still young.”
Store smartly: Put the clothes where the children can reach and tell them where to put the items back. Boden’s son has three drawers: one each for shirts, pants and pajamas. “If he needs shorts or a short-sleeved shirt, I just change it,” she said.
Corral laundry: determine the whereabouts of dirty clothes. Do you need to put a basket in the children’s room? At the bottom of the stairs? In the laundry room? It makes the most sense wherever they take off their clothes.
“Your hands have been in contact with so much throughout the day,” Staf said, so in order to avoid spreading germs, it is important to disinfect the areas touched by everyone in the household at least once a week. She listed door knobs, light switches, faucet knobs and remote controls. Use microfiber cloth or other cloth with vinegar solution.
Do you have questions about house renovation or house ownership? We are here to help with your next home and garden project.


Post time: Aug-25-2021
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