Maintenance cleaning for executive dysfunction
or anyone else who doesnât know what on earth theyâre doing.
(I have spent YEARS trying to get my brain around how to clean my house consistently, which has been frustrating because Iâm a very tidy person who likes my house kept nicely. I have now managed to do it once a week for three weeks in a row. I donât think Iâve done that before in my entire LIFE. This is the process I finally figured out which works for me, but itâs okay if it doesnât for you! Everyone is different.)
The set-up
You will need:
1 microfibre cloth
1 flat-sponge mop handle and 2 sponge mops (or 2 full mops if you prefer) (the mop is vital for this system working for me)
3 standard cloths
Washing up liquid
All-purpose cleaner (I like Bio-D because you get a nice shine on mirrors and glass without needing a separate glass cleaner)
Bathroom cleaner spray (I like Sainsburyâs Antibacterial Bathroom Cleaner Spray - itâs cheap and really effective)
Toilet bleach
Optional but recommended: gloves for cleaning in
Colour-code your cloths, either by sewing different colours in each, attaching different ribbons, or even sewing on a patch. I will use green, orange and red for this post. It also might be a good idea to colour-code your mop-sponges, with green and orange.
The green cloth is kept in the kitchen, and can go anywhere except the bathroom.
Orange and red cloths are kept in the bathroom, and do not go anywhere else.
The process
This is the in-depth, step-by-step version. There will be a tldr version at the end.
Itâs less complicated than it might look, and takes me about 15 minutes.
1: Mirrors and surfaces.
Get your microfibre cloth. One surface at a time, spray all-purpose cleaner on your mirrors, glass and other assorted surfaces and wipe them clean. You can do as many or as few as you have the energy for.
Get your green cloth. Use all-purpose cleaner to clean your kitchen surfaces, hob and kitchen sink.
2: Mop.
Get your kitchen (green) mop-sponge and get it damp. Add a small squirt of washing-up liquid to the sponge or the floor. Start from the corner and mop yourself towards the door.
If you have other mop-able floors, do those next.
Then mop your bathroom floor.
Wring your mop out in the bathroom sink then swap mops or mop-sponges. Spray bathroom cleaner on your tiles and tub. Use the mop-sponge to scrub them (absolute game-changer compared to leaning over with a cloth, Iâm telling you), then wring it out in the bathroom sink.
3: Bathroom.
Grab your orange cloth and use the bathroom cleaner spray on your bath taps, shower head and bathroom sink + taps.
Rinse with the shower (or if you have a fixed shower-head like me, chuck some water at it with a cup).
Grab your red cloth and use bathroom cleaner spray; starting with the handle/flush, work your way through from the cleaner to the dirtiest parts of the toilet.
Squeeze some bleach around the toilet bowl.
Put all your cloths in the washing machine, wash your hands, and youâre done!
tldr graphic I made in two minutes on LibreOffice Impact:
Feel free to print or use this info however you like if itâs helpful to you!
