How to Know If Your Home Is Clean and What to Do About It

Is your home really clean? Even though it may seem neat, tidy, and well-organized, take a look at the questions to ask before you assume your home is at its cleanest.

How Often Do You Clean Your Home?

The answer to this question doesn't necessarily tell you whether your home is or isn't clean. But it can help you to determine if you need additional assistance from a professional. While a universal cleaning schedule isn’t available for every homeowner to follow, you should consider:

• The rooms you regularly use . If you rarely use a basement storage space, you won't need to clean it as often as the kitchen or bathroom. High-use rooms require more frequent cleaning.
• The health of household members . Are you or one of your household members sick? You should increase cleaning and disinfection practices during and after an illness.
• Allergies of household members . If you or your household members have dust, pet, or seasonal allergies, you may need to clean your home more often.
• The type of cleaning activity . Different cleaning activities may have different schedules. While you may need to wipe down dirty countertops daily (or several times a day), you may only need to vacuum a few times per week.
• Household pets . Between flying and floating pet fur, indoor accidents, and the dirt and debris your dog drags in, pets often lead to increased cleaning needs.

Along with these issues, some seasonal activities may increase home cleaning needs. These include holidays, parties, or other similar special events — especially if you have multiple visitors to your home.

Where Do You Clean?

Do you dust visible surfaces and wipe away spills regularly? Even though these are essential cleaning tasks, they may not lead to a completely clean home. As you assess the cleanliness of your home, consider how often you dust, wipe, disinfect, or sanitize:

• Bathroom fixtures and accessories . Even though you may clean the toilet often, it isn't the only bacteria-filled bathroom area. According to the 2011 NSF International Household Germ Study, 27 percent of toothbrush holders and nine percent of faucets had Coliform bacteria.
• Kitchen surfaces . The NSF study found Coliform bacteria on over 75 percent of kitchen sponges, 45 percent of sinks, 32 percent of countertops, and 18 percent of cutting boards. The high bacterial count means you should clean kitchen surfaces at least daily.
• Floors . How often do you vacuum, sweep, and mop? While some homeowners can get away with a weekly schedule, pet owners and parents with young children may need to clean these areas more often.
• Bedroom spaces . These areas may include daily needs (such as dusting) along with weekly activities (such as vacuuming and changing or washing sheets).
• Living spaces . The specific spots of your living room that require daily, weekly, or monthly cleaning vary. You may need to vacuum the carpet twice weekly, but you’ll likely have to wipe off the coffee table daily.

Given the number of cleaning tasks you may need to check off your to-do list weekly or monthly, a few can easily get away from you. If you need help to stay on top of home cleaning activities, a professional can provide the assistance necessary.

Do You Need Professional Help to Keep Your Home Clean?

When should you call in the pros? If you think you may need expert-level help with your home cleaning tasks, a contractor can:

• Sanitize and disinfect . Sanitization, disinfection, and cleaning aren't the same. Disinfection kills germs, and sanitization lowers the number of germs on a surface. A professional service can do both — and clean your home.
• Clean on your schedule . Whether your home requires monthly, weekly, or more frequent services, the cleaners can stay on your schedule.
• Clean everything . The professionals can find the hidden debris you might not see.

If you're not sure who to hire, ask potential cleaning contractors about experience and expertise and for references.

Do you need to hire a professional cleaner? Contact Custom Maid for more information.