Let a clean and organised home delight you this year

The worktop and cooking area should be thoroughly cleaned. Shutter photo

What you need to know:

  • According to Judith Namugenyi, a housekeeper working with Pearl Apartments, every item in the living room has a procedure of cleaning that home owners should follow to the letter when cleaning in order to achieve the best results.
  • Male advises homeowners to wear gloves to protect their hands from harsh detergents.

An immaculate home is one of the best gifts homeowners can present to their families during the festive season.
A clean and organised home not only keeps the family healthy, but creates a tranquil environment. Let us look at ways you can achieve a clean and organised home this year.

Deep clean
Joseph Male, a housekeeping supervisor at Hixon residences, says the kind of cleaning effective in this period is deep cleaning. This requires more work compared to the normal routine. It gives the home a sparkle because the entire house is cleaned thoroughly.
When deep cleaning, every functional room in the home is given special attention to detail since during the year some areas are shallowly or not touched at all.

Detergents
Daphine Nsangi, a housekeeper, says “In order to carryout deep cleaning effectively, homeowners have to have a good cleaning kit, which contains among others, hand brushes. These will help thrust the grime build-up in various areas of the home, scouring pads, which will help remove stubborn stains and make the place dazzle as well and Mopping and wiping towels that can absorb water at the same time having a firm grip on the floor.”
“Secondly, homeowners have to purchase good cleaning detergents. There are many good cleaning detergents on the market.
Male advises homeowners to wear gloves to protect their hands from harsh detergents.

Clean in a sequence
Penny Babirye, the cleaning expert and General Manager of Perla Care Services, says: “For easier and effective cleaning, homeowners should follow a particular order, which ensures that every area of the room is touched. The order should be either clockwise or anticlockwise depending on the one who is cleaning but the essence is to ensure that there is a direction followed so that no area is left out.”

Clean in bits
“Whatever direction, the one cleaning has chosen to take, It is crucial to clean in bits. Cleaning in bits means the homeowner will divide the room in portions and clean each portion per day. This gives the best results because the one cleaning concentrates on that particular portion chosen for the day.” Babirye asserts.

Cleaning the living room
On average, any contemporary living room consists of sofas, a recliner chair, ottoman or footstool, a coffee table, end tables, a decorative ledge, decorative pillows, curtains, a rug, magazine rack and a wall clock among others.
Regardless of the contents of your living room, the aim is to clean every item that is there as well as the floor and windows.

According to Judith Namugenyi, a housekeeper working with Pearl Apartments, every item in the living room has a procedure of cleaning that home owners should follow to the letter when cleaning in order to achieve the best results. Among the many items in the living room, let us focus on how to clean the sofa which is more complicated to clean.

Sofas come in many colours depending on the homeowner’s choice. Some are made with fixed cushions and others have detachable cushions.
“Given their function, sofas amass a lot litter that slips into the gaps. If the cushions of the sofa are fixed, the litter clings between the gaps. If the cushions are detachable, the litter goes down to the base - when you flip the cushions you find it gleaned there,” says Babirye.

Litter from the sofa
Babirye says,:“If the cushions are fixed, get a slightly damp cloth and carefully insert your fingers as far as you can in the sofa gaps. Thrust the litter out of the gaps. Repeat the process until you feel the sofa is clean. Pick up the litter from the floor and clean the area. Shift the sofa and clean where it seats.
If the cushions are detachable, carefully remove the cushions one by one and use a small hand house broom to sweep the litter off the sofa base.

Focus on the corners where the litter clings. Clean until the entire base is free of litter. Shake off the dust on the cushions and carefully put them back. Pick up the litter from the floor and clean the area.
“Some sofa fabrics get too dirty and call for washing; In this case the homeowner should call on the sofa cleaning experts to clean the sofas,” Babirye remarks.
The other items in the sitting room are easy to clean but the homeowner should clean them thoroughly and with caution.

Kitchen
The kitchen is another area of the home that has a lot of cleaning to do during this season.

Declutter
Senyomo says that the homeowner has to get rid of all the unwanted stuff in the kitchen and the rest of the house. This will create room for cleaning the entire kitchen easily. The homeowner should clean thoroughly every functional gadget in the kitchen and position it well. The trash bins should be clean too with bin liners inserted. This should be a daily routine. Senyomo adds.

Bedroom
Allan Muwonge, a designer, says that when cleaning the bedroom, the homeowner should first get rid of unwanted stuff like old shoes, and clothes among others.
Next, the homeowner should work on the bed area; the mattress, pillows and beddings should all be clean. Under the bed should be cleaned thoroughly as well as the headboard area. The bed should be in good order as well.
In the closet, everything should be put out and re organised. If the homeowner has no space, they should consider organisers that help consume many items that take up space. The bedroom should have enough space for one to move around. The bedroom should have a few things.
The home owner should remember to clean the bedroom door, window and windowsills. The portraits should be carefully cleaned.

Bathroom
The bathroom is another key area in the house that when cleaned well makes the home feel nice and fresh.
Mbabazi says the first step to having a clean bathroom is to ensure that all sanitary ware and accessories are in good order. No leakages and blockages.

Clean and organise
“All useful items in the kitchen should be categorised and arranged accordingly in the kitchen cabinets. The worktop should be clean with just a few items placed on it.
The sink should be empty at all times without any dirty utensils. This simply means that all utensils used are to be cleaned immediately after use this season. The walls, windowsills and windows should be cleaned thoroughly with no smudges whatsoever, Diana Senyomo, a housewife advises.