Keeping a home clean is important for the health and well-being of your entire family in so many ways. First of all, a dirty house is a polluted, germy house, and the best defence against the spread of illnesses is to keep the germs washed away. The wellbeing of the family is enhanced by an uncluttered atmosphere.

If the rule of “a place for everything and everything in its place” is observed, the environment will be more serene, and less time will be wasted in looking for lost items. This is particularly true when you have a modern house design. The clean flow of the lines gets lost when the house is dirty. Keeping our homes clean will carry more advantages including the following:

• makes the homemaker proud of her home
• makes the family feel good
• helps keep the family healthy
• helps things last longer
• smells better
• sets a good example for children
• helps the neighbours have respect for the family
• is enjoyed by children and their friends.

1.       Best ways of keeping our homes clean

Any job requires a good set of tools. For cleaning the house, these tools range from very inexpensive to maybe not worth the money. Different rooms are cleaned differently, so your toolkit needs to include each type of equipment. Here are the categories of tools you need:

Bathroom: toilet brush, toilet cleaner, and bathtub spray.

Kitchen: cleanser with bleach, drain opener, broom, dustpan and brush, sponge mop, and general purpose cleaning liquid.

Living Room & Bedrooms: dusting spray and cloth or duster, and vacuum cleaner with tools.

General Tools: floor cleaner with wax, window cleaner, rubber gloves, bucket, sponges, and rags or microfiber cloths.

There are a number of ways that you can schedule your cleaning routine. The first decision is how often you need the complete house to be cleaned. If you are a stickler for a clean house, you have no choice but to clean all areas of the house every week.

The first step of every housecleaning is always the same. This step consists of picking up the clutter. Each member of the family must go through the entire house to retrieve and put away all personal items that are strewn about the house. For example, the living room floor cannot be vacuumed if there are six pairs of shoes between the front door and the bedrooms.

When the clutter has been put away, the real cleaning can begin. In each room, the general rule is to start cleaning the big things such as the floor first and end up with the small things like the mirrors and knickknacks.

2.       Characteristics of a clean home

Anyone coming to the house usually comes into the living room first. Whatever is done to beautify the home is generally done here. The rest of the house may be neglected. The bedroom and kitchen are often disorderly and dirty and the backyard may be littered with trash and rubbish. The real test of a good housekeeper is the cleanliness and tidiness of her kitchen, the sleeping rooms, and backyard as well as the living room and front yard that company sees. These are just some of the characteristics of a clean house:

• floors with no dirt, garbage, grease, or trash on them
• walls and ceilings without cobwebs or dust
• furniture without dust, crumbs, or grease
• beds that are made up with clean bedding, or bedding or mats stored neatly
• clothes washed, ironed, and put away
• dishes washed and put away after each meal
• all food covered
• food wiped off table, chairs, and benches after each meal
• all kitchen equipment, pots, and pans without grease, food, or dust on them
• no bugs or flies inside the house
• no livestock such as pigs, chickens, goats, sheep, or cows in the house
• no trash inside or around the house
• a neat yard, porch, and steps
• a clean toilet-whether it’s inside the house or outdoors.

Clean surroundings are as important as a clean house and will be noticed under the following conditions:

• A clean, well-kept yard, both front and back,
• Including some good-looking gardens,
• brightened with pretty flowers and shrubbery,
• fenced to keep the animals out adds value and beauty to the home,
• decorated with shade-providing where necessary and
• decorative trees trimmed and the lawn slashed regularly.

A neat, clean porch provided with a comfortable chair or bench helps to welcome family and friends. No matter how fine or how small and humble a house is, keeping it and its surroundings clean and tidy will go far toward making it an attractive home.

There is need for appropriate cleaning tools or equipment for a well clean home. These include a broom, scrub mop, dry mop, bucket or tin pail, cloths or rags, soap, scouring powder, hot water, a box or basket for waste and dirt, and one to hold the cleaning things.