Top tips for a 5* clean
Tackling a home clean takes more skill and knowledge than it might seem at first. But cleaning a home with the right techniques - and in the right order – will make it easier to ensure that you're cleaning effectively and efficiently.
Follow these simple top tips to complete an excellent clean every time.
1. Check your customer’s instructions carefully before you begin
If you're cleaning for customers professionally, you should always check their instructions carefully. They may have specific tasks they'd like you to complete (like cleaning the insides of windows, cleaning the oven or ironing some clothes). Or they might have a preference as to how certain rooms or areas are cleaned. If you don't understand any of your customer's instructions, just ask them if they can explain them in a bit more detail – it's better to be safe than sorry.
2. Plan your clean
Some of your customers might have a preference for the order that you clean their home in. If they let you know where they'd like you to start, it's best to follow their instructions. But generally, you should clean a home in the following order:
- The kitchen: This is normally the room that will take the longest. Our customers also consider this the most important room to be cleaned. So starting here means you'll have plenty of time to clean thoroughly, without rushing. Check out our step-by-step guide to cleaning the kitchen for more info: Kitchen cleaning guide
- Bathrooms: Next, we recommend the bathroom(s). There may be multiple bathrooms in the property, including en suites. It makes sense to clean these all at once. Check out our step-by-step guide to cleaning bathrooms for more info: Bathroom cleaning guide
- Communal areas: The communal areas will vary from property to property. Generally these include the corridors/landings, staircases & the living room(s). Check out our step-by-step guide to cleaning the living room for more info: Living room cleaning guide
- Bedrooms: Finally, finish the clean in the bedrooms. If there are multiple bedrooms, it’s a good idea to start with the master bedroom before moving on to any smaller bedrooms. Check out our step-by-step guide to cleaning the bedrooms for more info: Bedroom cleaning guide
3. Start high and finish low
Whichever room you're cleaning, you should always start by cleaning the higher surfaces. This might mean dusting picture frames in the living room, or wiping down the front of wall-mounted cupboards in the kitchen. Work your way down toward the ground, tackling waist-height surfaces next - such as chests of drawers, kitchen worktops, sinks etc. Next up will be the front of any lower cupboards, the tops of radiators & any other lower surfaces. Finally, the floors should be cleaned - first swept or vacuumed and then mopped (if they're hard floors).
Cleaning from top to bottom is super important as it means that you won't be cleaning onto any surfaces that you've already cleaned. And working methodically like this also helps to make sure that no surfaces get missed.
4. Pick up items to clean beneath them
The difference between a thorough clean and a superficial clean is always in the detail. When you're cleaning flat surfaces, make sure that you're picking objects up and dusting & wiping beneath them. Take care to put everything back as you found it once you're done, and be super careful when moving anything that's fragile.
5. Prioritise the dirtiest & most important areas first
As well as prioritising the order you clean the rooms in, it's important that you prioritise the tasks within each room. Focus your efforts on the most important areas & the areas that need the most work.
Some cleaning tasks won't need to be completed in every room of every home – this includes things like limescale removal, wiping mirrors, or wiping down the fronts of cupboards. If you notice that these areas need work – then you should always make sure they're done. But there's no need to re-clean a sparkling mirror or cupboard door for the sake of it.
6. Sometimes it's fine to spot clean
There are some tasks like wiping the fronts of cupboards where you can 'spot clean' – for example, cleaning fingerprints around a cupboard handle, without wiping down the whole cupboard door. But make sure that all horizontal, 'high traffic' surfaces (worktops, tables etc.) and floors are sprayed & wiped during every clean - even if they look like they're already clean at a glance.
Cleaning products
Cleaning products are the arsenal of a great cleaner. Having the right products for the job will help you to give that sparkling finish to any home you clean – think shiny showerheads, spotless sinks & flawless floors.
To complete a 5* clean, you'll need the following products:
- Bathroom cleaner
- Duster
- Floor cleaner
- Glass cleaner
- Kitchen cleaner
- Laundry detergent
- Limescale remover
- Cloths (these should be clean, and washed between cleans)
- Rubber gloves
- Sponges
- Toilet cleaner
- Antibacterial spray
- Washing-up liquid
Housekeep’s top picks
Most brands of cleaning products – including supermarket own-brands – will get the job done. But we have a few favourites that we recommend you keep in your cleaning bag at all time.
Viakal
Viakal's tough on limescale, and is a quick & easy way to get a perfect shine – on the sink, taps, plugholes & shower screen. Just be careful that you don't get it anywhere near any sensitive surfaces like marble or natural stone.
Microfibre cloths
We always recommend microfibre cloths for cleaning. The brand isn't that important, as long as they're high-quality. We recommend microfibres because they're highly effective for dry & wet dusting. And they often come in multi-colour packs – so you can colour code your cloths (to make sure you're not wiping the toilet cistern & then using the same cloth on other surfaces, for example). Plus they're machine-washable, so you can use them over & over again.
Read about some of our other favourite products
- 8 of the best eco-friendly cleaning products
- 15 person, pet and planet-friendly cleaning products you need
- Get 15% off Delphis Eco cleaning products
Cleaning products to avoid
To avoid damaging surfaces, you should not clean using any abrasive cleaning sponges or strong cleaning chemicals. Avoid:
- Scourers (for anything other than washing up dishes). The rough side of scourers can easily scratch surfaces, including worktops, hobs & more.
- Steel wool. Like scourers, steel wool can leave permanent scratches on lots of different surfaces, so it's safest to avoid it altogether.
- Oven cleaning products/chemicals. Oven cleaning products (like Oven Pride & Mr Muscle) are very strong chemicals. Even tiny spillages can ruin worktops and floor surfaces. And the products can sometimes drip out of the oven, causing damage before you can even notice. Clean the oven with soap & water to avoid potential damage.
- Bleach. Like oven cleaning chemicals, bleach is strong & causes damage & discolouration almost instantly. It often only takes a slight splash to cause damage – so opt for toilet & kitchen cleaning products that don't contain bleach.
Be careful with sensitive materials (e.g. marble & natural stone)
Some kitchen and bathroom surfaces (e.g. marble) are sensitive & can easily be damaged using regular cleaning products. If you're ever cleaning sensitive surfaces, make sure that you read the labels on your cleaning products carefully - to check they're safe to use. For sensitive surfaces, you'll often need to use specialist cleaning products – which your customer should provide for you so you know they're safe to use.
Cleaning equipment
Along with top-tier products, you'll also need a few pieces of cleaning equipment for every clean. But it's not just about having the right equipment – it's also about knowing how to use it effectively.
Essential cleaning equipment for the 5* clean
Here are the essential pieces of cleaning equipment you’ll need for a 5-star clean:
- Vacuum cleaner
- Mop & bucket
- Brush (If there’s no vacuum cleaner)
- Toilet brush
- Long handled duster
Top tips for using cleaning equipment effectively
Cleaning with ineffective (or dirty) equipment will make your job much harder. Here are a few top tips to help you ensure that you're using cleaning equipment in the most effective way.
- Check the vacuum bag/bin before you begin vacuuming. If it’s full, empty the bin or change the bag first. You should also clear the floor tool of any hair or dirt before you start vacuuming. That way you'll restore the vacuum's full suction
- If you’re using a handheld vacuum, make sure you put it back on charge after you've cleaned. That way you'll know it's fully charged the next time you need it
- Make sure you're using the most effective vacuum attachment. For example – wide roller attachments are best for carpets, while small brush attachments are best for skirting boards & upholstery
- Before you mop the floors, wash & rinse your mop & bucket in a drain that you’ve not yet cleaned
Arriving for your clean
If you’re cleaning professionally for customers, there are a few things that you should bear in mind when arriving for your clean. Arriving professionally will get the clean off to a great start, and help you to build strong relationships with your customers.
- Aim to arrive on-time, every time. Arriving late can be really disruptive for your customers and has knock-on effects for their schedule. Making sure that you're on time, every time will ensure that your customers know that they can depend on you.
- If you’re running late, let your customers know as soon as possible. Let your customers know as soon as you realise you’re running late. Giving plenty of notice means that your customers have more of a chance to move things around to accommodate a later arrival time.
- Introduce yourself with a smile. First impressions are really important – particularly if you're building a relationship with a customer you haven't cleaned for before. When you first meet them, introduce yourself in a friendly & professional manner, to get things off to a great start.
- Make sure you don’t smell of smoke. If you smoke, avoid smoking for at least 30 minutes before you arrive with your customer.
Finishing a clean
The final touches can make or break a great clean. So there are a few things that you should double-check before you finish any of your jobs. This will help you to impress your customers and make sure they keep booking you every week.
Make sure that you have:
- Left all surfaces clean & tidy
- Put cleaning products & equipment back where you found them
- Let your customer know if they’ve run out of any products
- Taken the bins and recycling out (according to your customer's instructions)
- Gathered all of your belongings
- Turned off any lights you turned on
- Closed any windows you opened
- Followed the customer’s locking instructions if they're not at home
If your customers are at home while you're cleaning, ask them to check that they're happy with the job before you finish. And don't forget to say goodbye!