Taking Care of a Home You Own
(How-To)
Written By Nigh-Jee
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Taking care of a home you own is very important—or even if you rent out a home like a duplex or apartment, taking care of that home is important, too. On the other hand, congratulations on owning a home (no matter what type of home it is: townhome, bungalow, cottage, etc)—that is a beautiful thing because now, with the land that you have legally connected to your name, you can do things to keep up its maintenance to positively agree with the property value, while at the same time, you can add in unique touches on how you want your home to look.
Let’s begin, shall we? First of all, I am well aware that there are certain things related to a home that you have to keep up with daily, some things are weekly, and some things are yearly. There are even some things that you probably have to wait until it is actually broken to fix it (so you won’t make it worse while trying to fix it), but that is why I am here to type this.
I am also aware that not everyone might have a basement, attic, garage, etc—but it is here just in case you have one connected to your home. On the other hand, always make sure you have a toolkit around with a variety of tools that involve fixing things up in or outside your home. Also, just in case of a natural disaster where you can’t leave home, always have flashlights, can goods, face masks, air purifiers (air purifiers are important just in case the air quality is bad), some form of entertainment for mental escapism, batteries, first aid kit, bottles of water, and big enough bags to carry clothes pillows and blankets.
“Remember, an organized house most likely means an organized mind.”
Disclaimers: Some of the cleaning practices are second-nature so you may subconsciously do it without even noticing it until you finish. If you don’t want to wait at a certain time and feel like you must quickly clean up a spill of any kind, that is obviously okay. Also, before cleaning anything, it is recommended to use rubber gloves so the dirt, dust, and grime won’t touch your skin as much as possible. After cleaning up, please make sure to wash your hands.
Furthermore, I have not majored in architecture or anything else extremely similar to this topic. I am just giving my perspective/experience on what I recommend regarding keeping up with a home you own—that is all. Thank you for deciding to read this and stay safe!
All Rooms (Even Attic, Basement, & Garage)
Daily or Weekly or Monthly (either or is 100% fine):
*Spray the corners and sides (if you are able to get to them) with disinfectant cleansers to keep bugs and similar creatures away
*Spray indoor house plants with water and pour water into the soil of any house plant
*Water the front-yard and back-yard garden plants while also doing any other activities to help the plant survive if need be
Living Room
Daily or Weekly or Monthly (either or is 100% fine):
*The living room’s floor or carpet or mat should all be swept or vacuumed (if you have a carpet, I also recommend using some sort of disinfectant powder to spread it around the carpet, wait for about 5 to 10 minutes, and then vacuum it all up) (for all other carpets in the house, no matter the room, I recommend doing that same powder practice)
*The couch/pillows should be vacuumed (try using a hand-held small vacuum cleaner for the couch)
*The tables should be wiped using some form of skin-safe but strong cleanser
* The back of TV and remote should be wiped (make sure to spray cleanser on the rag or sponge first and then wipe the TV) *The shelves should be wiped (you don’t have to take out the stuff, just wipe what you can)
*The stairs should be swept or vacuumed
*The door entrance and door knob should we wiped with a cleanser
*Renew the wood at the fireplace and vacuum away any ash after every use (please wear a face mask and wear rubber gloves for protection)
These are the essentials, but if you want to do more, you can.
Dining Room
Daily or Weekly or Monthly (either or is 100% fine):
*The table should be sprayed on and wiped, if you have dishes on the table but don’t want to remove them yet, don’t panic, just spray the cleanser on the sponge and wipe away
*The dining room’s floor or carpet or mat should all be swept or vacuumed
*The chairs should be wiped with cleansers (the chairs can be cleaned by being sprayed on while using a sponge or be cleaned by the cleanser being sprayed on to the sponge to then use the sponge)
These are the essentials, but if you want to do more, you can.
Kitchen
Daily or Weekly or Monthly (either or is 100% fine):
*The kitchen’s floor or carpet or mat should be swept or vacuumed
*All the dishes, pots, silverware, and utensils should be cleaned (This is specifically a daily-basis practice)
*The table should be sprayed on and wiped, if you have dishes on the table but don’t want to remove them yet, don’t panic, just spray the cleanser on the sponge and wipe away
*The chairs should be wiped with cleansers (the chairs can be cleaned by being sprayed on while using a sponge or cleaned by a sponge that’s been sprayed on)
*All of the sink should be wiped with a cleanser, including the back of the sink and handles
*The microwave should be wiped with a cleanser
*Outside of the cabinets (like the available shown sides, small doors, handles, and surfaces) should be wiped with a cleanser
*The cabinet interior and door knob should we wiped with a cleanser
*Wipe outside and interior of refrigerators by using a cleanser
These are the essentials, but if you want to do more, you can.
Bathroom
Daily or Weekly or Monthly (either or is 100% fine):
*The tub, showerhead, and tub’s sink, and handles should be wiped with a cleanser (after every use) (make sure when you wipe the showerhead that you use a cleanser that is not damaging to the skin after long exposure because some of the water that comes from it to shower yourself still might have that cleanser that could be damaging to the skin and hair—you most likely don’t want that)
*The shower curtains should be sprayed on and wiped with a cleanser, but done in a gently & sometimes swift manner
*The bathroom’s sink handles and door cabinet should wiped with a cleanser
*The bathroom mirror should be wiped with a cleanser (please do not use tissue or a paper towel to wipe the mirror, it will leave a hazy residue—you’ll most likely want to use a washcloth or sponge)
*The toilet seat, the toilet handle, the entire toilet in itself (besides the inside, more on that later) should be wiped with a cleanser, and yes, that includes under the toilet seat and in the back or behind the toilet, as well
*Pour, not spray, some of the cleanser in the toilet water and then spray around the inside of the toilet with the cleanser, remember it is recommended to wear rubber gloves when cleaning anything, wipe around inside of the toilet with a cleanser (wear a face mask if need be, that includes wearing a face mask for any other cleaning practice that you feel you need to)
*The bathroom’s floor or carpet or mat should all be swept or vacuumed (you can even use lint brush to clean the mats, as well)
*The door entrance and door knob should we wiped with a cleanser
These are the essentials, but if you want to do more, you can.
Garage
Daily or Weekly or Monthly (either or is 100% fine):
If you have a garage, it is important to do these things…
*The Garage’s floor should be swept or vacuumed
*Please mop with water and a good cleanser to clean any sort of gasoline leaks (please use a mop basically made for the garage area)
*Wipe any other furniture with a cleanser you have in the Garage
These are some of the essentials, but if you want to do more, you can.
House Hallways
Daily or Weekly or Monthly (either or is 100% fine):
*Simply clean the floor by vacuuming or sweeping
*Wipe any furniture down with a cleanser
*Wipe the railings with a cleanser
These are the essentials, but if you want to do more, you can.
Basement
Daily or Weekly or Monthly (either or is 100% fine):
*Vacuuming or sweeping the floors
*Spraying disinfectant in the air
*Spraying bug spray on the corners and bottom part of the walls
*Having an air purifier that prevents or diminishes mildew from appearing
*Wiping down any windows
Personal Rooms
Daily or Weekly or Monthly (either or is 100% fine):
*The personal room’s floor or carpet or mat should be swept or vacuumed
*The door entrance and door knob should we wiped with a cleanser
*The bed should be made every day so you can easily get ready to use it next time
*The outside bed frame, or bed chamber, should be wiped with a cleanser
*Any other furniture you personally feel is necessary to wipe with a cleanser, please do
*The closet’s door and door knob should be wiped with a cleanser
*The outside of drawers and drawers handle should be wiped with a cleanser (including the dresser and interior of drawers)
*Any mirrors should be wiped with a cleanser
These are the essentials, but if you want to do more, you can.
Monthly Cleaning Practices
Now that I typed about the “Daily Or Weekly Or Monthly” cleaning practices, it is time for me to get into the “Monthly Cleaning Practices.” These practices are not divided by rooms, but are divided into certain parts that happen to be found in rooms.
Can be done Once a Month
*Personal room closets—take out everything and vacuum or sweep the floors and wipe down everything with a cleanser, including potential hangers ( please do not wipe the walls yet, more on that later)
*Take food and beverages out of refrigerator and wipe down the inside of the refrigerator with a cleanser to prevent dirt and grime from accumulating near food, when done, put food and beverages back inside the refrigerator (this part was stated before)
*Take stuff out from inside of the bathroom sink’s cabinet and wipe around the inside with a cleanser and then please put those same stuff back inside the bathroom sink’s cabinet if need be
*Wipe the inside of the head of the toilet with a cleanser by removing the toilet lid, wipe the toilet lid with a cleanser and then place the lid back on the tiolet’s head
*Take stuff out from inside of the kitchen sink’s cabinet and wipe around the inside with a cleanser and then please put those same stuff back inside kitchen sink’s cabinet if need be
*Wipe the garage’s door with a desired cleanser
*When it comes to the Attic, since it is probably barely in use, doing this about once a month is fine, please make sure to wipe whatever objects and furniture you want to clean up there with a cleanser, please make sure to sweep or vacuum the floor or even the walls, please make sure to clean the entrance to the attic with a cleanser
*Please vacuum or sweep the stairs to the basement and wipe the basement’s railings with a cleanser
*In every room, please mop the floors with water and a cleanser (if you have a carpet in a specific room, do not mop that room), if you must move around mobile furniture to mop those floors, be my guest!
*You can mop the basement if you have the floor to do so—but if you feel more comfortable vacuuming the basement—that’s an option
These are the essentials, but if you want to do more, you can.
Yearly or Annually Cleaning Practices
The following yearly or annually cleaning practices listed are recommended to be done by professional(s) who studied these house maintenance doings. It can either be done by your own professional background or by a hired professional. Please understand that when you hire someone to help aid in the maintenance of your home, you want someone who is good at their job to get the maintenance fixed, someone who is professionally polite, and someone who is fair in prices while also not scamming. The best ways to determine this is by looking at your budget to see if you can afford to hire a maintenance person and by looking at past reviews of their services. When you look at reviews, try to look at reviews by a website you know aren’t known to have “paid actors/actresses” or talk to other homeowners who hired those same people to understand their experience.
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