The build-up of dirt, dust and grime is unavoidable, and something with which home-owners must do constant battle. Some areas of the house tend to require more regular attention than others, however, and it’s worth looking at ways to clean them more quickly and efficiently (and therefore more regularly).

Bathroom

Perhaps the second most important room in the house when it comes to cleaning is the bathroom. These are places where we clean ourselves, and thus they’ll need to soak up a great deal of dirt. This will quickly ruin the look of the room. There’s no point investing in quality bathroom tiles if your beautiful tiles and tile patterns are going to have filthy grouting between them. Particularly vulnerable is the grouting around the shower area, which can be dealt with using a vinegar solution. Chrome fittings tend to show up more dirt than stainless steel ones, and thus they’ll require more regular attention.

Kitchen

Any area where food is prepared is vulnerable to dirt. Surfaces used to chop vegetables, slice bread and butterfly chicken breasts are likely to pick up a surface of dirt over time. More troublingly, whenever anything is cooked, tiny food particulates will float through the air and settle onto any available surface, and thus just about everywhere is vulnerable. Wipe down every surface regularly, and have a bottle of spray cleaner to hand for surfaces. Ovens may require an occasional deep-clean to keep them in good condition. Taps, being as they’re handled regularly (and often by grubby fingers) will act as a magnet for grime, and so should be treated to a scrub every now and again.

Bedroom

If you’re like most people, you’ll be sleeping on your bedding for eight hours a night, and shedding thousands of skin cells in the process. Changing the sheets & pillowcases every week should therefore be considered mandatory. The same is true of carpets, which should be vacuumed regularly, and occasionally treated to a deeper steam-clean.

Windows

Windows attract dirt, much like any other surface. The difference is that it shows up more here, as it’ll restrict the amount of light that gets into the interior. You might scrub windows with a vinegar solution and some scrunched-up newspaper; it’s abrasive enough to clear surface imperfections without damaging the underlying glass.

Personal items

There are some items that you’ll be touching almost constantly. Of these, the most obvious is probably your phone. You’ll be rubbing your thumb across the screen’s surface several hundred times every day, and leaving greasy prints as you do so. You can’t do much about that, but you can remove the dirt and grime that might have accumulated on the device with the help of a quick wipe with a clean cloth. The same applies to keyboards, handbags, wallets and every other item that’s regularly picked up and put down.