How do I deep clean a room properly?

Deep cleaning is ordinary cleaning done in the right order, plus the places nobody reaches weekly. The order matters because gravity does: dust and dirt fall, so anything cleaned below something dirty gets dirty again.

What you'll need

• Microfibre cloths
• Vacuum
• Cleaning products
• Step ladder (optional)
• Bin bags (optional)

Step by step

1. Clear and declutter before cleaning anything.You cannot clean around objects. Remove everything from surfaces and floor first — this is most of the work and it makes the rest fast.
2. Take down curtains, cushion covers and washable fabrics.Get them into the machine at the start so they are drying while you clean the room.
3. Work from the top down.Ceiling and cornices, light fittings, tops of wardrobes and doors, picture rails, then walls, then furniture, then skirting, then floor.
4. Dust before you wet-clean.Wiping a dusty surface with a damp cloth makes mud. Dry dust or vacuum first, then wipe.
5. Clean the windows and their frames and tracks.Window tracks are among the most consistently neglected places in any house, and they hold a remarkable amount.
6. Move the furniture.Behind and under the bed, sofa and wardrobe. This is where the actual difference between routine and deep cleaning lies.
7. Do the details.Light switches, door handles, radiators and their fins, skirting, plug sockets, the tops of doors. These are what make a room feel genuinely clean.
8. Vacuum and mop last, working towards the door.So you do not walk back across what you have cleaned. Vacuum the edges and corners with the crevice tool, not just the middle.

Tips

• Do one room properly rather than three rooms partially. A finished room is motivating; three half-done ones are not.
• Radiators and their fins hold a surprising amount of dust and push it into the room whenever the heating is on. A long brush or a hairdryer on cold shifts it.
• Open the windows throughout. Ventilation makes a substantial difference to how fresh the room feels afterwards.

Common mistakes

• Cleaning the floor first — Everything from above falls onto it and you have to do it again. Floors are always last.
• Cleaning around clutter — It doubles the time and gives a worse result. Clearing surfaces first is what makes the cleaning itself quick.
• Wiping dusty surfaces with a damp cloth — It creates a muddy smear that is harder to remove than the dust was. Dry dust first.

Questions people ask