Preparing Your Home for Cleaning: What to Tidy Up to Save Time
To prepare your home before cleaning, tidy up clutter, have cleaning products and tools at hand, and ventilate the rooms well. Separate trash and laundry, and remove fragile items from surfaces. With these steps, the cleaner can get to what matters faster, and the results improve.
In summary:
- Before starting, collect trash and laundry, remove fragile items from surfaces, and clear the kitchen and bathroom to avoid interruptions.
- The health authority recommends airing out the house for at least 10 minutes a day and keeping windows open during cleaning.
- Keep cleaning products in their original packaging, with labels in Portuguese, and store each container out of reach of children and pets.
- When hiring a team, confirm access and timings, remove valuables, and indicate priority areas and delicate materials in writing.
Index
- Checklist to Prepare the Entire House, Step by Step
- What to Tidy Up in the Kitchen, Bathroom, Living Room, and Bedrooms
- Cleaning Products: PPE, Labelling, and Safe Storage
- Ventilation and Humidity: How to Prevent Mould While Cleaning
- Materials and Protections: Covers, Bags, and Quick Care
- Before the Team Arrives: What to Prepare
- Why These Routines Work, in Our Experience
- When It Makes Sense to Hand Over Cleaning to a Team
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
Checklist to Prepare the Entire House, Step by Step
Before picking up a cloth, tidy the space. Here’s a simple sequence designed for any home in Portugal:
- Define a plan for each room and choose the time you will start and when you want to finish.
- Collect trash and loose laundry, and empty all bins.
- Gather products in a basket and separate disposable cloths from reusable ones.
- Remove fragile items from surfaces and protect electronic devices.
- Clear priority areas, such as the kitchen and bathroom.
When the house is free of clutter, the vacuum and cloth can move without interruptions. It also eliminates that pile of laundry that gets moved around three times during cleaning.
Professional Tip: Take a photo of the shelves before tidying small items, so you know where everything goes back.
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What to Tidy Up in the Kitchen, Bathroom, Living Room, and Bedrooms
Each room requires different preparation. Here’s what’s worth doing beforehand:
- Kitchen: Store food, remove dishes from the drainer, and degrease exposed surfaces so the cleaning product can work on clear surfaces.
- Bathroom: Remove personal products from the countertop and shower, open the window, and dry damp corners.
- Living Room and Bedrooms: Collect laundry and toys, and remove cushions and blankets for washing.
- Upholstery and Curtains: If washing at home, do it beforehand. If you prefer professional cleaning, mark the pieces, as upholstery cleaning requires a specific method.
Leave deep cleaning tasks that require time, such as the inside of the oven or window tracks, for later. Tidying up well helps prepare for these jobs.
Cleaning Products: PPE, Labelling, and Safe Storage
Cleaning safely starts on the product shelf. For deep cleans or after a flood, the General Directorate of Health recommends gloves and waterproof boots, and advises against touching electrical appliances while there is standing water.
- Keep products in their original packaging, with labels in Portuguese.
- Never transfer disinfectants to water bottles, even if you label them.
- Store everything out of reach of children and pets.
- Read the label before mixing or diluting anything.
ASAE reminds that disinfectants and cleaning products should remain in their original packaging with labelling in Portuguese. Labelling prevents misuse, especially in homes with children.
Ventilation and Humidity: How to Prevent Mould While Cleaning
Ventilation is part of cleaning, not an extra. The DGS recommends airing out for at least 10 minutes a day and keeping windows open during cleaning, especially when using chemical products, to prevent volatile compounds from accumulating.
- Dry damp areas, such as shower corners and condensation on windows.
- Address leaks as soon as they appear: mould, once established, is much harder to deal with.
- Vacuum instead of sweeping to avoid lifting particles into the air.
- Air out carpets before cleaning or reduce their use in the dampest rooms.
The European Environment Agency links indoor humidity and mould to respiratory health and identifies ventilation and humidity control as essential measures.
Professional Tip: Clean from top to bottom, from ceilings and walls to the floor, so the dust that falls is caught at the end.
Materials and Protections: Covers, Bags, and Quick Care
Before a deep clean or post-renovation, a small kit of materials saves damage. Here’s what to have on hand:
- Use breathable covers on furniture and cover carpets when there is dust or water.
- Have labelled bags, one for regular trash and another for chemical waste, according to the separation logic described in a hygiene plan.
- If there is standing water near electrical appliances, do not handle them and seek specialized help.
- Put dirty laundry directly into the machine or a bag, to avoid spreading dust again.
Also separate cloths by areas: what was used in the bathroom should not go through to the kitchen.
Before the Team Arrives: What to Prepare
When hiring a team, preparation reduces work time and cost. Some care makes a difference:
- Confirm access, alarms, and timings, and leave written instructions.
- Remove valuables and move plants and pets to a safe area.
- Keep priority areas unlocked and indicate what should not be cleaned.
- Collect trash and laundry, so the team can focus on technical cleaning.
- Inform the team of any specific stains, delicate materials, or fragile items.
This way, those entering the home can start working immediately, without wasting time deciding what to move.
Why These Routines Work, in Our Experience
In our opinion, the most common mistake is treating preparation as a waste of time. Clearing surfaces and separating trash and laundry usually pays off in the rest of the cleaning, as no one stops midway to decide where to put things. The checklist works best when it becomes a habit: do it once a week, always in the same order, and the house never reaches the point of needing a marathon.
— Taras
When It Makes Sense to Hand Over Cleaning to a Team
If you prefer to delegate, we offer regular maintenance, deep cleaning, post-renovation cleaning, and move-in and move-out cleaning. Want to know prices and availability? Book your cleaning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I start cleaning the house?
Start by tidying up and collecting trash and laundry, then clean from top to bottom and finish on the floor. This way, the dust that falls is caught at the end and does not dirty what you have already cleaned.
What are the 4 types of cleaning?
There is no single official classification, but it is common to distinguish between regular cleaning, deep cleaning, post-renovation cleaning, and move-in or move-out cleaning. Each requires different preparation.
Should I ventilate the house while I clean?
Yes. Keeping windows open during cleaning helps disperse chemical products and reduce humidity. The DGS also recommends airing out the house every day.
Can I store disinfectant in another bottle?
It is not advisable. Products should remain in their original packaging, with labels in Portuguese, to avoid mistakes and accidents, especially with children and pets.
