How to Deep Clean Your Home Without Damaging Surfaces
The cleaner that saves your tiles is the one that ruins your benchtop
Almost every cleaning disaster I hear about in the shop is the same mistake, which is somebody grabbing one bottle and using it on everything, and the reason that feels safe is that the label usually says all purpose on it. There is no such thing. A cleaner that cuts grease in a shower will etch a marble benchtop, and a scourer that saves you ten minutes on a tile will haze an acrylic bath permanently.
So before you start, work out what each surface is actually made of, and then match the cleaner to it.
Timber floors and furniture
Water is the enemy here rather than dirt. Damp mop rather than wet, and dry the area straight afterwards, because moisture sitting in a join is what makes a board swell and lift.
Keep citrus off it. The olive oil and lemon trick you see everywhere leaves a sticky film that collects dust and the acid works on the finish underneath, so you end up with a floor that looks worse in a month than it did when you started. A mild pH neutral cleaner made for timber is the whole answer.
Stone benchtops
Vinegar and lemon are acids, and acid etches natural stone. Marble and limestone dull in seconds and the mark does not polish out at home, so that one is worth taking seriously.
Warm water, a drop of dishwashing liquid and a microfibre cloth does nearly everything. Anything beyond that wants a cleaner made for stone, and if the stone is sealed then keeping the seal current is what actually stops the stains.
Tiles and grout
Tile glaze is tough and grout is not. A soft bristle brush and a bit of patience lifts more than a wire brush ever will, and a wire brush will take the grout out with the grime.
Two safety points that matter more than the cleaning. Never mix bleach with anything containing ammonia, because that combination produces chloramine gas in a small bathroom. And bleach on coloured grout takes the colour out in patches, so test it somewhere behind the door first.
Glass and window frames
Vinegar and water is genuinely good on glass. It is not good on the frame. Aluminium and powder coated frames dull and pit when an acid sits on them, so the frames get soap and water and the glass gets the vinegar, and a microfibre cloth finishes both without streaking.
Painted walls
Dust first, always, because wiping a dusty wall just makes mud and spreads it. Then sugar soap and warm water on a sponge, working bottom to top so the drips land on wall you have already wet rather than on dry paint where they leave a mark.
Test a low sheen or matt wall somewhere hidden before you commit. Older flat paints will burnish where you rub them and that shiny patch is permanent.
A word about steam
Steam is sold as the chemical free answer to everything and it is not. It is fine on sealed ceramic tile. It lifts laminate, it drives moisture into timber joins, and it can soften a grout sealer straight back off. If you own one, read what the floor manufacturer says before the steam goes anywhere near it.
The order that saves you doing it twice
- Declutter the surface first. Cleaning around things is how you end up cleaning twice.
- Work top to bottom in a room, so falling dust lands on what you have not done yet.
- Let the product sit for the time on the label instead of scrubbing harder.
- Rinse and dry. Dried cleaner residue is sticky and it collects the next lot of dirt faster than bare surface would.
Shop related products
- Sugar Soap for Floors 750ml. The one for painted walls and hard floors.
- Plastic Bucket with Lid 5L. Run two of them, one to wash and one to rinse.
- Plastic Bucket with Lid 3L. Small enough to carry up a ladder for the high stuff.
- Uni-Pro Aluminium Extension Pole 1.2m to 2.4m. Reaches cornices and high windows from the floor.
- Cleaning supplies. The rest of what is listed online.
Did you know we also keep Selleys sugar soap in 750ml on the shelf in store, along with the 3 in 1 sugar soap, AutoKing microfibre cloth packs and sponges with a scourer side. Several of those aren't listed on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's there.
Where to get it sorted
If the wall does not come back with sugar soap it probably wants repainting rather than more scrubbing. We mix and tint Haymes and Taubmans to order from the range we stock, so have a look at the paint mixing service.
Keep reading
- How to Clean an Oven Without Wrecking It
- How to Maintain Your Roof and Gutters to Prevent Leaks
- How to Prevent and Fix Common Drafts in Your Home
I'm the one who reads the label after the first wipe rather than before it, which is exactly why this post is written in that order.
Cheers,
Candeece
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