This guide will hopefully make any big (or small) cleaning task easier. Before tackling the job it’s best to assess what will be needed to complete the task the most quickly and efficiently. So, first make a list of the cleaning supplies you will need for the job. Whether the job is commercial, janitorial or residential a list will be beneficial unless the cleaning supplies are already supplied.

Cleaning Supplies

Most any cleaning job begins at the top and ends at the bottom. With that in mind, start by looking upward towards the ceiling. There may be a ceiling fan that has an accumulation of dust on the blades. At the top of your cleaning supplies list, you should have a long handled brush. There are specially made brushes for such a job.

Moving your eyes downward in the room you will probably next encounter items that require something more than a long handled brush? Add to the list: Glass cleaner, furniture polish, a cleaning type of spray product, paper towels and soft cloths for dusting purposes. There are “multiple surfaces” cleaners available but should be used only after reading the label carefully as they may not be suitable for all surfaces. Household bleach is also a good thing to have on your list though should be diluted and used with caution.

If walls are in need of cleaning, your cleaning supplies list should also include a bucket, sponge, scrub brushes both firm and soft and a sudsy-type cleaner that can be added to water.

As all dirt, dust and debris is moved downward it will be time to consider how to clean the floor. This is determined mostly by the floor surface itself. Is it tile, linoleum, hardwood, carpet or something else? In order to be ready to cover all bases, your cleaning supplies list should include: a slant angle broom, a wide push broom, dustpan, dust mop, wet mop (with several choices available regarding wring type), floor cleaning detergent, a bucket that will accommodate the width of the mop, vacuum both wet and dry upright, a long handled grout scrubbing brush, a small fan, a steam cleaner and possibly a floor polisher to complete certain jobs.

If the floor is carpeted, start with a good vacuuming, then focus on badly soiled areas. If your list doesn’t include a pre-treat carpet spray, you might want to add one. Use the stiff brush to scrub in well before moving on to steam cleaning the carpet.
Linoleum being a bit easier, start with sweeping and then use a wet mop with a good floor detergent and follow with a clean water rinse.
Ceramic tile is a little trickier as there are some detergents that cannot be used on sealed grout. Otherwise, the floor detergent used to clean linoleum may also work well on ceramic floors. Again, a clean water rinse should be done to help remove residue from the mopping.

Briefly, hardwood floors should be swept with a broom or dust mopped. Cleaning a hardwood floor with water and detergent should be done carefully. If water is allowed to stand on hardwood flooring it could cause damage with water spotting and even warping. Today’s hardwood floors however are much more resilient and generally have a protective coating.

A cleaning supply list can generally be added to or whittled away after a few various jobs have been completed as you become more professionally minded about just what a job will entail.