The best order to clean your house depends on various factors, including personal preferences and the specific areas you're cleaning. However, a common and efficient order for most cleaning tasks is to clean first and then vacuum. Here's a general guideline:
Dust and Clean Surfaces: Start by dusting and cleaning surfaces throughout your house. This includes dusting shelves, countertops, tables, and other flat surfaces. Wipe down mirrors and glass surfaces, clean kitchen appliances, and disinfect commonly touched areas like doorknobs and light switches.
Clean the Floors: After cleaning surfaces, move on to cleaning the floors. Sweeping or using a dust mop can help remove larger debris and dust from hard floors. Next, use a suitable floor cleaner for the type of flooring you have (e.g., wood, tile, laminate) to thoroughly clean the floors.
Vacuum Carpets and Rugs: Once you've cleaned the floors, proceed with vacuuming carpets and rugs. Vacuuming after cleaning ensures that any dirt, dust, or debris that fell from surfaces while cleaning gets picked up by the vacuum cleaner. This helps prevent spreading the dirt around the house.
Mop Hard Floors: If you have hard floors that require mopping (e.g., tile, vinyl, linoleum), do this after vacuuming the carpets. This way, you won't introduce any additional dust or dirt to the cleaned floors.
Bathroom Cleaning: The bathroom is usually a separate cleaning task due to its unique requirements. Clean the bathroom surfaces, including the sink, toilet, bathtub/shower, and mirrors. Finish by mopping the bathroom floor.
Bedroom Tidying: Finally, tidy up bedrooms, making the beds and organizing any clutter that might have accumulated during the cleaning process.
Remember that individual preferences and specific cleaning needs may vary. For example, if you have severe allergies, you might want to vacuum first to capture as much dust as possible before cleaning surfaces. The main goal is to ensure a clean and tidy living space while also maintaining efficiency in your cleaning routine.