Cleaning homes can be extremely therapeutic. It also brings much-needed serenity and positivity to our households. While routine cleaning is a part and parcel of our lives, pre-festivities are a good time to do a deeper whole-home clean to make it festive-ready.
With Diwali around the corner, people are going on a cleaning spree. From furniture to mattresses, walls to ceilings, kitchen counters to cupboards; most households will clean every nook and cranny as part of the festive preparations.
People use traditional cleaning methods such as dusting or brooming which agitates the dust but does not remove it from the home. Dust is a complex matrix of components that includes dust mites, dust mite faeces, bacteria, small insects, and other particles. Therefore, vacuuming the surfaces thoroughly and reaching the usually neglected spots is integral to achieving a cleaner and healthier home. According to the Dyson Global Dust Study 2022, Indians feel that vacuum cleaners are the most effective in removing dust from the home, yet just 39% of Indians use a vacuum to clean their homes while 65% use a wet mop, 67% dry cloth, 70% brush and pan and there are several others who use traditional cleaning methods for their regular cleaning.
So, to help you achieve a stress-free, whole-home deep clean this Diwali, here’s a 5-day cleaning tipsheet on behalf of Dyson on how to clean room by room.
[1] Dyson Global Dust Study 2022 – 32,282 respondents across 33 countries: United States, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, KSA, UAE, Russia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and India. Fieldwork conducted from 15th to 24th November 2021 and 14th February to 7th March 2022. Data has been weighted at a ‘Global’ level to be representative of different population sizes.
| Day | Room | Cleaning tips |
| Day 1 | Living & Drawing Room | The main reason for cleaning the living room and paying special attention to it before Diwali is to prepare the space for guests who will be visiting to celebrate the festival.
Set aside time to clean up high. Ceilings and appliances mounted up high such as ceiling fans, chandeliers, or air-conditioning units are one of the dustiest places due to the inconvenience of cleaning.
Remove anything mounted to your walls (photo frames, clocks) and vacuum the dust that has built up on the walls.
Dust walls by using a vacuum with advanced filtration to ensure that the dust you’re removing stays trapped in the bin and is not expelled back into the home. Dust on certain wall types can also contribute to the growth of mould.
Don’t forget the curtains and blinds as well. Using the Combi tool, vacuum dust away before washing curtains at 60-90 degree Celsius to kill any germs and bacteria. |
| Day 2 | Living & Drawing Room | On Day 2, start with the furniture such as your Sofa, TV Unit, Cabinets, Dining Table, Chairs etc.
Use the Dyson Hair screw tool to vacuum your furniture and remove the hair and other dust. Don’t forget to vacuum around the crevices of any immovable furniture (bookcases, televisions) or even the crevices of the Sofa with Dyson’s crevice tool.
Carpets can hide dust and dirt between their fibres, as well as harbour microscopic life which can impact your well-being. Vacuum to reduce the number of dust mites and remove their food source. The Digital Motorbar cleaner head of the Dyson cord-free vacuum is equipped with stiff nylon bristles that are driven deep into carpets to remove ground-in dirt and anti-static carbon fibre filaments that removes the static attraction between fine dust and hard floors.
Use the Dyson Reach under tool to clean further under the furniture. The tool bends comfortably to reach down low and can angle up to 90 degrees. |
| Day 3 | Bedrooms | Tackle the bedrooms and their textile furniture in a day. This encompasses mattresses, sofas and pet baskets.
Vacuum both sides of your mattress to remove dust mites and skin flakes with the Hair Screw tool. Don’t forget to wash any removable coverings (bedsheets, cushion covers) at 60-90 degrees Celsius to kill any germs and bacteria.
If the bottom of your iron is covered in brown stains, once cooled cut a lemon in half and rub the juice over the marks, then wipe off with a cloth to remove and stop brown stains from smearing on your clean clothes.
While your pet is meticulously licking its fur to clean and groom itself, it is actually transferring allergens from its saliva into your house.
For pet beds in the bedroom, use the Dyson Hair screw tool to remove pet hair and microscopic allergens from a dog bed you can’t launder. This anti-tangle conical brush bar spirals hair off and into the bin, making it easier and faster. For those that can be washed, remove coverings or pillows and wash at 60-90 degrees. |
| Day 4 | Kitchen | Day 4 is reserved for the Kitchen! Clear kitchen counters and cupboards to deep clean. Vacuum above and below appliances like your refrigerator, scrub down your sink and wipe down all kitchen appliances and stovetops to remove any build-up. Follow up by making sure all surfaces are dry.
If you have a scaly kettle, cover the element with lashings of white vinegar, bring it to a boil and leave overnight. Remember, let everyone in your house know so there’s no surprise when they make themselves a cup of coffee in the morning. |
| Day 5 | Bathroom | Clean your bathroom from top to bottom, and not just the toilet bowl and sink.
The grouting of your bathroom tiles can turn a nasty orange colour due to mould and mildew growing in humidity. Make a paste from baking soda and water and scrub it onto the grout with an old toothbrush to return it to its original colour. Also, try ventilating your bathroom in future to reduce mould growth. |
And you are done! Enjoy a cuppa and do light dusting and regular vacuuming of floors towards your Diwali parties.
Some quick cleaning tips to be kept in mind throughout the cleaning process:
- Vacuuming top-down ensures you’re capturing any fallen dust. Make sure to clean all the corners and crevices, as well as under and around furniture.
- Aim to vacuum all your floors. Dyson’s Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head is a 25cm-wide cleaner head engineered with soft nylon and anti-static carbon fibre filaments to remove dust from hard floors and narrower gaps. It also has a low profile to reach further under furniture.
- Make sure your vacuum is up to the job for the entire process. Maintain your vacuum by washing the filter in warm water and leaving it to dry thoroughly for 24 hours, while charging the battery in the meantime. Empty the bin and clear the cleaner head of any excess debris.
- Place an air purifier to purify the air while you do the cleaning. Just like how it is imperative that people remove dust from their homes, removing these particles from the air is just as important. Dyson purifier fans continuously detect and destroys formaldehyde, capture dust, allergens, and viruses, and remove 99.95% of particles as small as PM 0.1. Powerful Air Multiplier technology that is unique to Dyson ensures that it not only purifies the whole room but also cools it.
- Do note that if spills like red wine happen during your gathering, don’t let it ruin your evening. Speed is of the essence. Add a little soda water or white wine to the spill to neutralise the stain, soak up the excess liquid by placing a towel over the spill and tread on it.
- And if dinner remnants stay welded to the bottom of the pan, add one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda and one cup of boiling water to it, leave it to work its magic and your pan will look like new for your next speciality dish.
