Deep cleaning apartment of your home can significantly reduce the risks of getting infected during the period of the pandemic. These five tips can help you perform the most crucial cleaning works on your own, even without using professional deep cleaning services.

Deep cleaning apartment is not only about carrying out wet cleaning, but also about proper disinfection of the rooms. We have prepared guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting apartments based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

When should you do apartment deep cleaning NYC?

The spread of the virus happens through droplets that a person exhales while coughing or sneezing. In this form, the virus can settle on surfaces and remain viable for hours or days. According to the CDC recommendations, you should perform cleaning and disinfection of an apartment not earlier than 24 hours after guests leave it.

What is the difference between a simple cleaning and deep cleaning apartment?

Dry or wet cleaning, even with soap, only helps to clean surfaces from germs, dust, and visible dirt. You should use chemicals to disinfect surfaces. Also, to clean the room as much as possible and minimize the risks of infection with the virus, you must first clean and then disinfect all surfaces and objects at home.

Practical tips for cleaning and disinfecting your home

1.Wear Gloves

Use disposable gloves when cleaning.
Before putting them on, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
After cleaning, remove gloves and wash hands thoroughly with soap and water.

2.Ventilate the room

Open the windows 20 minutes before cleaning.
Do not stop ventilating the room while cleaning everything up.

3.Use cloths only once

Experts advise throwing away microfiber cloths, mop heads, and sponges immediately after cleaning. Therefore, we recommend you to stock up on all cleaning products and equipment in advance.
If, according to the instructions, you can wash household utensils, do it at the maximum permissible hot temperature.

And now let’s go to the most important step below.

4. Cleaning and disinfection of different surfaces for qualitative deep cleaning apartment:

Hard surfaces and floor

Before disinfection, you should clean all hard surfaces with detergents and water. Pay special attention to those surfaces that guests most often came into contact with: door handles, light switches, tables and chairs, TV and air conditioning remotes, all surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen.
Household disinfectants are suitable for disinfection. You can check the list of EPA approved detergents on their website.
Be sure to read the instructions before using detergents and follow the recommendations indicated there regarding the concentration, method of application, contact time of the product with the surface, and others.
Besides, you can use household bleach for disinfection. Just prepare a solution with the proportions of 5 tablespoons of bleach per liter of water. The solution should remain on the items for at least one minute.
During and after such disinfection, be sure to ventilate the room.
Important! When using bleach, do not mix it with ammonia or other cleaning agents.

Soft surfaces

Next, you need to clean all soft and porous surfaces: sofas, pillows, carpets, curtains.

For deep cleaning of upholstered furniture, you should also use special detergents, cleaning products, and steam cleaning machine (if any).
After the steam cleaning process, if the instruction says that fabric is machine washable, wash at the hottest possible temperature and dry well.
If washing is not possible, disinfect items with products suitable for porous surfaces and approved by the EPA.

Carpet

Every month, you should carry out deep cleaning of the carpet with a special powder agent based on micro-sponges that absorb dirt well. This is one of the most advanced carpet maintenance techniques and it is becoming more and more popular among homeowners.

Carpet cleaning with dry powder has the following procedure:

You treat the surface with a vacuum cleaner with a screw nozzle for quick straightening of the pile.
After that, you should sprinkle the powder on the carpet.
Then leave the surface for a while (up to two hours) so that the product absorbs dirt well.
As soon as the granules begin to change color, collect them with a vacuum cleaner.

Home appliances and electronics

Disinfect and clean all equipment and electronics.
Use a microfiber cloth, water, and soap to clean. After moistening a napkin in soapy water, carefully (so that water does not get into the holes) wipe all surfaces, but first, turn off all appliances.
You can also use alcohol-based disinfectants. For example, sprays or wipes based on isopropyl alcohol (at least 70%). But this method can damage the screen.
Another way of cleaning and disinfection is a solution of water (60%) and alcohol (40%). As with water and soap, you should moisten a microfiber cloth with this solution and wipe down appliances. Finally, wipe all surfaces with a dry cloth.
To better protect your appliances, consider buying cases or covers that are replaceable and washable.

Air conditioner

The inner unit of the air conditioner constantly sucks in air from the apartment, cools it, and blows it back out. Additionally, this mechanism cleans the air from dust and small mechanical particles. These are animal hair, piles, plant particles brought on clothes from the street, bacteria, viruses, etc. All of them settle on coarse and fine filters. The accumulation of dust and organic particles on the filter together with high humidity is an ideal breeding ground for fungus, mold, viruses, and dust mites. Different germs and viruses can settle in an air conditioner and spread throughout the apartment. It can also cause lung diseases. To prevent your home from these potential dangers, you can clean the air conditioner on your own by following these instructions:

Remove the front panel of the air conditioner. It is not difficult because it is usually fastened with latches and you can easily dismantle it.
Carefully remove the coarse filters. There are models in which you can remove these filters even without dismantling the front panel. And also it greatly simplifies the regular maintenance of the air conditioner.
Remove the cap that covers the fasteners. If it is fastened with very simple. In some models, you will have to work with a screwdriver, and the screws can be hidden behind the protective plates. They are plastic. Therefore, when doing it, be careful not to break fragile particles.
Dismantle the display panel and place it near the electrical box.
When you unscrew everything, remove the plastic case. If you still can’t do it, you need to check if there are any additional latches.
After removing the case, dismantle the fine filters.
Clean the accumulated dirt from the coarse filter with a vacuum cleaner or rag
Apply the detergent to the coarse filter. Leave it for a while to help the dirt separate from the surface.
We recommend using certified cleaning products that you can purchase online or at a service center. Conventional detergents can harm the filters and the operation of the entire system.
After soaking, if necessary, wipe off the dirt with a soft brush, and then wash the filters and body parts under running water.
The coarse filter must dry out on its own. It is better not to wipe it.
Now let’s go to the fine filters. You can’t wash charcoal, antioxidant, and antibacterial filters. Change them when there’s a need. You can buy a new filter at the service center. Wash other types of filters as described above
After drying and deep cleaning of the inner unit (if any), install the filters and the case again.

And actually, that’s all. In case you need more serious treatment, call the professional cleaning company.

Bed linens, towels, and other items intended for washing

Use gloves when handling bed linen, towels, and clothing. If possible, do not shake objects to minimize the possibility of the virus spreading through the air.
Wash items according to the instructions in the hottest possible water. Dry all items well after washing.
If there is a laundry basket, clean and disinfect it too. You can use a disposable or washable bag and replace it after every cleaning.

5. The final stage

At the end of the cleaning, you must wash the vacuum cleaner from debris. Throw away the wipes and towels that you used for cleaning or, if possible, clean them under the running hot water.
Wipe with disinfectant all equipment you were using (vacuum cleaner, washing machine, and dishwasher).
At the end of the cleaning, check the stock and expiration date of detergents and disinfectants.

Regular deep cleaning apartment and disinfection of your home can help reduce the risk of infection. If possible, provide your guests with everything necessary to comply with hygiene rules (disposable gloves, soap, paper napkins, detergents, and antiseptics). If guests rent your apartment for a little longer, leave the cleaning and disinfectant products and tips on using them in the apartment. Also, you can order deep cleaning services in a cleaning company like us – just order professional deep cleaning services in NYC.