Taking Care of Your Home

Keeping your home clean and tidy is an important responsibility. A well-cared for house keeps your family healthy, prevents damage, and makes your home nicer to live in. In this lesson, we will learn about the equipment, tasks, and guidelines that help us take good care of our house.

Why It’s Important to Take Care of Your House

Your home is very important for you and your family. It does many important things for everyone living there.

Taking good care of your home is very important. Here are some reasons why:

To keep it looking nice and clean

To have good hygiene and health
To stop germs and bugs from living there
To make your furniture, carpets, and other items last longer

To keep your home safe and working properly

Equipment for Cleaning

Brooms – For sweeping floors and patios
Brushes – For scrubbing surfaces and cleaning lint/dust from fabric items
Mops – For washing floors and wiping down tile surfaces

Buckets – For holding cleaning solutions and water
Sponges – For wiping and scrubbing
Cleaning rags – For dusting and wiping up messes

Vacuum cleaner – For cleaning carpet and upholstery

Brooms and Brushes

Brooms are made from materials like palm leaves. Brushes can be made from horse hair, plant fibers, or plastic.

There are different kinds for different jobs:

Short brooms and brushes – for sweeping floors
Long, soft brooms and brushes – for cobwebs on walls and ceilings

Stiff brooms and brushes – for outside sweeping
Toilet brushes – for cleaning the toilet
Stiff brushes – for carpets and rugs

Polishing brushes – for shining shoes and other items

How to Choose Good Brooms and Brushes

Pick the right one for the job

Make sure they are good quality
Check that handles are smooth and a good length
Bristles should be tightly packed and firm

Caring for Brooms and Brushes

Shake out dirt after using
Wash in warm soapy water
Rinse in clean water

Hang up to dry
Store properly when not in use

Dusters or Dust Cloths

Dusters or Dust cloths are made from soft, lint-free material.

How to Use Dust Cloths:

Dry – for dusting

Slightly damp – to pick up dust better
Rub with dry cloth after damp dusting to polish and shine

Choosing Good Dust Cloths

Soft and lint-free

Absorbent
Have multiple cloths

Caring for Dust Cloths

Shake out loose dust after using

Wash with soap and water
Rinse and hang up to dry

Mops

Mop heads are made from twisted cotton attached to a handle.

Dry mops – for dusting
Wet mops – for washing floors

Long handles allow you to stand while mopping

Caring for Mops

Wash with soap after each use
Rinse thoroughly

Wring out water and hang to dry
Wash mop bucket too

Other Cleaning Tools

Dust pans or parker – for gathering swept up dust and dirt

Buckets – for carrying water
Garbage bins – for trash disposal

Daily, Weekly, and Seasonal Cleaning

To clean your home, you’ll need to sweep and dust all the different areas and surfaces. This includes rooms like the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom, etc.

Sweeping and Dusting

Cleaning means removing dust, dirt, stains, and anything else that doesn’t belong. The main methods are sweeping and dusting.

What is Dust?

Dust is fine, dry, loose particles in the air, like powdered dirt or plant and animal bits.

Facts About Dust:

Settles easily on surfaces
Sticks to damp areas
Gets trapped in greasy or rough areas

Easier to remove from smooth areas
Greasy dust is harder to remove than loose dust

What is Dirt?

Dirt is dust that has gotten stuck from moisture, grease, or rough surfaces. It takes more than just dusting to remove it. You need water or cleaning solutions.

How to Dust

Use a cloth or duster to remove dust from surfaces.

Dusting Guidelines:

Use clean dusters

Work from top to bottom
Carefully gather dust into cloth
Frequently shake duster outside

Don’t let dust blow back in
Polish wood along the grain
When finished, shake out duster thoroughly

Sweeping Guidelines:

Use a good broom
Sprinkle water first for very dusty floors

Sweep towards the door, getting corners
Prevent dust clouds by closing windows
Gather dust piles with dustpan

Wrap dust in newspaper and put in garbage
Use short, even strokes

Daily and Weekly Cleaning

A dirty home can breed germs and bugs. Daily and weekly cleaning is important.

Daily Cleaning:

Removes surface dust
Done by sweeping and dusting

Daily Cleaning Rules:

Gather cleaning tools and materials
Sweep all rooms

Remove cobwebs
Sweep floors and corners
Brush carpets

Dispose of dust properly
Dust furniture
Neatly arrange furniture

Change or add water to flowers
Clean duster and put away

Weekly Cleaning:

More thorough than daily

Done on weekends when more time

Weekly Cleaning Guidelines:

Gather cleaning tools and supplies

Decide cleaning order and routine
Open windows and doors to air out
Move small items and furniture as needed

Clean curtains and windows
Remove all dust, getting corners
Dust all furniture and fixtures

Polish wooden furniture

Seasonal Cleaning

Some cleaning should be done each season:

Wash or dry clean curtains
Clean carpets and rugs
Polish furniture

Clean out closets
Clean food storage areas

Disposing of Household Trash

Families make different types of waste from food scraps, cans, bottles, paper, ashes, etc. This needs to be disposed of properly to keep our homes and environment clean and safe.

Problems from improper trash disposal:

Clogged drains

Breeding grounds for bugs and pests
Air pollution from rotting trash
Attracts rats

Causes accidents
Looks messy and dirty
Can spread disease

Trash Cans and Bins

Cans and bins come in different sizes, colors, and materials like metal, wood, or plastic. Consider:

Family size

Types of trash
Quality
Cost

Good Trash Can Features:

Sturdy and durable
Tight fitting lid
Strong handles

Leak proof
Drainage holes in bottom

Caring for Trash Cans:

Rinse each time it’s emptied

Scrub weekly with soap and disinfectant
Scour with cleaner or ash if needed
Rinse with disinfectant

Dry in sun

Other tips:

Keep lid closed

Empty regularly
Wrap food waste in newspaper
Replace when worn out

Use smaller kitchen can and larger outdoor can

Ways to Dispose of Trash

How you dispose of trash depends on the type and your household:

Bury non-biodegradable items like glass, cans, etc if you have land space
Burn dry paper, leaves, rags where allowed
Feed food waste to animals
Compost vegetable and some animal waste

Sorting Trash

Separate types of trash into different containers for proper disposal

Care of the Family House (Home Economics)

Taking Care of Your Home