The Gentleman's Guide to Cleaning One's Home

Table of Contents

Do men and cleaning go together?
Should men clean at all?

The answer to both is YES.

Cleaning and picking up after yourself is a crucial step down the manly path to adulthood.

Unfortunately, many men are used to having their mothers take care of the house. And that’s a problem – you can be the most handsome man around and drive a great car, but if your home looks like the room of a 12-year-old gamer – you are dead in the eyes of both ladies and gentlemen.

Pride in Hygiene Will Not Only Make You More Attractive

Maintaining a clean and tidy home will strengthen discipline, improvise your mental health, keep you productive, organised, but most of all, it will just make you feel good.
Unfortunately, it turns out not many of us paid attention as kids while mum was keeping a dust-free home, so we’ve created a cleaning plan for men.

Follow these simple steps and your home will soon be spick and span!

If You Fail To Prepare, Prepare To Fail

Generally, there are two types of men:

Those always presentable and clean – their bed is made, desk organized, clothes ironed and put away.
Those who are bedrooms look like a car crash, wrinkled, sheets, blankets, pillows, bed, desk looking like a newspaper stand, having crisp packets and magazines all over. This type pays the price for professional carpet cleaning.

Still ready to make it right?

Cleaning Supplies

You don’t need much to clean your home but you still need a vacuum. On this site we review:

A Mess Untouched Evolves and Grows

Sometimes clutter gets so big that it feels like you’re living in one of those burning American landfills, not to mention whatever’s living in your carpet.
When mum isn’t around to give solutions or guidelines for the cleaning process, then you need to figure out:

What works best
How to implement that as part of your routine

Keeping a man cave clean actually requires little effort. It just takes consistency and a few minutes a day.

According to the modern men’s lifestyle guide Gentlemen Zone, keeping your home clean and tidy defines a man, while a house cleaning routine:

Helps you stay healthy
Makes you feel more comfortable
Impresses friends or unexpected guests
Gives a sense of pride and accomplishment normally only found by paying to get ahead in EA games
Builds a do-and-succeed mentality

Time to plan, a simple man cleaning routine!

Start Simple. Establish An Easy-to-follow Cleaning Routine

The key to establishing a home cleaning routine is to break the work into smaller tasks. This way you can better organise your time and improve results.

Of course, a good vacuum cleaner, carpet sweeper, and steam mop will increase your efficiency!

Put chores into two categories, daily and weekly.

Your Daily Cleaning Must-do’s

Don’t let the mess pile up, and take control of your environment. Be proactive, invest a small amount of time to get things sorted and out of your way. Spend 10 minutes in the morning and 10 before you go to bed.

Cleaning In the Morning

Make your bed. You don’t have to be in the army to learn this.
Spray your bathroom sink, tap, showerhead, shower window, and etc. with a regular cleaner.
Have coffee or breakfast and let the cleaner soak in, so when you shower, rinsing will be easier.
Empty the dishwasher and washing machine (if you have one).
Wipe down kitchen counters and sink with a sponge, so you have a clean start for your next meal.

Cleaning In the Evening

Clean the kitchen right after you have dinner. Leave it neat and ready to use.
Spot vacuum if needed. For example, you’re watching Arsenal try to walk the ball in the net while popping non-stop Pringles. Banish crumbs and leftovers from your couch. If you have a leather sofa or recliner, Portico professional Corina advises using a vacuum with a brush attachment first to clean up crumbs and dust, then use a microfibre cloth with a dab of leather cleaner to gently wipe and clean the surface. Avoid rubbing hard as this could damage the leather surface.
Load your dishwasher. If you don’t have one, wash the dishes.
Pre-sleep clutter pick. Go through each room and clean clutter – bottles, tissues, boxes, and etc.

Don’t leave today’s work for tomorrow!

The Weekly Clean:

To complete the whole cycle of a cleaning routine, do one ‘bigger’ task per day. Depending on how big your abode is, figure out what works best for you.
One of these tasks might take you an additional 10-15 mins.

Monday – Dust.
Tuesday – Scrub toilets and showers, giving the bathroom a deeper clean.
Wednesday – Vacuum and mop.
Thursday – Clean mirrors, windows, lamps, etc.
Friday – Work on the kitchen. Clean the fridge from the inside to the outside. (Bonus: this gives you a good opportunity to plan your next few meals and helps you avoid wasting food.) Wipe the microwave and oven inside out.
Saturday – Wash and change your bedsheets. Freshen up your bedroom.
Sunday – Time to rest.

Adapt your schedule to your lifestyle, work, and study obligations. Plan, so you don’t skip a step. At first, you will feel like a maid, but consistency improves your quality of life.

Don’t Have Time For A Weekly Clean? Do It In A Day

Step 1 – Pour yourself a pint, play some loud music.

If you have to do something dull, at least make it some kind of fun. Have a drink and listen to music, a podcast or audio book.

Fast tempo music will help you get into a rhythm and execute step after step. Being the man cleaning the house is not the best way to enjoy your time at home. So, prep your favourite drink and boost your spirit. A pint or two will make domestic cleaning far more pleasant.

Step 2 – Declutter.

There is no point in cleaning without tackling clutter.
Your home will still look like a dragon’s lair if you leave bric-a-brac around.

Throw old newspapers and magazines out.
Put away your gym bag and shoes/trainers.
Gather bottles and recycling.
Put away any other clutter you can find.

Spend at least 15 mins on this step.

Step 3 – Clean dust via a microfiber cloth or other cleaning solutions.

A French Maid using an old feather stick to clean dust might be sexy, but it merely pushes dust around. Use proper tools, such as a microfiber cloth and multi-surface cleaning solution.

Usually, these products come with antistatic properties to repel dust for a few days. Use it to wipe wood, electronics, and any other surface. Make sure to mop under the bed and any other furnishings you have.

Step 3.5 – Pour yourself another drink.

You are almost done. Treat yourself.

Step 4 – Vacuum everything. Consider investing in a multi-functional vacuum machine.

Approach your vacuum purchase as an investment to save you time and effort. You could buy an old Henry, but we live in the future.

Nowadays, you can purchase a self-cleaning robot vacuum for less than £300 or any of the popular Roomba models.

Let’s be honest, we spend far more on far less useful possessions. Remember the mixer you bought and used twice?

If you have a normal vacuum, use the different attachments to best vacuum hard-to-reach spots.

Use the brush attachment for your keyboard and countertops. That’s where crumbs from food and snacks pile up.
Use the long corner attachment to get underneath the bed and couch.
Vacuum the bathroom and remove cobwebs, dust balls, and minor debris.

Step 4.5 – Feeling tired?

Change the music and pour yourself another fresh drink.

Step 5 – The bathroom.

It seems that all men avoid cleaning the bathroom. Who knows why?

As men, we do our business, flush, wash our hands, and off we go. Generally speaking, men don’t spend much time in the bathroom. Nevertheless, most people are disgusted by a dirty bathroom.

When at your place, guests, be it men or women, will visit the lavatory at least once. Try and make a good impression. Be a gentleman. Make sure your guest feels comfortable.

Here is a fail-safe plan for men to clean the bathroom:

Vacuum anything dry to help you wash later;
Apply a solid layer of bathroom cleaning substance to the toilet bowl and give it time to work;
Clean windows with a glass cleaner. For shiny polish, use old newspapers;
Spray the sink and shower head with proper detergent;
Scrub the loo with a decent toilet brush and flush;
Try and soap your entire bathroom with strong detergent;
Scrub tile joints;
Remove hair from your drain;
Use a shower head or a wet towel to complete the cleaning process;
Don’t forget the outer bowl.

You are done, fellow man cleaner. Finish with a drink or maybe two?

Conclusion

Follow these routines, if you have to miss out, make sure you finish them the next day. All you need to do is show a bit of dedication and a will to improve your habits and quality of living or even sell your home.

It’s simple to plan domestic chores and make a schedule that works. It takes goodwill and practice!