A Guide to Cleaning the Bedroom

A few simple daily acts can maintain a sparkling sanctuary and give you peace of mind.

Make your bed right before or after your morning shower. A neat bed will inspire you to deal with other messes immediately. Although smoothing sheets and plumping pillows might not seem like a high priority as you're rushing to work, the payoff comes at the end of the day, when you slip back under the unruffled covers.

Supplies to Keep in the Bedroom
* Pledge Grab-it Dry Dusting Mitts or Swiffer cloths: for dusting furniture, floors, electronics, and knickknacks. Keep them in a night-table drawer so they're ready when you are.

* Unger Total Reach Duster ($9, 800-833-6100 for store locations): for tackling cobwebs and for behind the bed, the tops of furniture, and other hard-to-reach corners.

* Microfiber cloths: the no-chemical alternative for dusting.
* Clorox ReadyMop: for tile and wood floors.
* Clorox Disinfecting Wipes: for spot-cleaning switch plates, phones, and doorjambs.
* Windex Glass and Surface Wipes: for mirrors and windows.

Timesaving Tips and Techniques
Delete Dust
After you log off your computer, wipe hard-to-reach keyboard lint with the yellow felt Unger Mini Duster ($3, 800-833-6100 for store locations).

Use an all-purpose wipe, such as Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, to clean and disinfect the keyboard and every part of your monitor except the screen. Remember to unplug the keyboard before cleaning.

Remove fingerprints and smudges from the screen with a dry or slightly damp microfiber cloth. Do not use any chemical cleaners on the screen.

Chat and Clean
When you're on the phone with your mother-in-law and she is telling you one of her endless stories for the umpteenth time, pull out a wipe and clean your mirrors.

Ready When you are
Keep Pledge mitts, Swiffer cloths, or a microfiber cloth in a night-table drawer so you can quickly dust your bedside tables, dresser, and headboard.

Dust Gently
Use your blow-dryer to remove dust from lampshades and delicate curtains.

Bedroom To-Do List

Every Day
* Make the bed (two minutes)
* Fold or hang clothing and put away jewelry (four minutes)
* Straighten out the night-table surface (30 seconds)

Every Week
* Change the sheets (five minutes)
* Dust all surfaces — including electronics, books, picture frames, windowsills and ledges, and tops of door frames — and remove all cobwebs (10 minutes)
* Dust or mop the floors or vacuum the carpeting (five minutes)
* Throw out old magazines (one minute)
* Wipe the switch plates, doorknobs, and doorjambs (one minute)
* Wipe and disinfect the telephone (30 seconds)
* Empty the wastebasket (20 seconds)
* Vacuum the heating and air-conditioning vents and the inside of the closet (three minutes)

Every Season
* Wash the insides of the windows (15 minutes)
* Strip the bed and flip the mattress (five minutes)
* Launder the mattress pad and dust ruffle
2 of 2