Once the bathrooms are in order, move on to the kitchen. The kitchen tends to be where icky and sticky things collect, and you’ll want to get rid of the former tenant’s cooking smells. Diane E. Schmidt is a moving expert who writes from experience; she has moved over 28 times and has lived in four countries, 10 cities, two towns, and a coastal village. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your new home or apartment was sparkling clean on the day you got the keys?

If you keep a structured cleaning schedule, this shouldn’t be a problem. Cleaning your home requires a certain amount of skill to get it right. While you can vacuum the floors and mop every inch of your home, odds are you’re missing a key strategy to make it as easy as possible. And though everyone has their own cleaning schedule, here’s an expert guide on cleaning your house from top to bottom.

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For wallpaper, wipe them with a dry cloth, then give a very gentle wipe with some soapy water. You can give a good wiping to all the trim and moulding, as well as window casings.

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Make time to do the tasks below at least once a month, although there’s no reason you can’t do them more often. If you have pets or allergies (or both), there are some tasks you might want to do more than once a month, like washing your duvet cover. Move cars to the driveway, and assess your garage floor. Soak up any oil or car fluid spills using cat litter and sweep thoroughly. If you have a bit of time, this is a great opportunity to clean out the garage, give the floor a detailed scrubbing and get the space organized.

If your rug is washing machine-safe and small enough to fit, you can vacuum it and run it through a cycle. Read more about residential cleaners here. If your floor is fully carpeted or your rug is too large, vacuum and use a rug shampoo, warm water and a sponge or soft-bristled brush to clean. Use your microfiber cloth to dust and wipe down the mirror, light fixtures and bathroom vent. We recommend doing this before cleaning the floors so you can sweep up any dust that falls. In general, you’ll want to wash your wood floors as little as possible. Instead, sweep regularly and use a dry microfiber-cloth or mop to remove standard dust and dirt.

Use a microfiber cloth or a damp rag to wipe down surfaces. King recommends a top-to-bottom cleaning approach starting with the ceiling and focusing on areas of the house we should clean but usually don’t like our walls. “Dust the ceiling with a dry cloth or broom to remove loose debris and dust,” he told Forbes Home. Wipe all remaining hard surfaces (wood furniture, shelves, built-ins, etc.) using furniture cleaner and polish and a soft cloth. For an extra-quick clean, put a clean cotton tube sock on your dominant hand to dust surfaces, moving objects out of the way with the other hand. “On a weekly basis, wash sheets and towels, vacuum and mop floors, dust surfaces and furniture, and clean your showers and bathtubs,” she adds. Head to the laundry room and toss any old products or empty containers.

If there’s any item of value that could easily get broken, please put it somewhere safe. In the many months of spending so much time at home, I had accumulated all three, but clutter and disorganization were stopping me from actually dealing with the dirt.