Diwali is the time to celebrate by indulging in sweets, lighting diyas or lamps, and creating rangoli designs. To prepare your home for festivities, you clean each and every area of your home. And your walls and floor are the major attractions when someone enters your home.
Here are some tips to make your walls and floors sparkle this Diwali.
While wiping your walls, place towels on your floor to catch drips.
1) Walls
Painted Walls
The following cleaning solution can be used for different paint finishes, including matte, gloss and semi-gloss finishes.
Mix 1 bowl of warm water and 2 tsp. of dishwashing liquid; mix it well. Take a clean sponge, dampen it in this solution and start wiping the walls. To treat tough stains or marks, add 1 tsp. of vinegar in the same solution and wipe.
Before using this cleaning solution on the entire surface, test it on a small inconspicuous patch first, to check its compatibility.
Wallpapered Surfaces
Wallpaper is delicate and needs to be handled with care. Gently dust your wallpaper with a wool duster. Make a diluted solution of 1 tsp. of dishwashing liquid mixed with 2 cups of water. Use a nylon sponge dipped in this solution to clean your wallpaper. Clean the entire surface at one go, and remember not to scrub. Also, immediately after that, pat dry with a clean cloth.
2) Flooring
Before cleaning your floor, it’s best to sweep it to remove loose dust.
Marble and Granite Flooring
For marble flooring, mix 2 tsp. of dishwashing liquid in a bucket full of warm water and use it to mop the floor. Mop again with plain water to remove soap residue. For granite flooring, mix 1 tbsp. of baking soda and 1 tbsp. of dishwashing liquid in ½ bucket of water. Mop your granite floor with this solution. Use another bucket of plain water to mop again and let it air-dry.
Ceramic Flooring
There are 2 types of ceramic tiles - glazed and unglazed. To clean unglazed ceramic tiles, mix ½ cup vinegar and 1 cup dishwashing liquid in a bucket of water. Use this to wipe your floor. Mop with plain water and let it air-dry. Remember to wear rubber gloves while using vinegar for cleaning purposes.
To clean unglazed ceramic floors, make the same solution, but skip the vinegar.
Wooden Flooring
Steep 3 tea bags in a bowl of warm water. Dip a dry, clean cloth in this mixture and gently wipe your floor with it. Note that the cloth should be merely damp and not soaked. Too much water may damage your wooden floors.
There you go! Keep your walls and floors sparkling clean this Diwali!