Cleaning Your Home
Learning the skills of independence means learning how to clean up after yourself. This How To Series program covers the basics of cleaning your home such as clearing the table, wiping the table and counters, how to wash dishes by hand, how to use a dishwasher, how to empty the garbage, how to dust, how to sweep a floor, how to mop a floor, and how to vacuum the floor.
Clear the table
- Wait until done eating
- Start clearing table
- Take only a few dishes
- Bring dishes to sink
- Move slowly
- Throw away dirty napkins
- Throw food away
- Clear entire table
Wiping tables and counters
- Decide if table or counter should be cleaned
- Get a wash cloth and dish soap
- Put in stopper
- Put dish soap in sink
- Turn on water in sink
- Turn off water
- Put wash cloth in soapy water
- Wipe table or counter
- Rinse wash cloth
How to wash dishes by hand
- Decide if you should wash dishes
- Roll up sleeves
- Make sure sink is empty and clean
- Scrape large pieces of food into garbage
- Plug drain in sink
- Put in Dish Soap
- Turn on water
- Fill the sink about half way
- Get dish cloth
- Put dishes in sink
- Get out a towel
- Wash the dishes
- Check dish
- Rinse dish
- Wash the rest of dishes
- Drain water from sink
- Rinse out dish cloth
- Put things away
How to use dishwasher
- You see dirty dishes
- Open dishwasher
- Wash off dishes
- Put dishes in dishwasher
- Give dishes space
- Don’t put breakables in dishwasher
- Push in dish racks
- Put soap in dishwasher
- Close dishwasher door
- Select the settings
- Turn on dishwasher
- When done, put dishes away
Empty the garbage
- Decide if garbage should be emptied
- Take garbage out of container
- Tie the bag at the top
- Throw garbage away
- Put clean garbage bag in trash can
How to Dust
- Decide if you should dust
- Get cloth and dusting spray
- Put dusting spray onto cloth
- Dust in a pattern
- Dust from the top down
- Dust under objects
- Clean Dust Cloth
- Put back dusting supplies
How to sweep a floor
- Notice floor is dirty
- Make sure you can sweep floor
- Move things off floor
- Get a broom and dustpan
- Start in a corner of the room
- Sweep downward
- Sweep from the side
- Sweep dirt into a pile
- Sweep pile into the dustpan
- Carefully pick up the dustpan
- Empty the dustpan
- Put the broom and dustpan back
- Move things back
How to mop floor
- Notice dirty floor
- Make sure floor is hard
- Decide to mop floor
- Move things off floor
- Get the things you need
- Sweep floor
- Put cleaner in bucket
- Fill bucket
- Move the bucket
- Put mop in water
- Squeeze out mop
- Start mopping
- Mop entire floor
- Clean mop
- Do not step in wet areas
- Let floor dry
- Dump out water
- Put supplies away
How to vacuum the floor
- Notice floor is dirty
- Get vacuum
- Check vacuum bag
- Clear the floor
- Plug in vacuum
- Set vacuum height
- Turn on vacuum
- Lower the handle
- Begin Vacuuming
- Go over area until clean
- Move Cord
- Turn off vacuum
- Unplug Cord
- Move things back
- Put vacuum away