2. GATHER THE PROPER MATERIALS

Planning to dust with your roommate's favorite sweater? Please be kind, and stock up on the following:

  • For vacuuming, you will obviously need a vacuum cleaner. Well, at least if you have carpets. If you don't have one and don't want to incur a huge expense, then consider a Dustbuster or a mini-cleaner. There are some that are lightweight, high-quality, and under $100.

  • For cleaning linoleum or tile floors, you'll need a household liquid disinfectant (like Pine Sol or Mr. Clean) and a bucket where you can mix it with hot water. You'll also need a broom and a mop (either a sponge mop or a rag mop is fine by us-your call).

  • For windows, mirrors and other glass surfaces, you'll need a glass cleaner (like Windex or Glass Plus).

  • For tough surfaces like sinks and bathtubs, you'll need some scouring powder (like Comet). If you're a wuss, you can get the liquid kind that contains tiny scouring granules (like SoftScrub). You'll also need a toilet brush, a tub brush, and a mildew-removing spray cleaner (like Lysol Basin, Tub & Tile Cleaner).

  • If you have wood floors, you'll need to use a special wood floor cleaner (like Murphy's Oil Soap).

  • You'll also need a wood cleaning polish (like Pledge or Old English) to use on wood cabinets, doors, dressers and other wood surfaces. Keep in mind that you cannot use regular cleaning solutions on wood surfaces - it will spoil the finish and make your furniture look like crap. Also, you may want to have a feather duster on hand to use as a pre-cursor to the polish.

  • For additional overall disinfecting, you can use household bleach (like Clorox). Keep in mind that bleach should not be used around areas where food is prepared.

  • To clean your oven, you'll need an oven cleaning spray. Pretty straight-forward, huh?

  • You'll need lots of sponges and dishrags to soap up all things nasty.

  • To dry things off, you should have an ample supply of either paper towels or dry, soft cloths (old T-shirts work just great).

  • It's also a good idea to have some air disinfectant (like Lysol spray), to spritz into each room as you finish it so that it smells clean and fresh.

  • Most importantly, remember to protect yourself by using rubber cleaning gloves whenever possible. Make sure not to get anything in your eyes or mouth. Read all of the directions and warning labels on all materials before using them so that you don't end up with a science experiment gone wrong instead of a clean apartment.