2.4 Cleaning the House

• Reasons for cleaning the house
• Loose dirt and fixed dirt
• Cleaning materials and agents: type, choice, use and care
• Cleaning equipment: brooms, dusters, dustpans, brushes, mops, basins, buckets, vacuum cleaner, squeegee
• Cleaning methods for different areas of the house
• Management of household waste, including waste water
• Improvising cleaning equipment from locally available materials
• Safety precautions when cleaning

• explain reasons for cleaning the house
• identify materials and equipment used in cleaning the house
• manage waste in the home
• clean different areas in the house using appropriate methods
• appreciate living in a clean house

“How can we care for our house?”

“How does the type of dirt and choice of cleaning materials and equipment influence the method of cleaning the house?”

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1. Why a house is cleaned
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Five reasons for cleaning and the mechanism behind each, and why appearance alone is not one of them.
2. Loose dirt and fixed dirt
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The two kinds of dirt, how each is removed, and the single rule that follows from the difference.
3. Cleaning agents and what each is for
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Six classes of cleaning agent, the dirt each removes, and why cleaning products must never be mixed.
4. Cleaning equipment and its care
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Eight items of equipment, what each is for, and why equipment put away dirty spreads the dirt it removed.
5. Choosing the method from the dirt and the surface
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Two questions that decide any cleaning method, worked through on four real jobs.
6. Daily, weekly and special cleaning
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The three cleaning cycles, why small and often beats large and rare, and how to write a fair household schedule.
7. The order of cleaning a room
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Six steps in order, and the three rules - high to low, dry to wet, far to near - that explain why.
8. Cleaning different areas of the house
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Six areas, the particular dirt each has, and why the toilet needs its own separate cloths and buckets.
9. Managing waste in the home
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Separating waste into four streams, what to do with each, and why separation must happen at the moment of throwing away.
10. Managing waste water
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Three safe destinations for household waste water, and why standing water near a house is a malaria question.
11. Improvising cleaning equipment
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Making cleaning tools from what a household already has, and the two conditions any improvised tool must meet.
12. Safety when cleaning
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Six cleaning hazards with the precaution for each, and how cleaning products must be stored.
13. Dealing with particular problems
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Six common household cleaning problems, the treatment for each, and the pattern that connects them all.
14. Caring for our house: the whole answer
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The two inquiry questions answered together, and a household cleaning plan of your own.