Cleaning tools and how to use them

1Why this matters

Think of your class on cleaning duty, or your neighbours on the last Saturday of the month doing umuganda. The team with the right tools, used in the right order, finishes in half the time and does not have to clean anything twice. A good tool also protects you: a long-handled brush keeps you off a wobbly chair, and rubber gloves keep strong cleaning products off your skin.

In this lesson you will learn the common cleaning tools, the order in which to use them, and how to look after them so that they last.

2Tools for dry cleaning

• Soft broom: for fine dust on smooth floors such as tiles or smooth cement.
• Hard (stiff) broom: for rough cement, verandahs and yards, where the dirt is coarse.
• Traditional broom tied from dried grass or plant stalks: cheap, made locally, and good on earth and cement floors. Its handle is short, so bend your knees and keep your back straight.
• Dustpan: collects what you sweep, so that you do not push the dirt out of the door onto the next person's path.
• Long-handled brush: removes cobwebs from ceilings and high corners.
• Dusting cloth: a soft cloth, slightly damp, which picks dust up instead of spreading it into the air. An old cotton T-shirt makes a good one.

3Tools for wet cleaning

• Buckets: two are better than one (see the worked example).
• Floor cloth or mop: for washing floors.
• Scrubbing brush: for stuck soiling on floors, steps and sinks.
• Sponge and scouring pad: for dishes and pots. The rough side of a scouring pad scratches, so do not use it on plastic or painted surfaces.
• Squeegee: a rubber blade on a handle that pushes water off tiled floors and windows towards a drain.
• Old toothbrush: for corners, taps and the lines between tiles.

4Protective equipment

Rubber gloves, an apron, closed shoes and, for very dusty jobs, a cloth mask over the nose and mouth.

5Four rules for the order of work

1. Top to bottom. Dust and cobwebs fall, so clean ceilings and shelves before the floor.
2. Dry before wet. Sweep before you mop. Mopping a floor that still has sand on it turns the sand into mud.
3. Cleanest to dirtiest. Wipe the table before the toilet, and use a separate cloth for each. Many homes and schools give each area its own colour of cloth, for example blue for the kitchen and red for the toilet, and never mix them.
4. Far side to the exit. Work from the corner farthest from the door towards the door, so that you never walk on a part you have already cleaned.

Worked example: cleaning a classroom floor, step by step

Sweeping

1. Open the windows and put the chairs on the desks or move them aside.
2. Remove cobwebs with the long-handled brush, then wipe window sills and shelves with a damp cloth.
3. If an earth or cement floor is very dusty, sprinkle a little water on it first to keep the dust down.
4. Sweep with short strokes, keeping the broom low, from the far corner towards the door.
5. Collect the pile with the dustpan and empty it into the bin.

Mopping with two buckets

1. Fill bucket A with warm water and a little detergent, and bucket B with clean water.
2. Dip the cloth or mop in A, wring it out and wash about one square metre of floor with overlapping strokes.
3. Rinse the cloth in B and wring it out, then dip it in A again for the next square metre.
4. Change the water in B when it turns cloudy.
5. Leave the windows open until the floor is dry, then put the chairs back.

Why two buckets? The dirt from the floor is rinsed out into bucket B, so the washing water in A stays clean for longer and you do not spread dirty water over the whole room.

6Caring for your tools

• Shake out brooms and brushes after use, and hang them with the head up, or stand them on their handles, so the bristles keep their shape.
• Wash cloths and mops in soapy water, rinse them, and dry them in the sun. A damp mop left in a closed cupboard grows mould and starts to smell.
• Empty and rinse buckets and store them upside down.
• Replace a broom when its bristles are worn and bent: it no longer sweeps, it only spreads dust.

Practice

Solution. (a) A hard broom: its stiff bristles move coarse dirt and small stones on a rough surface. (b) A soft broom: its fine bristles collect fine dust on a smooth floor without scratching it.

Solution. The damp cloth holds the dust. A dry cloth lifts dust into the air, where people breathe it in and from where it settles again on the surfaces you have just cleaned.

Solution. Remove cobwebs, dust the shelves, sweep the floor, mop the floor. This follows top to bottom and dry before wet.

Solution. The cloth will stay damp, grow mould and bacteria, and start to smell. The next time it is used it will spread germs rather than remove them. He should wash it in soapy water, rinse it, and dry it in the sun before putting it away.