The second of three articles focused on cleaning the common areas of your house.

This edition covers, in detail ‘How to clean your hallway’.

With the right tools, accessories, and vacuum cleaner, it’s possible to keep your home looking spotless. To help you tick all the boxes during your next dedicated deep clean, here’s Dyson’s step-by-step guide to cleaning common, high-traffic areas of the household, such as the staircase, hallway and living room.

To cut down on cleaning time, here are our top three preparation tips:

1. Gather your supplies and accessories before you begin.
2. Work on one area of the house or room at a time.
3. Clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces.

What you’ll need to get started:

• Cordless vacuum cleaner
• Combination tool
• Dusting brush
• Stubborn dirt brush
• A cloth and warm water

Step-by-step guide:

1. If you're vacuuming both the ceiling and the floor, start with the ceiling so that you capture any airborne dust that may land on the furniture or floor below. 
2. Attach the Combination tool to the base of the vacuum cleaner wand and use the wide nozzle to start. Slowly run the vacuum along the line where the ceiling meets the wall. Switch your vacuum to Boost mode to capture any cobwebs that typically harbour in the corners of those hard-to-reach places.
3. Moving onto the walls – which are neglected by 50 per cent of UK people according to the Dyson dust study – remove dust with a damp cloth, cleaning wipes or the vacuum. If you’re opting for the latter, slide down the brush of the Combination tool to clean without damaging any paint, wallpaper or air conditioning units.
4. To clean the skirting boards, attach the dusting brush accessory to the base of the vacuum cleaner wand and again, put the vacuum in Boost mode to quickly suck up all that settled dust. If there is still ingrained dirt or marks, use a cloth and warm water to gently remove them.
5. At high-traffic areas in the home, specifically around the entry and exit points, take some extra time cleaning the floor. 
6. For hard floors, use a Soft roller cleaner head which has been engineered specifically for wooden or tiled surfaces. Work in patterns so you know where you’ve been, or use a vacuum cleaner with laser technology to reveal invisible particles. 
7. Following a thorough vacuum, use a clean mop with hot water and some disinfectant to kill any germs. It’s important you don’t mop until after vacuuming, to avoid creating a more favourable habitat for dust mites.
8. For carpeted floors, use a High Torque cleaner head that intelligently adapts its suction to deep clean carpets. Again, work in patterns to avoid missing any spots. 
9. Lastly, revisit your hallway entry and exit points where dirt and mud may have been trodden into the floor. The Stubborn dirt brush, which can be attached to your vacuum in handheld mode, should be your go-to accessory for tackling dirt and dried mud. Use your vacuum in Boost mode to combine powerful suction with the stiff nylon brushes that help unearth debris.

To read the full article, click on our ‘How to clean the common areas of your house’ link.

If you’d like to share your own tips on cleaning, feel free to add these below. Any other tips you’d like to share, please post them in our ‘Tips and tricks’ section on the Community homepage.

Related community articles 

How to clean your staircase

How to clean your living room