How often should you do a deep cleaning of your house? How do you go about sanitising your house if a family member tests positive for Covid-19? We speak to Johnson Zhuo, founder of cleaning service Dream Sparkle and former paramedic, for some cleaning and disinfecting tips.

Regular cleaning is the tasks you do on a weekly basis. They usually don’t take that long to complete, and generally are done to maintain a certain level of cleanliness at home and make it free from dust.
Deep cleaning removes the deep dirt and germs, and as the name suggests, is more extensive than regular cleaning. They also cover areas that aren’t typically covered during regular cleaning. It takes longer to complete, cover more areas, especially areas that are often overlooked by regular people, and because of this, people usually hire professional cleaners to do it.
I suggest doing this once every six months.
- Take note of the high touch surfaces in your home – this can include areas such as doorknobs, remote controllers, sofa, handles of kitchen wares, etc. Make sure these areas are frequently cleaned and disinfected as an important precaution to lower the risk of infection.
- You have to also make sure to follow cleaning product instructions for safe and effective use, including precautions you should take when applying the product, such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation.
- If a surface is dirty or stained, first clean it with soap or detergent and water. Then use a disinfectant product to wipe down the areas. If there’s a family member who is Covid-19 positive, it’s important to wipe down the location that comes in contact with the patient in the household. Ensure there is proper ventilation for the cleaned and disinfected location in the house.
- It’s also important not to wipe cleaning solutions off as soon as you’ve applied it to a surface. Do allow some time for the disinfectant to stay wet on the surface for several minutes in order for it to be effective.
- Make sure to read the directions to make sure you’re using the products as recommended and to avoid damaging sensitive items such as mobile phones, furniture and other electronic devices. Consider using wipeable covers for electronics
We have always been looking for eco-friendly solutions and this year, Dream Sparkle have started to produce our own eco-friendly general cleaning and sanitising solution called Mr. Wonderful. The technology and minerals came from Japan, and we do the quality check in Singapore.
I use Mr. Wonderful for a lot of the cleaning at my own home, including to deodorise areas and equipment, clean toilets, and house wipedowns, as it effectively removes stains without damaging surfaces.
It is a purified pH12.5 ionized alkaline water made with advanced Japanese technology that is chemical free and requires no rinsing after use.
Mr. Wonderful has no colour compounds, no odours, is non-sticky and [produces] no foam during use, a perfect cleaning agent in areas that are sensitive to conventional cleaning chemicals, such as childcare centres, hospitals, F&B outlets and theatre seats.
Every day, Dream Sparkle takes the responsibility to explain to our clients or customers what services they are looking for and what is really needed for their environment. Dream Sparkle doesn’t charge by hourly basis, as we want to ensure our clients will not feel that we drag the timing for extra charges on cleaning.
Dream Sparkle started with four people, managing day in and out business and operation. Today, we have over a hundred cleaners for commercial term contracts, professional disinfecting cleaners for pandemic or clinics, room attendants for hotels, tea ladies managing office pantries and dishwashing cleaners for F&B.
Daily managing a team is never easy without a great operation manager and excellent team leaders. Handling clients or customer expectations are one of the many daily tasks. Explaining the difference between cleaning and disinfecting service does come with a challenge as customers usually lump these two services together.
Currently with the pandemic scares, we need to explain to customers that Covid-19 is a respiratory illness that spreads through droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze and by contact with contaminated hands, surfaces or objects. And depending on the temperature, humidity and nature of the material, current evidence suggests that Covid-19 may remain contagious on a surface for two to three days on average.
Studies and Dream Sparkle’s years of disinfecting experience shows the importance of practicing good office hygiene. Regularly cleaning and disinfecting shared surfaces and high touch point areas (phones, keyboards, computer mice, desktops, door handles and security card readers) is crucial to slowing the spread Covid-19.
Dust, dirt and residue on a surface can inactivate many disinfectants. Hence, physically wiping away surface contamination first with a detergent is required prior to sanitising with the authority stated active ingredients to be effective against viruses.
It was only during my secondary days when my younger brother caught chickenpox that I had first experience of a thorough wipe down and disinfecting of the house. I had wanted my younger brother to recover and my family to be safe.
Text: Asih Jenie/Home and Decor