Keeping house isn’t always easy, especially when our lives are so busy all the time. From working a 9 to 5 job (or really any other schedule) to planning the weekend to see friends and family or relax, who has time to keep the house spotless on top of all that?
In this post, we’re taking a look at a handful of housekeeping pointers and tools to save you time and keep your home looking clean. Vacuuming is one of the simplest things people use to clean home but without a best vacuum cleaner it’s just a waste of time. Visit bestvacuumcleaners.org to buying every type of vacuum you need.
A clean home creates a less stressful, happier environment. Let’s dive right in!
Table of Contents
Pencil It In
Most people have certain events they need to schedule time for in their everyday lives. For some of us, this means making time for working eight hours a day, while other times we need to make time for classes and the corresponding schoolwork. Cleaning house should be no exception to this rule. It’s too easy to let messes get out of control because we don’t specifically write in time to clean the house. It could be an hour per day for two or three days of your schedule. It could also be for a couple of hours on your day off. Either way, find something that works for you and intentionally pencil it into your schedule. Treat it like a weekly job–a requirement–and you’d be surprised how easy it is to keep up with your housework.
Motivate Yourself
Cleaning is a tedious task; that’s no secret. However, it is, of course, necessary. With that being said, though, you don’t have to clean in silence. Turn on some of your favorite upbeat music, listen to a podcast or, if it’s not too distracting, turn on a TV show.
Create a Caddy
It’s easy to lose track of your housekeeping tools. Sometimes a roll of paper towels will be in the kitchen or it could turn up in the bathroom. That window cleaner isn’t doing anyone any good in the garage if that’s where it’s even located.
Keep your tools organized and all corralled in one place can make your house cleaning job considerably less stressful. A simple, easy-to-carry plastic carrier should work just fine.
Speaking of your cleaning tools, there’s no need to get the newest cleaning gadgets when reliable staples like spray bottles, rubber gloves, and shammy cloths will suit your needs just fine.
Think Whole House
It can be daunting to break your house cleaning job down to a room-by-room basis. What may be more efficient, instead, is to do a single task, going from room to room. For example, let’s say you are cleaning the carpet for the living room. Consider sweeping through your other carpeted rooms.
While you’re at it, you might want to prep your hardwood floor cleaning tools to get that done next. Going by task rather than going by room ensures you get all the rooms in your house rather than getting stuck having to clean the same parts of the same rooms over and over again while procrastinating on cleaning other rooms that need just as much attention. It’s better for several reasons to get it all done at once.
Clean up the Clutter
Given how busy our day-to-day lives can be, it’s easy to get complacent and not put things back where we found them. Despite what we were told as children, we simply don’t always clean up after ourselves. With that being said, though, before starting in any area of the house, it’s best to put things back where they belong. This could mean magazines, books, small appliances, blankets, clothing and so on. When all of that is put away, you can start cleaning from a “clean slate” so to speak. Better yet, instead of putting everything away, take some time every now and then to figure out if the clutter is something you want to keep, donate, or throw away. After all, the less clutter you have to deal with, the cleaner your home will be.
Clean Your Tools
Your cleaning tools help clean the house, but who cleans the cleaners? That would be up to us, too.
It’s easy to forget the cleaning tools you use throughout the house need cleaning, too. It may be common sense to dispose of or launder the cleaning cloths or towels when you’re done with them to avoid spreading bacteria, germs, or grime from room to room.
However, cleaning solution spritzers could use a good scrubbing now and then, and be sure to wash or replace your mop heads periodically, too. After all, a dirty mop just isn’t going to accomplish anything.
You’ll want to pay close attention to any cleaning appliance as well. For example, vacuum cleaners with bags need to be closely monitored before each use to figure out whether or not the bag needs to be changed, while ones without bags may need a cleaning before. A dirty vacuum simply doesn’t run as efficiently as possible and will cost you more time in cleaning your house.
Master Speed Chores
When it comes to cleaning, as with most things in life, the little things add up. Try to incorporate little tasks throughout the day during your non-cleaning time. For example, maybe you’re waiting on your spouse to get ready so you can go out. While you’re waiting, you can sort through some junk mail and throw away some things you don’t need. Something like this generally isn’t going to take more than about 30 seconds, but those little bursts of cleaning can add an extra touch of cleanliness that can save you time and stress when it comes time to tackle the whole house again.
Getting into the habit of tackling some of these micro-tasks will help you maintain or even improve a solid cleaning routine, helping keep your home looking its best. Even small little bits of time between items on your busy agenda can work for you and, over time, those results will show themselves.
What are some speed cleaning tips that work for you?
Resources: DIY Network, Nationwide, The Spruce