It’s not always easy to find time to clean your home. Between work, kids and other commitments, you have other responsibilities to manage. But that routine can turn small daily chores into more intensive tasks. As a result, it’s a lot harder to clean your house. Fortunately, you can upgrade your current habits with a few simple tips.
Here’s how to clean your home thoroughly and efficiently.
1. Create a Routine
Who wants to use an entire day to clean their house? You can manage your home’s tidiness better when you allocate a specific timeslot for each room. A dedicated cleaning schedule can help you stay on track so that you know when and where to clean. For many people, it’s easier to commit to a task when it’s written down. Once you start this routine, it’ll soon become muscle memory.
For example, you could clean the bathrooms on Mondays, the family room on Tuesdays and the kitchen on Wednesdays. These timeslots don’t have to be more than half an hour if you and your family tidy up every day. Feel free to involve your kids, too. Maybe they could dedicate Thursdays to their bedrooms. You may also want to consult a quick checklist so that no one forgets to scrub behind the toilet.
2. Keep Supplies Stocked
It’s essential to keep your cleaning supplies organized and stocked. You don’t want to open your cabinet and rummage through a bin to find you don’t have any wood cleaner left. A bucket or caddy filled with sprays, wipes, gloves and sponges can help you save time and energy. Plus, it’s easier to teach your children how to clean if they know where to find specific products.
Try to stock a few different products so that you can tackle various messes. You should have a multi-purpose cleaner, floor cleaner and glass cleaner, as well as tools. You can even consolidate your current supply to a more manageable amount. A few tiny bottles should fit perfectly under the bathroom sink. When there’s a mess, you won’t have to walk downstairs to your storage cabinet. Convenient, right?
3. Always Start Small
If you find yourself overwhelmed with a filthy house, it’s smart to start small. You may only have time to make your bed — and that’s okay. You can always leave other tasks for later as long as you don’t miss them completely. Even though your cleaning schedule should help you manage your routine better, life can take over at any moment. But it’s smart to clean a little bit rather than not at all.
In those cases, it’s best to complete what you can before you have to deal with another responsibility. Take five minutes to look around. Can you load and run your dishwasher? Is there time to wipe down your fridge? Could you sanitize your phone and remotes? It’s all about what you can accomplish with your time. You can always come back and clean the entire room later on.
4. Vacuum Carpets Correctly
Many people vacuum their carpets without much precision. For the most part, it’s okay to do a quick sweep. But when you want to achieve a deep clean, it’s essential to use a specific technique to remove all the dirt and dust. You should vacuum high-traffic areas about once a week to ensure they stay tidy. You can also incorporate this chore into your cleaning schedule so that you don’t miss any spots.
Here’s a method you can try once a month for deep cleaned carpets. Vacuum the carpet horizontally. You’ll want to push the vacuum forward to create a path. Drag the vacuum back so that you go back over the line you already created. Complete the same process as you vacuum the carpet vertically. This method should help you pick up any grime inside the carpet.
Take your time as you vacuum to ensure a cleaner finish.
5. Use Leftover Lemons
Here’s an effective way to use leftovers and remove stains. A single lemon has a 2.0 pH balance — and that means it’s acidic enough to cut through smudges on almost any surface. Whether there’s rust on your door or grease on your shirt, lemon juice can come to the rescue. This trick can be a lifesaver when you need to quickly tackle a mystery spot.
For most stains, you can use a leftover cut lemon half. Squeeze the lemon onto the area and let the juice dry for 15 minutes. Use a small brush to scrub lightly and rinse the remnants with water. If you want to remove a clothing stain, add salt with the lemon juice and gently rub the material together. Let the article dry under the sun. Make sure to test the area beforehand so that the lemon juice doesn’t bleach your clothes accidentally.
Try These Tricks for a Cleaner House
Don’t be too hard on yourself! Cleaning isn’t anyone’s favorite task, but it’s possible to figure out better habits to make your home shine. Try these tips for a sparkly and tidy house with minimal effort.
