Is there a smart way to clean your home, and by smart, we mean quickly?
Our home is our place of refuge and comfort, yet we hate cleaning it and wish it could stay clean and sanitary with little to no effort.
So, is there a way to minimize the amount of time cleaning, and more to the point, is there a routine, or a specific order in which you should clean the house?
Let’s take a look at these fast house cleaning tips:
1. Removing Rubbish & Declutter
The key to cleaning your home successfully is to remove any overwhelm from your mind. Things that are laying around are getting in your way both physically and psychologically. By removing any rubbish or clutter right off the bat, you are literally building an open path to the things that need cleaning in your home.
Here we clarify what these items are that should be removed before any cleaning process takes place.
2. Batch Cleaning That Saves Time
Some chores require a little more elbow grease such as when cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms… this is where batch cleaning comes in handy and saves time.
You already have your cleaning tools and products out ready for bleaching, disinfecting and scrubbing. Rather than being lazy minded and clean one bathroom, think outside the box a little.
The tools and products are already out, so use them wisely. If you are applying disinfectant in your bathroom sinks, toilet and shower, then why not go into your other bathroom(s) and do the same? This will save your time as sometimes you need to allow disinfectant to settle for some time before wiping away.
Likewise, there will be items and appliances in the kitchen that will need disinfecting, this will be the perfect time to get the job done. However, please use a different cloth from the bathroom when wiping down the kitchen.
3. Polish Surfaces Before Sweeping & Mopping The Floor
This one sounds counterintuitive. When it’s time to do the dusting / polishing of ornaments, cabinets and furniture, most think about the rule of working from the top downwards.
I used to think polishing first and then sweep & mop… until my thinking was challenged by someone I knew.
“What do you think is going to happen if you’ve just polished your furniture only to start sweeping?”
Yup, that’s correct, all the dust will get thrown up in the air and stick to the surface you just polished. The solution is to switch off any ceiling fans that are running that can disturb air movement, and then sweep the floors first. After that, dust your furniture and then polish up.
Finally follow this by mopping your floor or using your hardwood floor machine if your goal is to have a spotless surface.
4. Rugs & Other Dust Collects
We’ve already discussed sweeping and/or mopping of floors. However, most homes in the US have rugs that are fixed in place and can occupy 75% of the flooring area.
If you’ve decluttered your home and removed anything that’s on the floor, simply fire up that vacuum cleaner and follow a linear pattern. Similar to mowing your lawn, you will see the lines that have been vacuumed indicating the areas that remain unvacuumed.
Do this in one go until you’ve covered the entire rugged area of your home… once you have the vacuum started, keep going until you are done so that you can then store it out of the way.
5. Cleaning Mirrors and Glass
Your home can be spotless, shiny and sparkly. You can even feel how clean it is through the air in the rooms. However, one thing that can spoil that are screeches on the windows and mirrors.
All that hard work can go to waste if you haven’t taken away the grime, grease and fingerprints on the glass that surrounds your home.
One environmental way to get spotless glass is to use vinegar that’s inexpensive and newspapers for the wiping.
The vinegar acidity will eat away at the grease while somehow the newspaper provides that spotless finish. I am not entirely sure if it’s because of the ink on the paper or because of the type of paper it is, but either way, the results are incredible.
Note: be sure to have your windows open for ventilations as not to stink your house out with the smell of vinegar (often comparable to smelly feet).
Final Cleaning Thoughts
This article is based on cleaning your home quickly and therefore deep cleaning recommendations are not included. This is on how to get your home looking good and fresh by focusing on the main elements without adding too much pressure on you.
If friends, family members or person is dropping by at short notice, the last thing you want to show them is your personal mess.
Many parts of the house will not be spotless, but rather giving the impression they are (at least enough to be inviting).
While your home is personal to you, it’s still important for it to be presentable to others. You’ll be surprised how often friends drop by, so hopefully these recommendations come in handy!
But remember, keeping your home clean is also good for peace of mind and a healthy environment to be in.
