Cleaning your house can be time consuming. A lot us us don’t have much spare time and the time we do have we don’t necessarily want to spend it cleaning. There are a number of cleaning hacks out there that can help us to reduce the amount of time cleaning and tidying but how can we put this in to action I hear you say?
Most of us aren’t sure if we should dust or vacuum first. We wonder whether we should clean the kitchen before the bathroom or vice versa.
We have put together a step-by-step guide, which we hope will allow you to make the most of your time and clean your house fast:
1. Clean the whole house, not one room at time
Cleaning is much more efficient if you pick one task (dusting, vacuuming, mopping) and do the same task in every room in the house, rather than cleaning the kitchen, the bathrooms and then the bedrooms. Doing it that way prevents you from feeling like you’re in an endless cleaning cycle, starting the same task over and over again.
2. Gather all your cleaning tools in a caddy
Whether it’s a caddy, bucket or tote, having everything you need to clean in one portable place makes it much easier to get the job done. You won’t waste time looking for tools while you clean, and don’t have to worry about gathering them before your next go around.
3. Clear the clutter
Before you even start cleaning, go room to room and pick up the clutter. As you pick up each item – magazines, well-read paperbacks, old sneakers – consider whether you should put it away, toss it or donate it.
4. Dust and vacuum
Before you start dusting, make sure ceiling fans are turned off. Concentrate your dusting on the tops of furniture and the undersides of shelves, on handrails, picture frames, knickknacks and TV screens. For hard-to-reach areas, like blinds and upper shelves, tie a microfiber cloth to the end of a mop or broom. Change the sheets in the bedrooms before you vacuum.
5. Wipe mirrors and glass
Use one damp microfiber cloth, followed by one dry cloth in wiping clean all the mirrors and glass surfaces.
6. Disinfect countertops and surface areas
Go through your house and wipe down the hard surfaces – from countertops, appliances and cabinets to doorknobs, light switches, TV remotes and telephones. You should disinfect some of those surfaces, particularly the ones that might deliver germs to people’s fingers and faces.
7. Focus on tubs, sinks and toilets
Spray cleaner on the kitchen sink then on bathroom sinks, tubs and toilets. Let it sit for a few minutes so the cleaner has time to dissolve dirt and stains. Then return to the kitchen and start scrubbing. Don’t forget to wipe down the inside of the microwave. Clean toilets last.
8. Sweep, then mop
Sweep the kitchen and bathroom floors.
9. Keep moving when you vacuum
keep moving through the house, running the vacuum over every hard floor or carpeted area.
10. Don’t forget to routinely wash your cleaning tools
An often overlooked part of cleaning the house is maintaining your cleaning tools. Using a dirty mop or a vacuum with a full bag is much less effective, and you’ll end up spending more time trying to clean. So before and after you start your cleaning make sure full vacuum bags are emptied and any empty cleaning products are thrown away, recycled and restocked ready for next time.
11. Make cleaning a group activity
Making cleaning a team effort is one of the best ways to clean a house fast. Working together can help get the tasks done quicker and allow you to be much more productive. Whilst one is stacking the dishwasher, one can be cleaning kitchen surfaces down for example.
I hope you found this step by step guide useful and it helps you to make the most of your time and clean your house more efficiently.
