Today I’m excited to bring you an article that inspired me all week long! I have struggled with the house cleaning ever since baby #1, and that problem has increased with every single added birth. You know how people say, “Well, once you pass X number of children, it really makes no difference.” Whoever said that is nuts! Either that, or I just haven’t passed the right number of children…
This post comes from Anna Aamone, who runs a small cleaning company in London. She loves writing about cleaning and decorating. I hope you find this article as helpful as I did.
How to Spend Less Time Cleaning and Still Have a Sparkling House
Everybody dreams about having a spotless home, but they rarely feel the urge to spend hours cleaning. Considering there are thousands of better things to do than brushing the toilet and removing limescale build-up from faucets, it is understandable why so many people want to spend so little time housekeeping. The good news is, your home could still be sparkling even if you dedicate a very small amount of time to keeping it so darn neat. Here are a few tips to make house-cleaning more time-effective.
Focus on key areas
There are some telltale signs of why your home doesn’t look clean. The first one is your television. It needs dusting on the daily. No matter how much time you dedicate to cleaning, if dust still hangs on your DVD stacks and your television, it’s like you didn’t accomplish anything. It may sound a little “wait, what?”, but it’s not really important to have a clean home but rather a home that looks clean. So it’s wise to focus on those areas that show dirt and stains.
Some other key spots to focus on are your book shelves (dust), knick-knacks (dust), toothbrush holder (lots of residue), bathroom floor (soap scum, limescale, stains), kitchen countertops (food stains, crumbs), sinks (soap scum, limescale), space under tables (crumbs, stains), entryway (mud stains, dirt, soil), stove top (grease, burned food).
Wash the dishes right away
Do wash the dishes after your family is done with their meal. Dirty dishes look nothing but disgusting, making your home look like a sty. Because what kind of a housewife doesn’t have time to wash the dishes?
Get rid of pet hair on the daily
Pet hair can be difficult to remove, especially if you haven’t bothered to deal with it for a whole month. The easy way to cut down on hair and spend less time getting rid of it is to clean it on the daily. Put on rubber gloves and wet them. Run your hands over furniture or your pet’s favorite spot to hang around. Hair will get caught on the gloves and off your domestic surfaces.
Do one chore at a time
Because you want to do as many things as possible in the shortest time possible, you often fall into the trap of doing many chores at a time. But this is not okay. Staying focused on one task will make you more effective. So keep it simple.
Do small tasks every day
Cut down on clutter by doing small tasks every day. At first it may seem like you have to clean and tidy all the time, but soon you will find out that your domestic chores have been reduced to a manageable level. Because you will tackle small jobs on the daily, you won’t ever have to take a whole Saturday and spend it cleaning the house. Sweeping the floor takes about five minutes, washing the dishes is ten minutes, dusting is ten to fifteen minutes. Combine this rule with the next one to get better results.
Focus on a different chore every day
Monday could be vacuuming, Tuesday is organizing the shelves, Wednesday is for dusting, Thursday is doing the laundry, etc. etc. Even better, make a list of all the chores that have to be done throughout the week and distribute them evenly. You will find this to be a very good rule. Waking up knowing there is only one chore to do today makes it seem less burdensome and tiring.
This is the best way to spend less time cleaning and still have that spotless home you are willing to have. SW7 TenancyCleaning wishes you good luck!
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View Comments
I'm hopeless at keeping my house clean and tidy! I should try to adhere to these rules!
I am too. That's why I published Anne's article. We can learn together.
We just have fish for pets, fortunately we don't have to deal with dog/cat hair. Have been in houses where it has not been taken care of, and it is everywhere.
A great article April! :)
~Carl~
I try to do all those points (only recently moved the dished to one of the FIRST things I do, haha) and I still struggle... ugh. These kids make messes as fast as I clean them!! lol..
VERY smart! My husband is so neurotic about dishes, he won't sit down to eat until the dishes are done. From the meal he prepared. It gets cold! However. It's the way he is.
And the pet hair thing is key.
Love these tips! I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to my house being clean, so I tend to do everything all in one day. And then again the next day. And the next, lol.. It sounds crazy to some people, but because I have a schedule and do things daily, it's not really a big time consumer because everything stays pretty caught up!
If you are able to build a proper schedule and stay with it, this is great. Just don't forget to have fun ;)
So jealous. I wish I possessed that trait.
The dishes are my WORST enemy! I could have a really nice house if someone else would keep that sink clean! :) Good ideas though! Thanks for sharing!
Yeah, the dishes are a nightmare for everyone, I think :)
This is great!I do a lot of this. It seems like a little bit every day really makes a difference. It is never perfect, but you are right at least it is easier to stay on top of it that way.
Thanks, I'm glad to know that more people are sharing my views and yes the small things makes the difference.