5 Quick Cleaning Tips
Cleaning our homes is something we all have to do. But when you are low on time and have a messy house to deal with here’s a few tips to help you get the job done more quickly.
I know I try to keep up with my house cleaning. I have days of the week I do each floor of the house, there are three of them. Then one day a week for doing seasonal or monthly jobs and the last day to get caught up, if I get behind. Which does seem to happen. I try not to clean much on the weekends, I just need a break by the time the weekend rolls around.
Because of my cleaning schedule or my lack of cleaning on the weekends, when our whole family is home, come Monday morning there is usually a mess here and there that needs to be tackled. I want to share a few quick cleaning tips that I use help clean up fast.
Do a Quick Pick Up Before Cleaning
It’s hard to clean with a bunch of toys, papers, shoes, socks and other general stuff lying around. Before I even drag out the vacuum, I will do a quick pick up of everything that is out of place. The kids pick up and put away their items, I tackle the paper clutter and any other miscellaneous items. In just a few minutes the house is already looking better.
Keep Clutter Under Control
It’s also hard to clean surfaces when they are cluttered up with a bunch of stuff, that isn’t put away or has nowhere to go. Clutter can really discourage a homemaker, at least I know it can discourage me. Now, if you have a bunch of clutter in your home, don’t try to take it on all at once.
Spend about 10 minutes a day tackling a drawer, a shelf or an area and clear the clutter out. If I haven’t used the item in a year and I don’t love it, then it has to go.
Dust then Vacuum or Better Yet Dust with the Vacuum
I usually do a quick dusting of all horizontal surfaces before I vacuum. It gets the dust wiped up and then anything that ends up on the floor can be quickly vacuumed away. If your house is really dusty consider dusting with the vacuum to remove it all more easily. If your horizontal surfaces are clutter free it’s also so much easier to dust and vacuum them.
Keep the Kitchen Sink Clean
If your kitchen sink is full of dirty dishes then your whole kitchen will feel like a mess. Load or clean the dirty dishes in the sink, and clean the sink. A clean and empty sink can help you feel like you have accomplished something in a room where there is always something to clean.
Wipe Down the Bathroom Everyday
The bathroom is one room that can look messy 5 minutes after it’s been cleaned. From toothpaste splatter on the mirror to things sitting out. Each day just take a minute or two to wipe down the mirror, counter, sink and faucet. Try to keep the counter as clutter free as you can to make this task easier to do each day.
It’s your turn, what quick things do you do to make your house look and feel cleaner when you are short on time? Leave me a comment below and share your wisdom.
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I LOVE these tips, Shelly! 🙂 I don’t have a cleaning schedule, but I try to stay on top of cleaning every day. When I feel overwhelmed, I let my husband know and he pitches in and often helps with the dishes and laundry.
My kids help clean, too, but honestly, we’re a family of seven and the messes just never seem to end!
It’s so great your kids and husband help. With that many people I’m sure it needs to be a team effort to keep up. 🙂 I know how messy my house can get with just 4 people.
These tips are all so helpful! I recently started using a basket on my kitchen counter to collect all the papers that I need to deal with, but don’t have time to do until later. This helps keep everything more organized and my kitchen doesn’t look so cluttered with paper.
The paper tip is HUGE! I now have a filing cabinet in the pantry where I put anything that doesn’t get tossed right away. I have another drawer elsewhere in the house for all the papers that DS brings home from school – until I can go through and choose the ones to keep.
Having a place for everything is the best way to keep clutter down for me. Drives me nuts when counters are covered in misc. things that don’t have HOMES! 🙂
I try to do daily sweeps – sometimes with a small laundry basket – to find all the things that need to be put where they belong. Between that and keeping the dishes done things usually seem pretty well under control.
I try to keep cleaning supplies close to every area that needs them – in each bathroom, in the kitchen, so grabbing and using is a matter of seconds. I can clean the sink, etc. for example, while DS is in the bath, and so on…