Cleaning is a chore no one is a fan of and find it a rather daunting task come the weekends. Most spend their time cleaning one room at a time in a day which makes them feel there’s no end to it since they go around cleaning their house in a cycle.
However, if you just moved out of your parents’ place to a new home and have no idea about cleaning or if you have sudden guests coming over, speed cleaning can help you save time and make your home look spick and span clean. And that’s where we come in to help you discover the shortcut to speed cleaning so you can sweep and scrub less and relax more. Let’s take a look at some of these shortcut cleaning tips which may also help you to improvise and use your ideas to clean your home.
1. Clear away the clutter
First of all, before you start your cleaning process, go from room to room and clear away the clutter of toys, books, plates, cups, cushions, and anything that’ll get in your way when cleaning. Otherwise, you’d have to stop dusting or vacuuming every few minutes to pick up stuff that can become a time killer.
2. Pick a Task
Pick one cleaning task like dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing, or mopping, one room at a time, and go all over the house. That’ll save you time and won’t make you feel like you’re in an endless cleaning cycle doing the same task all over again.
3. Dust then Vacuum
Dust the whole house first. Make sure windows are closed and the fans are turned off so the wind doesn’t blow the dust to your nose or elsewhere. If you are allergic to dust, make sure to use a mask when dusting. For hard-to-reach areas, attach a microfiber cloth to the end of a large stick or broom. You can also get different types of dusters for dusting different items, like dusters with an extended handle for the window blinds or the top of closets or bookshelves and so on.
After dusting, vacuum the whole house to collect those dust-ups. Again, windows must be closed and fans turned off when vacuuming. Your vacuum cleaner should have the necessary parts to vacuum hard-to-reach areas, all you have to do is to attach them with the vacuum cleaner.
4. Sweeping & Mopping
If you have tile floors then it would be a good idea to sweep the floor for accumulated dust and then mop with soapy water. You can use a spray mop for floor cleaning as those do not need to dip the mop on dirty water or use buckets to carry it.
This is also perfect for cleaning and mopping the kitchen and bathroom floors. Make sure you start cleaning from the inside and slowly make your way towards the door. Otherwise, you’ll lead yourself into a corner and then walk on the wet floor to get out, making the floor dirty again. Remember to wipe your mop after you clean every 4×4 foot area.
5. Wipe windows & mirrors
You can use a damp microfiber cloth and a dry one to clean your window glasses and mirrors. You can also use wipers, used to clean car windshields, to make it easier than using a cloth. All you have to do is wet the mirror or the window with a spray bottle of water or soapy water and then wipe it clean.
6. Disinfect
Get a multi surface disinfectant and spray around the hard surfaces of the house. This includes kitchen countertops, basins, sinks, appliances, doorknobs, TV remote, or other gadgets, any place where germs would breed and be delivered to people touching them.
You can also make your version of disinfectant by mixing 1/4th of a half cup of white or apple cider vinegar with a cup of water. The good thing about this is that it is non-toxic.
6. Clean Bathrooms at the end
Bathroom cleaning should be last on your list of chores. However, you can spray around the toilet, sink, and basin and leave it be till you’ve finished with the other rooms. Also, you can spray around your kitchen sink and basin and let it sit for a few minutes too to loosen the dirt.
Then start scrubbing! While you’re at it, do the same for your microwave and/or electric oven. Spray, let it sit, and then scrub. Also, be sure to clean your garbage disposal bins both inside and outside your house and disinfect thoroughly.
7. Easy Access
Another important tip is to carry all the cleaning utensils in a bucket, tote, or a caddy instead of one at a time. It’ll be easier to select the items rather than going back and forth to get them and it also helps to keep your cleaning supplies organized.
The supplies that you can keep in your caddy include detergents, bleaches, and anything too heavy for you to carry. You can get a caddy with wheels to pull around with you to whichever room you’ll clean next.
9. Clean Your Pool
If you have a pool at your home, the only way to keep it clean is to check its pH levels, at least once a week. This way you would know it won’t harm the pool and the swimmers.
Clean the pool regularly and not wait till the pool becomes all cloudy and filled with debris and leaves. This way it may affect the machinery of the pool and its filters may become jammed. Moreover, it becomes quite difficult to clean when the pool becomes very dirty and you have to give extra effort when cleaning. Therefore, a regular sweep of the pool will help you get your other chores done much faster.
10. Throw Away Useless Stuff
Look around your house for stuff you don’t use and never will. These are the stuff that makes your home look jam-packed and takes up space that you can use for some other purpose.
What you can do is throw away stuff that is broken or torn. As for others, you can sell them online for half the cost price, or ask your friends and family if they’d like to have them. It could range from dresses or shoes you will never wear, furniture, lamps, showpieces that are taking up too much space, potted plants, paintings, toys, and a lot more. You can also send them to charity houses for the kids and homes for the elderly.
Sometimes you may want to hold on to some stuff due to sentimental reasons. For things you can’t decide, sleep on it and take your time thinking about what to do with it.
11. Wash Your Utensils Regularly
After you’re done cleaning, make sure to clean your cleaning supplies too. Leaving the dirty mop as it is, will make you put in extra labor the next time to set out to clean. Therefore, it is necessary to clean your sweeper, mops, cloths, and empty the dust bag so they are ready for you to start cleaning.
12. Make It a Group Activity
The best idea for speed cleaning is to involve your family members in the activity. Provide each of them with separate tasks and you’ll be done with cleaning your house in no time. Schedule a time when they are free and in no time at all, you can see your home start to sparkle. Moreover, it is a great way to get connected to everyone and with a bit of music, cleaning can become fun!
Cleaning is a daunting task that nobody likes to do but want a clean house when they come home from work. There are some great hacks when it comes to cleaning and you don’t have to put in extra effort every time you decide to clean. You can clean instantly, for example, if there’s a spill in the microwave, clean it immediately rather than letting it sit and dry out till your next cleaning schedule. Why wait till then when you can do it now?
Another tip to speed cleaning, when you have sudden guests coming over and you have a lot of stuff cluttered around, just pick them up and stuff them in a closet your guests won’t open. You can, later on, put them back in their place and organize accordingly.
With your family members involved in this activity, cleaning can become fun and easy. If, however, you still find it daunting, you can always hire professional home cleaners to help you out, that is, if you’re willing to spend some money. In that case, have your home deep cleaned and make it sparkle!