What are your best / favourite cleaning tips? ?

Question

I am trying to be more efficient when it comes to doing the household chores and would love to know any handy hints people may have.

Answer 1

Hire a maid?

Answer 2

johnsons baby wipes are fab for cleaning stainless steel in the kitchen - try it and watch your hob shine :o)

Answer 3

I use half a vinegar, half of water and a few drops of Fairy for cleaning bathroom and kitchen. "Elisa" (Serbia) has fantastic collection of bio and eco-friendly products for cleaning everything in the house, and some cosmetics - shampoo etc.

Answer 4

I love using vinegar in the laundry.  It gets the icky smells out so well.  Also, we have soft water, and things just get cleaner and stay cleaner longer.  I have 5 kids, and the soft water is a wonder in the bathroom.  

Also, if you have an extra freezer in the garage, keep it full.  If you don't have enough food in it, refill milk/soda bottles and store in there.  You'll have extra ice when you need it, and the freezer won't have to work so hard to keep things cold.  A full freezer is cheaper to run.  

Answer 5

Microfiber! I have microfiber cloths I use for cleaning that pick up dirt, the dirt really clings to it. I also have a microfiber sweeper that collects the dust and dirt and doesn't move it around as much as a broom.

Answer 6

Efficiency is a word I see a lot on YA.  I'm not quite sure what people mean each time they use it.  The best, most economical way that takes the least amount of time? :)

For me, efficiency has been achieved through lists, and a few activities that make the larger cleaning tasks easier:

Do Daily:

- Make the bed

- Clean while cooking (saves time afterward)

- De-clutter the room (makes dusting, vacuuming easier)

- Sweep the kitchen floor (makes mopping better)

- Wipe up any spill right away (makes cleaning anything faster b/c there are no built-up stains)

Answer 7

Go and buy a bag of soda crystals. Great for getting stains out of clothes, descuzzing washing machines & dishwashers. Denture tablets are great for getting stains off tea pots, spoons and getting rid of that water line down the toilet.

They are both really cheap too !

Answer 8

Hire some one to do the work for you. lol I tried this tip years ago and my house has never been cleaner.

Answer 9

i love bleach. i clean everything with it, the smell is a little strong but you get an amazing clean with minimum scrubbing. and everything comes up to white. i also use a steel wool scourer as well. saves a lot of time scrubbing

Answer 10

Things You’ll Need:

basket or bucket

cleaning products

sponges

rags

paper towels

towels

Step1

BATHROOM -

Keep a container of disinfectant wipes under each bathroom sink. Each day, perhaps after your shower, use a wipe to clean off the sinks, counters and toilet bowl. This keeps the bathroom tidy all week.

Spray down the shower walls, tub, counters and toilet, let the cleaner sit while you empty trash cans and hang towels. Then go back and wipe everything down and clean the mirrors.

Using shower cleaner, spray your shower daily, to help keep it clean. The steam from your shower will help to loosen dirt, making it easier to clean.

Try wiping down your glass shower with your bath mat when you finish showering to head off water spots.

Use a dirty towel on the floor of the shower to keep your footing and avoid injury.

Keep a squeegee handy to clean the walls down after the shower.

Clean the toilet, sink & mirror while your kids are in the bath. This saves time as you need to be present while your kids bathe anyway.

Designate a drawer, basket or container for hair brushes, scrunchies and barrettes.

Put hair dryers, curling irons and hair straighteners out of sight when you are finished using them.

Step2

KITCHEN -

Use baking soda to clean the kitchen cabinets and counters. The stove and refrigerator will come out sparkling.

Do a quick mop or floor wipe down daily to make it easier to do your weekly mop.

If you use a dishwasher, load dishes as you use them. Don't allow your sink to become full of dishes.

If you have pets, especially those that shed, use a hand held vacuum or sweeper to suck up animal hair before sweeping. Sweeping doesn't collect animal hair, it simply moves it around.

Change your kitchen cleaning rag daily. Be sure to rinse and wring it out well after each use and hang it to dry. A sour cleaning rag can cause an awful smell.

Toss your dish cleaning sponge into the dishwasher on the top rack.

Step3

QUICKIE TIPS -

Play "Beat the Clock" by setting a timer for 15 minutes. See how much you can accomplish in this amount of time.

When you clean for 10 or 15 minutes, as opposed to an hour or more, cleaning doesn't seem overwhelming. Turn some music on and do this a few times a day so everything gets done. Choose CD's instead of the radio to keep you on track, no commercial interruptions makes it easier to keep the beat while cleaning.

Keep a supply of cleaning products in each bathroom and in the kitchen. Store these in buckets or baskets with a handle to make them easy to pick up and set down as you clean.

When you are cleaning windows, wipe up and down on the inside and back and forth on the outside. If there are any streaks you will be able to see which side needs to be redone.

Step4

Clean all rooms from top to bottom and left to right. This method makes it difficult to miss anything.

Keep a stock of small bags in the same room as the cat litter box. Whenever the box needs scooping the bags are right there, no need to go get one.

Keep a few extra trash bags in the bottom of your trash cans. When you pull out the full bag, a new bag will be waiting for you.

Save time and aggravation by connecting a long extension cord to your vacuum cleaner. You can vacuum your entire house (or one floor if you have multiple levels) without having to unplug it for each room. If the kitchen, for example, is the center of your house, use a kitchen outlet to reach all of your rooms.

Keep a supply of cotton swabs your cleaning supplies. There is always some corner that your rag or sponge won't reach, such as that "gunk" that gets around the edge of the bathroom sink. Cotton swabs are small enough to get that job done.

Step5

Do It Now -

Put things back, rinse out that dirty dish, put shoes where they belong, and so on. When you think to yourself, "I'll do that later" you may find yourself in a panic later when you are running behind and so many things are not done.

Throw a load of clothes into the washing machine before you start the coffee pot. Set a timer so you won't forget to put them in the dryer.

Put in a load of laundry or run the dishwasher while cleaning other areas of the house. You will have accomplished more in a shorter period of time.

Step6

BEFORE BED -

Empty the sink, wash dirty dishes and wipe it all down. Getting up to dirty dishes is always unpleasant.

Before heading off to bed at night, check that the bathroom has towels hung, toothbrushes are put away, and give the sink a quick wipe down.

Do a 5 minute sweep of the living room. Grab a basket and pick up any stray toys, laundry, dishes, and reading materials. Put them away, or at the very least, gather them all in a basket for tomorrow's clean up

Answer 11

i think bye cleaning my self is fun but when i am tired someone will do it and i will hire a made to

Answer 12

Got a baked on greasy oven then this works a treat, take out all the trays and tins from the oven, lay in the bath, take 2 big scoops of soap powder and dissolve in boiling water from the tap, leave over night and the brown baked on mess will just wipe away, this always works a treat for me, and its so easy to do, no more scrubbing or sore hands, wear rubber gloves though, hope this gives everyone an idea for future cleaning tasks.

Answer 13

Do the worst jobs first and the better jobs last, it helps get through them.

Also crank tunes! That always helps.

Answer 14

Invest in a dishwasher. Use spray on surface cleaners and a thin sponge for speed. Don't use a dry duster, ever. It just redistributes dust. Don't sweep up indoors, more dust moved around. Use a furniture cleaner such as Johnson's Pledge to keep dust down. Use a spray bath/shower cleaner. When you replace your vacuum cleaner get one with a HEPA filter to reduce dust output.