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A lot of people feel a bit uncomfortable admitting that they don’t like to clean house – but not me. I didn’t like doing chores growing up (but I did or I’d get in trouble), and I don’t like doing it now. I mean, there are just so many other things to do with your time (including working 40 hours a week, right? Then, guess what? Once you clean, you need to do a repeat performance. All that said, guess what’s worse than cleaning? Stressing out about how messy your house is (especially if someone drops by unannounced) and ignoring it isn’t an effective solution. That’s what inspired me to come up with the following cleaning tips for lazy people, tips that have made the process a lot easier for me and they will for you too.
Organise Your Cleaning Supplies
Invest in multiple bottles of cleaning products (or make your own) and tools (dust pan, hand broom, microfiber towels, etc.) and have them handy in your kitchen, bathrooms, utility room, etc. If you’re anything like me, if the cleaning products aren’t handy chances are no cleaning is going to take place. Here’s a tip worth mentioning when it comes to the bathroom. Using liquid body wash instead of bar soap will cut down on soap scum build up.
Dishwashers Aren’t Just for Dishes
You know all those sticky hard plastic kid’s toys that you typically put off cleaning? You can toss them in the dishwasher. I’ve even heard of people cleaning their rubber shoes, tools and even car parts this way. Bottom line, dishwashers aren’t just for dishes, however, use common sense if you try it.
Cleaning the Microwave
There’s nothing more repugnant than the smell of baked on leftovers in the microwave, not to mention the fact that food bacteria from countless uses can build up over time. Here’s an easy fix – combine 2 cups of water and about 1/2 cup of vinegar in a bowl that is microwave safe and nuke it for three minutes at full power. Then just wipe clean.
Squeegee the Shower
Before you get out of the shower, use a small squeegee to clean off the tiles, glass doors, etc. Waiting weeks to clean grimy shower surfaces will make the job a lot harder and nobody wants that. There are also no wipe cleansers available, but they don’t always do a great job.
Quick and Easy Carpet Cleaning Tips
Clean spots on your carpeting with a solution of 1 cup white vinegar and 2 cups of water. You can also make a solution of 1/4 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent (clear) and 1 cup of warm water. If your overall carpeting needs a good cleaning, do yourself a favor and hire professional carpet cleaners like Proton Cleaning Geelong that provide full range of residential and commercial cleaning services.
Buy Microfiber Based Door Mats
Invest in a microfiber doormat. This wonderful invention does a great job of trapping dirt before it can be tracked inside. I’ve also adopted a “no shoes allowed” policy at my place to help keep dirt and grime from being tracked across my tiled kitchen floor and carpeting. Less dirt = less cleaning – YAY!
Clean as You Go
As you walk around the house, get in the habit of picking things up and putting them away. Any time you enter a different room, look for trash or clutter and instead of ignoring a toy or newspaper on the floor, pick it up and put (or throw) it away. Consistently picking up messes when you see them will help prevent it from stacking up.
Multi-tasking Your Way Clean
Instead of playing with your phone while you’re waiting for that pot to boil, look for something to clean. Wipe down the stove, put the dishes in the dishwasher or sweep the floor – you get the picture. There’s always something that can use a quick cleaning, which will end up saving you time an energy later.
Make Cleaning Fun
Sounds crazy, right? Well, it’s not. Listen to music while you clean and dance around the room, or listen to a good audio book. Keeping your mind occupied with something fun will definitely make cleaning a lot less painful. On top of that, you may just drop a pound or two.
Purge
This is a basic, common sense concept – the less things you have cluttering up your place, the less time you’ll need to spend organizing and cleaning it. While “purging” aka “decluttering your home and parting with things can be difficult, it’s actually freeing once you do. Start by tackling a room at a time. As you look at each item, ask yourself if it’s really still important to you. Still holding on to those college text books? It’s time to let go. Skinny jeans from the 90’s? Out they go! It’s also a good idea to have boxes ready – one for donations, one to keep and one for throw aways. As you begin to minimize what you own, your home will naturally look tidier.
Are you the only person tidying up? No wonder you don’t like to clean house! It’s time to assign cleaning tasks to everybody you live with and share the cleaning tips you learned here – they’ll love you for it – eventually 🙂