We’re all looking for ways to do things better; especially when you have 30 minutes until company is coming over and your home looks like a disaster area (you know what we’re talking about!). Why shouldn’t you want to clean your house better and faster? Life is busy enough as it is, without having to spend all your time cleaning. (And if you don’t want to spend any time cleaning, give us a call!) Here’s a few tips to get your home cleaner, faster:
Rid your house of the “stuff” collecting dust. Be strategic about what you need to dust, and the amount of things collecting dust. To be clear, you don’t have to get rid of all your valuables or your knickknacks; just make sure you’re only dusting what you want. Tour your home and rid your home of any items or furniture that has sat around for years without any use. You’ll have less to clean at the end of the day, giving you more time for fun. In the same way, purge your closets, garage and basement so you don’t have to worry about excess items to clean and store.
Keep up with the daily cleaning. No doubt about it. If you wipe down your counters after every meal, or clean the toothpaste after you brush your teeth, you’ll have less to do when it’s time for a deep clean. Your cleaning job is also easier; it’s a lot harder to clean that hardened food spill off the counters later, or to scrub that toothpaste out of the sink. Daily maintenance is the key; try to train yourself, and other members of your household to clean up as they go.
Carry your cleaning tools around for fewer interruptions. When you start cleaning your home, gather all your supplies before the cleaning begins. If you do so, you won’t have to stop your cleaning to go after another bottle of cleaner. You can just keep moving from room to room, cleaning as you go—and getting done sooner.
Recognize and stop those unnecessary cleaning tasks. Are you still rinsing your dishes? Are you pre-soaking every load of laundry? Unless you absolutely have to (like if you have a nasty stain), STOP. You’ll be a more efficient cleaner, and a quicker cleaner, by eliminating unnecessary cleaning.
Stop the dirt at the door. An ounce of prevention saves you time and effort. Place rugs by all the doors. Ask guests to take off their shoes at the door. Make sure your kids rinse off sand and mud before they come in. If possible, use a mudroom as a staging area for your kids, pets and visitors to shed the dirt and snow before they track it into your home.
Call a cleaning service. When you’re traveling for work, ferrying the kids to school and after school activities or working extra hours to keep up with a demanding job, something’s got to give. Usually the casualty of a busy life is our home—specifically, the cleanliness of our home. That’s when it makes sense to contact a cleaning service to clean your home, or parts of your home. We have a friend who hired a cleaning service to only clean her bathrooms, another who hired a cleaner just to fold laundry. Likewise, if you need a cleaning service only before you entertain, set it up. Or if you only want a certain room clean, give your cleaning service specific instruction. They work for you when you need it, and being home cleaning experts, can get your home cleaner faster.
