Follow my blog with BloglovinHaving a busy house and not having time to clean it is probably one of the worst feelings ever. You see the mess, you want to clean the mess, but you just don’t have time to get around to it. We’ve all been there, and it’s definitely no fun. So here are some awesome and helpful cleaning tips for anyone who finds themselves busy with life!
Non-Stick Oven Liner
These things are great! All you need to do is put them at the bottom of your oven and, whenever you cook, you don’t need to worry about sticky, goopy messes ruining your oven!
Soapy Sink Water
While eating dinner with the family is fun, the dishes after never are. You have all the pots, pans, plates, and silverware that need to be cleaned and all you want to do is rest. Instead of letting the food leftovers crust and harden on everything, fill the sink with warm soapy water and put everything in it. This lets it soak so, when you finally get around to it, the gunk will easily wipe off!
Glass Shower Door
It can be a hassle to clean any hard water stains or drips off your glass shower door. An easy solution to this is applying a teaspoon of lemon oil twice a month to the door or Rain-X twice a year. This will make water bead off and prevent most stains!
Tang in the Toilet
Believe it or not, putting a teaspoon of tang in the toilet can make it clean and even smell better! The citric acid of the Tang eats away at any grime, but leave it in the toilet for about an hour for it to work its full effect.
Oven for Last
For some reason, everything you drop in the kitchen somehow ends up underneath the oven. To save time sweeping, save the oven for last so that you don’t spread dirt and garbage around the kitchen floor.
Boiling Water down Drain
Every week, pour boiling water down the shower drain. This will stop any buildup that may cause flooding, and it will also detangle and get rid of hairs and other obtrusions.
Damp Paper Towel
Don’t wait until a layer of hair covers your bathroom floor to clean it up. Every day, take a damp paper towel and run it across the floor. This will pick up any loose hairs and keep your bathroom clean for another day!
Top to Bottom
A common mistake that can add lots of time to your cleaning schedule is not cleaning in the proper order. Always clean from top to bottom so that, if anything falls or settles on the ground, it doesn’t need to be cleaned twice.
Broom Type
Using the right broom type can speed up cleaning and also make you less frustrated. Use a broom with softer, thinner bristles inside and one with thicker, harder bristles for the outside.
Broom Storage
Don’t store your broom with the bristles on the ground. This will damage them and make it harder (and take longer) to clean. Instead, either store it handle down or hang it so that the bristles remain undamaged.
Dry Right Away
Don’t let your wet laundry sit in the washer for too long. While this might be temping when you have a busy day, it will give you more work to do when your clothes smell like mold and mildew. Immediately throw your wet clothes in the dryer and save yourself time and money!
Multitask
Some chores are just no fun, plain and simple. Make them a little better by multitasking: talk on the phone with a friend while you tidy up the living room or watch television while folding laundry. Chores that don’t take much attention are great to multitask with!
Velcro
Never lose another remote or controller again by having specific Velcro places for them. It can be on the side of the console or in a cupboard, but using Velcro to keep your controllers organized will save you tons of time and frustration!
Lost & Found
Don’t just throw things away if you can’t find a place for them, at least if they seem useful. A lost game piece may be useful when you finally find out which game it belongs to, or a screw to a chair or ottoman is definitely something you’ll need. A lost & found will keep you from having to run to the store whenever you need what you lost.
Laundry Basket
Take five minutes and go from room to room with a laundry basket. Take anything that doesn’t belong in that room and put it in the basket. Then, when you get around to the room it belongs in, put the object away.
Time Limit
Give yourself a time limit when it comes to cleaning. You’ll be surprised at how much you can get accomplished in ten or fifteen minutes, and it will stop you from using all your time.
Delegate
If you have kids, get them involved in cleaning. Depending on their age, they can do anything from dusting to dishes. Delegate some chores to them to take the weight and burden off of you!
Stains & Spills
Don’t let stains and spills sit once they occur. Take the twenty seconds it needs and wipe them up right away. This will save you time because you won’t have to be scraping away at hardened-on stains.
Doormats & Boot Scrapers
This is especially helpful during winter and spring, when snow and rain are common. A doormat or boot scraper will get rid of any mud or dirt that family and guests may drag inside.
Wax Paper in Fridge
Messy spills in the fridge are some of the most frustrating things to clean. Save time by putting wax paper on each shelf so that, when a spill does occur, you don’t have to clean it up but can just replace the wax paper.
Vinegar in Microwave
Don’t scrape and scratch away at hardened stains in the microwave. Put a tablespoon of white vinegar in a bowl of water and then microwave it for three to five minutes. Once it’s done, the gunk in your microwave will slide off with a damp cloth or paper towel!
Baby Powder for Grease Stains
Keep a small amount of baby powder on hand in the kitchen. If you get a grease stain on your clothes, just rub some baby powder in it and the grease stain will come out (saving you tons of time in future washing). Chalk works as well.
Soap in Blender
Gunky, sticky blenders are gross and also incredibly hard to find. Instead of letting the blender sit and crust over, right when you’re done put soap and hot water in it, run the blender for ten seconds, and then wash it out with hot water.
Cheese Grater
Instead of scrubbing your cheese grater clean until your hands bleed, simply peel an apple in it. The apple chunks will wash away any leftover cheese and also leave the grater smelling fresh! You can also use a potato, if you want.
Kool-Aid in Dishwasher
Dirty dishwasher? Keep it empty of dishes but fill the dispenser with lemon Kool-Aid and run it. The citric acid (you have to use lemon Kool-Aid) will clean away any build-up and also leave the dishwasher smelling fresh. You can also use vinegar.
Homemade Potpourri
Does your house seem to have a funky odor no matter how hard you try to clean? Instead of hunting down the smell, just get rid of it with some homemade potpourri. You can make vinegar, fruit, or herb potpourri; just find a recipe online that you love and go for it.
Tight Spaces
There are some spaces that are just too hard to reach with your hand. For spaces like below or on the side of the fridge, put a pantyhose on the end of your broom handle (or knit a dust cover, if you want) and then clean out those hard-to-reach spots!
Divided Cleaners
Don’t keep all your cleaners in one spot. Divide them up around the house—the kitchen, the bathroom, and maybe even the bedroom. This will make it quick and easy for you to clean up any mess that happens in any room.
Sort Mail
For some reason, we often keep or collect mail, even if we know we’ll probably never need it. Keep all the necessary mail (like bills, letters from friends and family, etc.) but throw away any junk mail or direct advertising.
Medicine Cabinet
The medicine cabinet sometimes seems like a black hole that collects medicine but never lets it go. Take a few minutes each day to clean out your medicine cabinet while brushing your teeth. Throw away anything that’s expired or unusable.
Cleaning Schedule
Believe it or not, a cleaning schedule can really calm the nerves and keep things in order. By using a cleaning schedule, you’ll have a specific day for each chore so that you don’t overwhelm yourself by taking all the chores on at once.
Dry Shower Walls
Cleaning mildew and replacing tile is a nightmare of a cleaning project. Save yourself the trouble by wiping down and drying your shower walls after every use. This will keep your shower clean and shiny while also preventing mold and mildew from growing.
Steamy Bathroom Mirrors
Take advantage of the steam from your shower by using it to clean your mirrors. Simply take a clean rag and wipe down the mirrors every morning!
Wipe Down Sink Daily
Don’t let your sinks get super dirty before you clean them. Take a paper towel or a cloth and wipe down around the sink every day, especially after brushing your teeth or washing your face or hands. This will keep water off the counter and anything from hardening onto the inside of the sink.
Donate or Throw Away
Go through your closet and donate or throw away any clothes or items that you haven’t used in a while. This will free up space and also give you less things that you need to clean and keep track of!
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