Professional house cleaners are the best at accelerating the cleaning process while still removing all the dust, dirt, and crumbs. We asked the professionals for their tips and tricks. Here are some tips on how to clean your house in half the time. From simple habits like keeping a squeegee inside the shower to schemes that reduce the amount of elbow grease you use, such as steaming the microwave, these are the secrets to a cleaner home. You only need to get your cleaning supplies together and start.
Shut down your mobile phone
Even professionals can get distracted. Vicki Brown, the president of Harmony Clean, Doylestown, Penn. takes four hours to clean a house that should only take two. She says, “I’m easily distracted in my home.” You can streamline your routine by removing as many distractions from your daily life as possible. Reduce your screen time by turning off the TV, the computer, and the phone.
Each room should be cleaned from top to bottom
Shake crumbs, dust, and pet hair onto the floor before you pull out your vacuum cleaner. Leslie Reichert, the Cleaning Coach, says to follow the top-to-bottom rule when cleaning each room. You can knock debris and dust from bookshelves, mantles, and lampshades onto the floor and then vacuum them up. If you don’t worry about where dust ends up, you can clean more quickly.
Start with the most straightforward things
Start small: Spruce up a few rooms with low traffic quickly and easily. This will motivate you to tackle larger cleaning tasks, such as the kitchen or bathrooms. Reichert says you’ll feel inspired to complete the rest of your house. Start with the dining or living room, depending on how many people live there.
This time, skip the rooms that are rarely used
Brown says a cleaning schedule every other week is sufficient for most households. After all, you still wipe down the counters every night after dinner, right? She asks. Some chores can be done only once a month. Harmony Clean’s team divides the less frequent tasks between the second and first clean of each month. In one visit, they clean the first-floor ceilings and baseboards. The second floor is tackled in the following. The same goes for rarely-used bedrooms and formal living rooms.
Replace your soap
Before you even pick up the scrub brush, start cleaning smartly. Stock your bath with soaps containing glycerin or vegetable oils to keep the shower walls and floors looking shiny for longer. These soaps are more effective than traditional soaps based on grease, which can cause a white, gummy soap residue to form on the shower walls. April Lane, an owner of April Lane’s Home Cleaning and board member of ARCSI in Seattle, agrees.
Develop a squeegee-using habit
Show of hands. Who likes to clean the shower and tub? I thought so. Lane says the easiest way to lessen the chore frequency is to purchase a squeegee or use a broom equipped with a Squeegee at the end and encourage everyone to use it immediately after showering or bathing.
The walls, the sides of your tub, and the floor can be cleaned (by directing the water directly to the drain). The water will remove the soap and shampoo residues, not evaporate, and leave a film. If you stick to this routine, you’ll only need to clean the shower and tub once a month. You’re welcome.
Dispose of unusual items in the dishwasher
Are you looking a bit grimy on your toothbrush holder? What about the dish drain? Lane and Reichert swear by their dishwashers for cleaning dish drains and range hood filters. It doesn’t matter if it is made of hard plastic, ceramic, glass, or metal as long as it fits. Lane says, “I have never damaged anything by putting it on the top shelf of a dishwasher.”
Give your vacuum cleaner a tune-up
To get the best suction, keep your vacuum clean and well-maintained. Brown recommends changing disposable bags every month and cleaning the bottom and inside of the machine and the rotating brush. Get it serviced annually by a professional. Brown says he drops off his vacuum yearly at the local repair shop before we leave on vacation. Then I pick up the void when we return.”
Steam your microwave
You may have taken a break from cleaning to make some tea. You may always clean the kitchen, including the microwave. You’ve opened the microwave door, but now you can’t undo the food splatters that have been baked onto the walls, ceiling, and floor. Follow Lane’s tip:
Fill a measuring cup or mug with water, and then microwave it for 2 to 3 minutes until the water is steaming. The steam will help to soften any residue and make it easier to wipe down. Add vinegar or lemon to the bowl for more effective cleaning.
