Is there anything better than coming home to a sparkling clean home?
As the mother of two teenage boys, I can frankly say that these kinds of opportunities are short-lived — but when it does happen, it might just be one of the best natural highs around.
Whether you love to clean or dread the chore, here are some tried and true simple living hacks to help you keep that house sparkle around all the time.
Whether you were born with a mop and bucket in your hand or are a slow learner like me, I have dedicated this month’s musings to helping share ways to make cleaning your home sweet home a little more of a treat!
• Stock Up: If you really want to enjoy the process of cleaning your home, be sure you get the right supplies and gear for the job.
Get rid of the cruddy old mop and treat yourself to a fancy new one.
Make sure you have enough supplies for each room or level of your house.
My favorite time-saver that has streamlined my cleaning is to simply have a bin for each room of the house — it stays tucked away in a cabinet in the room it is destined to clean and gives me easy access to anything I need, either for quick spot cleaning jobs or a weekend deep clean.
Whether it’s a caddy, bucket or tote, having all the cleaning products you need in one portable place makes it much easier to get the job done.
You won’t waste time looking for supplies while you clean and won’t have to worry about gathering them before you clean next.
Try to make your cleaning supplies fun — find fun seasonal scents that are satisfying to use and look for sustainable products that are not only effective but that promote clean living in all senses of the word.
Buy a tote or basket in the same colors as the room it will be used in to add an extra bit of synergy.
• Stick to a Plan: It doesn’t matter whether you always start in the kitchen, living room or bathroom areas, but you need to have a system and order.
I know it sounds counter-intuitive to a simple routine but having a plan in place that you use each and every time you clean will actually make your cleaning chores so much easier in the long run.
When you do the same thing every time you clean, it becomes a routine and decreases the time it takes.
Start at one end of the house and complete one room at a time — this will save you from having to backtrack your steps and all that back and forth.
I used to do my bathrooms first, then focus on dusting before I vacuumed the entire house.
I started with one room — in my case, the bathroom — and worked my way from room to room.
I was amazed at how much quicker the process went.
Your system should ideally work from top to bottom, left to right.
This keeps you from having to go back and redo areas that may have gotten soiled after you dusted the areas above them!
Sweep the kitchen and bathroom floors. Start mopping from the farthest corner of the room and move backward towards the doorway (that is, don’t mop yourself into a corner).
Rinse the mop every time you complete a 4-by-4-foot area.
For example, start with ceiling areas on down — any dust you miss will land on the floor or tables.
Anything you miss from dusting your tables will land on the floor, which will be sucked up by your trusty vacuum!
• Declutter First, Clean Second: I find that my cleaning day, which for me usually occurs on one of my days off, goes much easier if I have done my cleaning homework all week.
How much of your cleaning time is spent moving things off of surfaces so you can properly clean them?
If you spend a minute or two daily making sure that the clutter is under control, you will find that the cleaning zips by in no time.
I am a big fan of getting baskets and bins in each room to collect any clutter that needs a temporary home throughout the week — and yes, I prefer to get baskets and bins that blend in with my home decor.
Some weeks, those baskets are overflowing with the things my beloved children have left on the floors and counters but having a spot to put those items is key to my patience while I clean — and putting said homeless items away in a clean house is always a much more fun notion.
(Editor’s Note: Kristine George is a freelance journalist who resides in Easton.)