How to cheat at cleaning


While "spring" cleaning today, I ironically came upon this book which I bought sometime ago, and have not yet had a chance to read.

The title me think about some of my own cleaning cheats. This is when it is not about thorough so much as quick. Here are a few from me to you (with love)...

1. If you only have a moment to make a room look presentable, start with the floors. Always the floors. A clutter free, vacuumed carpet will always make a bigger impact then nothing on the couch or counters. Trust me. Clean floors make the room look clean(er). So haul at that Dyson. {jealous} or that Hoover. If you have time to mop the floor (and you will if you have my magical marvelous duo on hand,) then do that first. (This is not my big white floor)
2. Close cabinets and cupboard doors. This is a trick I learned from my friend Carolyn when she would come over and clean my house like a blonde whirlwind when our kids were tiny, and I was exhausted and in chaos, bless her. I always remember her telling me that closing doors makes everything look instantly better. Too true. In addition, make sure drawers are always closed in the kitchen so that you don't have to clean out drips and crumbs. Those are just irritating. Speaking of drawers, check out this little gem of a trick I stumbled on at granny green.com

3. Smoke and mirrors. Your house could be clean but smudges and fingerprints on the glass will always make it look grubbier then it is. On the flip-side, a spotlessly clean mirror will distract from fuzzy bathroom floors. Right after floors, tackle any glass or mirrors.

4. Steam is your friend. Clean the bathroom right after a steamy shower. Everything will wipe up and off so much easier. Same applies to cleaning microwaves-heat some water in there for a minute or two with some lemon juice, and then wipe the sides and top of it clean. (By the way, I wrote that in the mirror myself, just for you. Check out captionit.com Fun!)

5. Did you know that there are cleaners for your dishwasher? I inherited one from a friend who moved (hey Jen Lynn!) and I discovered this morning that it works really well. All you do is run an empty load with a bottle of this upside down in the cutlery basket. However you may still need to use the steam theme to wipe off any residual grunge at the end, so get in there with your Mr. Clean Magic Eraser before the dry cycle. It even seems to take off the rust stains.
6. Dust with old dryer sheets. The static repellent helps to keep the dust at bay. Plus-they are free and recycling is cool.

And as a bonus here's one tip I got from flipping through the book:
Don't make your bed. Apparently it is healthier to leave it unmade so that you don't trap all the little dust mites inside your hospital corners. Eeeuw. So if that makes you feel better about your unmade bed, there ya go, happy to help. I think I will still make mine and try to forget that I ever read that. (shudder)

I'm reading: How to cheat at cleaningTweet this!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! Great information. I never thought about the clean floor idea. And the bed bug thing...I try not to think about that!
~Kim

Holly said...

Uh, I'll keep making my bed too, mites or no mites. I have, and really like, a steam mop, but you're right about the leftover dust/dirt. I'm on a mission to find a cheap dustbuster now!

Daiquiri said...

Thanks for the great list! I'm going to put that floor steam cleaner on my wish list :)

nyn said...

Thanks for the shout out. I am still notoriously closing doors and drawers, sometimes to Shae's chagrin, because I come along happily closing the pantry and drawers when he is trying to pack his lunch. But hey the kitchen looks cleaner. Yipee!!

QAMom said...

My mother always used the broom trick when my brother was little to keep him out of the cabinets. Although she didn't use a broom. She was a seamstress, so she had a ton of yard sticks so she used them.

DairyQueen said...

I'm sure that's why we're hardly ever sick...we only make our bed the day I wash linens!

I agree with keeping the floor clean. I swear by this one so much, my sweet husband got me a dyson at Christmas!

Thanks for all the other tips! I'm all for cheating on the cleaning!

Laurel @ Ducks in a Row said...

What a great post - just found you! I can't imagine not making my bed, so I'll pretend that washing the sheets every week is good enough, K?

Anonymous said...

Great tips! I love my Shark Steamer!

Muthering Heights said...

Cheating on cleaning is the one area I'm actually looking to improve! Thanks for the tips!

Rachel said...

Excellent tips!! Thanks for sharing.

MrsM said...

I will never make my bed again. Though that would imply that I made my bed at some point in the past....

How about this-I will continue my habitual neglect of bed making.

For health and safety reasons, of course :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for the tips!!