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)

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