Simplifying household chores saves you time, money, resources.
The more you have to clean, the more you realize that simple cleaning routines make you most efficient and most effective. If you have a closet full of cleaning supplies that you must dig through every time you need to wipe down the bathroom, you’re wasting time. If you have a collection of cheaply made cleaning tools that don’t really do the job, you’re wasting time. I don’t know anyone who has lots of extra time to waste, and for most of us, cleaning is the last thing we want to spend much time on, anyway.
First simplify the supplies.
Cleaning is not complicated, though the marketing agencies for many cleaning products would like you to think so. You do not need twenty different cleaners for the different surfaces in your home. You really need just a few supplies: baking soda, vinegar, essential oil of lemon or lime, water. Use the baking soda as an abrasive cleaner; just sprinkle on the surface and scrub away. Make up a simple all-purpose cleaning solution by mixing 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water, and adding a few drops of essential oil. Put in a spray bottle and use for any hard surface. It works for mirrors and windows, too. There’s nothing toxic or dangerous in any of those cleaners.
Then simplify the system.
You need a few rags (which can be made from worn-out t-shirts or other reclaimed material), a good broom, a good mop, and a vacuum of some sort. If you don’t have much carpeting to vacuum, invest in a restaurant-style sweeper. You won’t use electricity and it’s quick, light, and easy to use. You can use one of your rags as a duster or get a sheepskin (or sheepskin alternative) duster. You might need a harder scrubbing sponge, and you’ll want a toilet brush for each toilet.
When you clean a room, have your supplies ready in a simple caddy so you can carry it with you from room to room. Stand in the doorway, and clean from left to right and from top to bottom. Use both hands! God gave you two for a reason! Spray cleaner with one and wipe with the other, or wipe down with a wet cloth with one and use a dry cloth with the other.
Maintain, with a few bouts of extreme cleaning as it strikes you.
The key to keeping a clean home is to keep it maintained that way. Don’t just let things pile up and then attack when you can’t stand it anymore. Wipe down the bathroom counter every morning. Sweep up the kitchen every night. Clean one room every day, in a rotating schedule, and you’ll keep your home fresh and sustainably clean.
Image Credit: Photocapy.
These are actually very good tips, specially if you are always busy and -like me- hate to clean up. But I think the rotating of cleaning and doing a little each day might be the best solution.