Kitchen Hacks: Microwave lemon (or vinegar) in water (in a microwave SAFE bowl) for 2-5 minutes. The evaporated mix will "soak" sides of microwave...wipe clean! Then dump lemon rind into garbage disposal & turn on to clean/freshen. Layer 2 trash bags in the trash bin-when the trash is taken out then the next bag is already there. baked on/stubborn stove crud lay a wet cloth over the spot for a bit then wipe it up. Getting grime off pans/pots (baked in): soak with automatic dishwasher detergent instead of kitchen soap; soak in water with a dryer-sheet; Bar Keepers Friend. If your garbage-disposal has become unruly/nasty: Make a vinegar & baking soda blend to turbo-clean that monster
Bedroom hacks: Pick up and deal with clothes on floor/in piles: put them away or into laundry bin. Close all the drawers/doors for a more tidy appearance. (many have asked how this is a life-hack. Some individuals like me have "tiny pile issues"). Clothing and such gets piled into a corner/on a chair/flat surface. Taking 10-15 minutes to pick up/put away/deal with items is a life-hack for people who suffer from "tiny pile disorder." make your bed.....every day.
Bathroom Hacks: Wipe down shower after every use (Ie: wipe down then get out of tub). Use the damp towel to wipe down the surfaces. Alternatively-Spray scrubbing bubbles after each shower (coat the tub/shower) then rinse out with the next shower. OR-keep a squeegee in the room and use it after each bath.
General hacks: FULL HANDS IN, FULL HANDS OUT: when you enter/leave a room take an item that does not belong & put it away. Many agree: Do SOMETHING in the home to clean & spiffy EVERY DAY for 10-20 minutes. If you have physical limitations-then even 5 minutes helps! Find & utilize "hidden minutes" throughout the day (while coffee is brewing, during a commercial, or while waiting on the meal to cook) & use this time to tackle a chore. Put on a comedy channel, an audio-book, or a great playlist to add adventure/fun. Break larger tasks into smaller/more manageable tasks.
Products users mention Rain-x for outside windows to repel dirt/water. Force-flex trash bags are worth the extra $. Magic erasers are our friend! Please magic erase with caution as it can effect some surfaces. Scrub-brush power drill. It's worth mentioning that Small hand waxer have different bonnets that can polish/wax/buff/clean surfaces. Regular White Vinegar: add 1-2C to wash to remove odors. Mix 1:1 for an all purpose cleaner. WD-40 to remove sap/junk/stuck-on debris from the car.
Resources/websites
The Minimalist Game a cozy little blog that will banish your inner hoarder!
Unfuck Your Habitat also has an app that is outstanding. Blog that focuses on reasonable daily cleaning plans for the clutter/tiny pile/general dirty fuckery crowd.
r/minimalism the subreddit where less is more.
The Fly Lady good plan/informational/how-to site for not only CLEANING the mess but STARTING new habits.
I would like to add I Heart Organizing: a blog for great, inexpensive, & neat storage/organizing ideas.
-----
Used to have to clean my parents' vacation rentals quickly in between guest stays. Here's some tips:
Rags are better than paper towels. They let you dig into the grime more.
If you're doing a bathroom, fill the sink with hot water and add your cleaning agent of choice. Dip rag in there, wring it out, then wipe everything down, with strokes going toward the sink. Pull all the dust/grime into the sink. Once you're done with wet wiping everything down, go over it all again with a dry rag.
Don't overdo your cleaning agent. Often times it'll take longer to remove the cleaning agent afterwards than it will to clean it in the first place. Softscrub bleach is one of the worst offenders - only use that in showers/the inside of a toilet, otherwise you're going to spend a lot of time picking up the chalk that's in it.
As far as cleaning agents go, for a general wipedown, vinegar is best, bleach is second best. Don't mix the two, it's a one or the other choice (unless chlorine gas is your thing).
Get an air purifier. Having one will cut the amount of dust that falls in a room by 50-90%. Less dust means things will appear to stay clean longer.
Don't get grossed out. Your skin is made to keep the nasty out of your body. You're probably going to touch a little bit of poop or something at some point. Deal with it, you can wash your hands afterwards. If you can't deal with that, get rubber gloves. You can't go at something half assed trying not to get yourself dirty.
From an ex-slob, here's a bunch of tips I've accumulated over the years:
Use decent cleaning supplies. Trying to clean the bathtub with an old falling-apart sponge and all-purpose cleaner is a lot more time-consuming and frustrating than just using baking soda / Ajax and a fresh sponge. You're way less likely to ever wipe down the counters if all your kitchen rags are in a mildewy pile under the sink. Use a Swiffer duster instead of just pushing the dust around with a rag. You get the idea.
For reducing clutter: go through your stuff, take things you feel like you don't use often, and stick them in a big plastic bin. Put that bin somewhere out of the way, like in your garage or the back of a closet, and set a calendar event for a year from now. Once that year is up, donate anything that you never took out of the bin. If you didn't need it in the past year, there's no reason you should have it (with a few exceptions, e.g. fire extinguishers).
Clean in stages, not room-to-room, especially if you're in a rush because company's coming over or something. Start by walking through and throwing out anything that's clearly trash, then worry about clearing off countertops/desks/etc, then vacuum, etc. It's no good having sparkling-clean windows if there's still muddy footprints on the floor when guests arrive.
Get a sink strainer and one of those suction-cup holders for your kitchen sponge. It'll keep your sink from being constantly nasty and backed up, and your sponge won't be sitting in moldy-food-water. Corollary: don't use the sink disposal as a substitute trash can, that's not what it's for. It will break, and your kitchen will smell like rotting food.
If you haven't cleaned in a while, your place probably smells funky. Yes, even if you don't notice it, that's probably just because you're used to it. While you're cleaning, open some windows and boil a pot of water with some spices in it (cinnamon sticks and some sort of citrus fruit is a good one) to get rid of the stank.
Put an open box of baking soda in your fridge. It'll absorb any gross smells from old food, just remember to change it out whenever you clean out your fridge.
YSK some cleaning tips/tricks for your home that I’ve picked up being a part of multiple cleaning businesses (including healthcare) and owning one of my own.
Why YSK: To keep yourself and your family healthy.
Always clean top to bottom, left to right. WYSK: Gravity will move dust and particles down. High dust, general cleaning, low dust, vacuum, mop.
Place a cup of water in the microwave for a minute before cleaning. The water will help get the grime off, making it easier to wipe.
Set clean items on clean surfaces and dirty items on dirty surfaces to combat the spread of germs.
Use a toothbrush for hard to reach areas. Preferably, use a different toothbrush to clean the toilet and toilet brackets.
Microfiber towels and actual paper towels get rid of swipe marks on mirrors and glass. Fold the towel and use one side for a wet side and one for a dry side. (I use this technique for general cleaning too.)
Air compressor or a Can Of Air help blow out speakers, vents, keyboards, electronics, even vents for your vehicle. Be careful.
(This post inspired by a previous post) Clean out your vacuum filter regularly. Rinse filter with water, apply a small amount of air freshener or carpet freshener and let dry completely. Take scissors and cut all hair from vacuum brush down below. If removable, clean the inside from the brush to reduce build up. Most vacuums come with several removable parts. Clean all parts, besides the motor or anywhere around it unless covered, and let all parts dry thoroughly before placing back together and using. A wire hanger will help you dislodge any build up in hoses or hard to reach places.
Cleaning a toilet: Spray every inch thoroughly, including the floor around it, behind it, and in the bowl. Use a toothbrush to clean brackets, screw covers, around the base and back of the toilet. Take your (microfiber) towel and fold it into quadrants. Use one side to wipe top to bottom thoroughly, including the floor and the outside of the bowl. Use a bowl brush to clean the inside. Flip the towel to a dry side and dry accordingly. Use another clean towel if necessary. Flush bowl.
With your cleaned-out vacuum, vacuum floors. If needed, mop starting from the farthest corner of the room/house to the door/entrance.
There are smaller tips and tricks which would drastically change this post to a longer one. If anyone would like me to go into detail or if you have any questions/rebuttals, let me know.
Hope this helps someone.
Edit: I’m adding more:
10. Most faucet heads have parts you can unscrew and detach to clean. A clean toothbrush helps clean build up around nozzles and dials and knobs.
11. The best scour cleaner I have ever used (for ovens and stove tops) is Scour Off, which is a pink bubblegum paste. It’s not sold in The States anymore last time I checked.
12. Soak stove top grill if removable. Be cautious of scratching. If it is a flat stove top, a razor blade will help take hard gunk off. Make sure it is a FLAT surface or else scratching will ensue. (Alternatively, you can use a razor blade on glass and mirrors too. Just make sure the area you are scraping is wet.)
13 There’s no easy way to clean horizontal blinds that I’ve found. I’ve even stuck some in a bathtub full of cleaner when it really needed it, and it helped some.
Take the blinds off the window, lower the blinds to full length and pull the string so that each piece is laying flat (closed). Place the blinds on a flat surface. This way you can wipe back and forth along multiple slats of blinds instead of doing one at a time.
14. Just like a vacuum filter, anything with a filter should be able to be cleaned unless otherwise stated. It will prolong the device.
15. On stainless steel, ALWAYS wipe with the grain.
16. Always mop with the grain of wood too. Try not to use too much water on real wood for obvious reasons.
17. Nail polish remover will remove most adhesive. Be careful on what you’re applying it to as acetone has destroying properties.
18. A Magic Eraser takes off small marks on walls and trim around the house.
-----
0 Comments