Whether it’s your white carpet, seemingly endless shed pet hair, or a large and very dusty ornaments shelf, every home has its unique cleaning challenges.
Housework can seem like a never-ending challenge, but there is a better way. By learning from how professional cleaners work you can clean your own home faster, and get a better result too. Here are our top expert cleaning tips.
1. Use multipurpose cleaning products. You can buy a specialised cleaning products and tools for just about every area and surface of your home. These are all designed for one thing; to get us to buy more stuff. Most people have a cupboard full of cleaning products that they hardly ever use. Instead, stock your shelves with a good disinfecting all-purpose cleaner (most can also clean glass), a bathroom cleaner, and a wood and tiles floor cleaner. That’s all you need for the vast majority of household cleaning jobs.
2. Invest in good quality equipment. Just as with your cleaning agents, you don’t need a special tool to clean every separate area and surface in your home. Not only can the choice be overwhelming, no one needs that much clutter in their home. Invest in some good quality microfiber cloths and sponges, a plastic scraper for windows and mirrors, a large and small scrub brush, duster, mop, and a good quality vacuum. Lastly, add a couple of toothbrushes. Cheap and easy to get your hands on, they make fantastic micro scrubbers to clean hard to reach areas in kitchens and bathrooms, including cleaning grout. Coupled with the other tools listed, you’ll be able to clean your entire home.
3. Keep everything at your fingertips. One big difference between how we clean our home and a professional job is that they always have everything at their fingertips. By creating a cleaning caddy that you can move easily about your home, you can just grab one thing and be ready to tackle any room. Having everything at hand also means you won’t waste time looking for that crucial product or vacuum part to get a job done. A shower caddy is the perfect inexpensive and easy cleaning supplies storage caddy.
4. Get rid of the clutter. Many rooms that are hard to clean are difficult simply because they’re full of too much stuff. Chores like dusting or polishing can become a large job purely because everything has to be moved before you can even start. Removing clutter around your home makes it easier to clean, and is also good for your soul. If you don’t know where to start, many home cleaning businesses offer decluttering services too.
5. Have a system. Rather than walk into a room and start cleaning the first dirty surface your eyes fall on, set up a cleaning system. That way, you know exactly what you’re doing when, and you can move around the room quickly and effectively. You’re also more likely to stay on task and get everything done faster when you don’t have a new mess distracting you from what you’re currently cleaning. Lastly, having a cleaning schedule helps avoid extra work. By starting at the top (for example windows, dusting, or tabletops) before cleaning carpets and floors, you’ll be automatically cleaning up any dust or residue the first job creates as part of the second.
6. Use your vacuum efficiently. You’d be surprised how much time you waste just unplugging your vacuum cleaning, dragging it to another part of the house without tangling up the cord, and then having to find somewhere new to plug it again. Buy a long extension cord (you can get ones as long as 10 metres) and plug your vacuum into a central point. Then, you’ll be able to move from room to room without having to return and lug everything to a new power point over again.
7. Freshen up with a new scent. Some cleaning products can have a harsh smell, but that doesn’t mean you need to invest in expensive scented products or buy cover-up sprays and air fresheners. Instead, invest in a couple of bottles of essential oils in scents you like. Some that work well include lavender, lemon, or grapefruit. They may cost a little upfront but just a couple of drops in the bottle of cleaning solution will leave your whole home smelling beautiful.
8. Use expert cleaning secrets. Professional cleaners have heaps of insider tips to make cleaning easier and cheaper. Here’s a few that everyone can use.
Is your showerhead looking grotty? Tie a small plastic bag filled with vinegar around it overnight, then remove and rinse in the morning for a sparkling finish.
Grease marks on doors and light switches are normal, but hard to clean. A magic eraser will clean off all those finger marks easily.
To achieve a streak free finish on your mirror and small windows, clean them with balled up newspaper. This avoids scratching the surface, and is a good for the environment too.
A spray bottle filled with vinegar and some baking soda is all you need to clean up pet messes. Spray the affected area with vinegar (after spot testing), cover with baking soda and allow to dry. Then, simply sweep and vacuum up the dry baking soda. The smell will intensify in the beginning as the baking soda does the heavy lifting, but then you’ll throw the smell out with it once dry.
9. Clean hard to reach areas easily. Rather than dragging a stepladder all through the house, there’s an easier way to clean hard to reach spots. It’s also safer, as your feet will never leave the ground. All you need is a yardstick, a sock, and a rubber band. Fit the sock on the end and secure it with the rubber band, and then use the yardstick to clean cobwebs and dust up high, or even reach behind headboards and hard to move furniture.
With a little bit of planning, and investing in good quality tools and cleaning products, you’ll be cleaning your home more effectively and get a better result too. Take a little time to get organised and you’ll be able to give up mopping and cleaning for hours. The time and money spent up front will save you more of both in the long run, and give you more of the best part; sitting down in your clean house with a cup of tea.
About the Expert:
Lisa Loukidis is the Operations Manager for her family’s business Wizard Cleaning, Melbourne. Growing the business with her father, Lisa loves it when happy customers share their experience. When not busy overseeing the steam carpet cleaning business she enjoys fashion, travel and raising her two active boys.
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