Ten Things That Make My Workload Easier (Hints and Tips for Household Cleaning)

Member Name: shroud

Product:	Hints and Tips for Household Cleaning
Date:	31/07/07 (994 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: less fuss to reduce crud, clutter and dust

Disadvantages: Requires learning to be at least a little organised

Housework is a something everyone needs to get done, regardless of the size of the home, or the amount of time spent at home. Let the little things slip and you end up with mountains of stuff to do, do when you only have “free time” and you end up marvelling at the amount of washing and dust that appears as well as the dust bunnies that appear to be trying to climb the stairs. On the other hand, you can easily spend all day, and polish to oblivion, never once seeing a speck of dust. Trying to strike a happy medium and still have real free time is something of an art, and one that seems to be lost to the mainstream. It is entirely possible, especially in this age of household gadgets that take away a lot of the effort required. Without these helpful gadgets, our grandmothers and mothers managed to work, keep a clean home, cook meals, sew the family clothes, knit, and grow veggies in the garden and still go to the various ladies’ clubs. It makes sense that if they could do all that, then us of the vacuum, microwave, automatic washing machine, dishwasher, carpet shampooer, steam cleaner, and tumble dryer age sage should be able to keep the house and still have time for ourselves. So how to do it? I have ten tips that make it possible for me, and may be of use to you.

Tip #1. Be organised. Many of us are not organised by nature, so this may seem a Herculean task. This is not so; it just takes a minimum of effort to plan ahead slightly, and make ourselves a routine.

Tip #2. Keep it simple. Assign an area, or zone, for each day. Vacuum and dust in those areas on two of the days for that zone, and clean glass, baseboards, and doors in those zones one day a week. For example:

Living room and dining room: M Dust and vac, Wed glass, doors, baseboards, Fri Dust and vac

Kitchen: daily, wipe down counters, hob top, inside of fridge as you go. T TH wipe down fridge outer, oven outer, cabinet doors, sweep and mop floor Sat. clean glass, oven

Bathroom: Clean inside toilet and wipe down sink daily, Sunday, clean all bathroom surfaces, vac or mop

Bedrooms can be rota’d on a clean as you go basis. This is especially useful with children, as you can have them tidy up before they move to another activity, and merely vacuum and dust once a week as needed

Tip #3. You do not need a huge armful of cleaners. Keep this simple, and know what each actually does. This way, you never have to put off a job because you ran out of a specialist product. My cleaning kit contains:

Washing soda: cleans nearly anything. For specific uses, read this article: http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/household-products/dri -pak-soda-crystals-1/1053331/

Tea Tree oil: added to soapy water or added to washing soda, makes for a very powerful disinfectant that will even kill MSRA. Use sparingly as overuse of antibacterial ingredients helps create resistance, making for new super bugs. Also great as a fungicide.

Washing up liquid: I get a bottle of the value stuff just for cleaning. Great for quick spot treatment on fabrics, and diluted in a bucket of hot water, ideal for cleaning floors and glass. Dry glass with a microfibre cloth for an instant streak free shine; soap and water is what professional window washers use. This is also the best thing to use to clean the inside of a microwave.

A multi surface polish: use on glass to get off small areas marred by fingerprints, on monitors and TV screens, on plastic cases to TVs, PCs, Stereos, refrigerators, microwave exteriors, etc to remove dust and help prevent it attracting more thanks to its antistatic properties. Also great for giving a shine to worktops and cabinets.

Furniture polish, wax free: for use on wooden furniture. I could use the clean and dust, and do in a pinch, but I admit I prefer having furniture polish about as it can be used on more types of furniture finishes. I also make my own nourishing polish for vintage furnishes. The recipe can be found at http://www.care2.com/greenliving/solvent-free-furn iture-polish.html

Lime scale removing toilet cleaner: I use this to keep the lime scale down and to clean the toilet on a weekly basis in lieu of the usual soda paste mixture I otherwise use.

Other supplies include: J cloths (to use instead of paper towels), yellow dusters, microfibre cloths (2 for 99p at the supermarket on the cleaning aisle), a bucket, mop, vacuum cleaner, and a soft scrubbing brush. I also use a toilet brush, which after using gets soaked in the bucket with very hot water and several drops of tea tree oil to keep it sanitary.


Tip #4. Set aside the cleaning time. You set aside time to go shopping, go to the cinema, etc. Prioritise and also set aside at least an hour each day to do your housework. When I used to work a full time job and worked a lot of overtime, I actually did the vacuuming and dusting during commercial breaks. That way I got to watch TV AND get the cleaning done.

Tip #5. If your household has more than one person, and the other person(s) is/are 3 years old or older, don’t hesitate to assign them a task or two. I placed colourful paper cut-outs of items of clothing on my kids’ drawers and they took their clothes 1 item at a time and matched the item to the drawer, thus easily tidying away their own clean laundry. Remember, even if you are a housewife, you are no servant, and people can and should do some things for themselves. Your job is to make sure they do it!

Tip #7. Don’t make a rod for your own back. Collecting lots of knickknacks, magazines, buying lots of toys, cds, clothes etc, all make your job harder. Pare down that toy collection to the 10 things your child actually plays with, and the ten things they used to play with that ended up at the bottom of the toy box. Put the used to 10 things in a box, keep the most played with 10 things in the room, and give away or boot sale the rest. The ten things in a box you can rotate with the current favourites once they begin to get bored, and they can rediscover an old favourite. Try to get creative at Christmas for kids’ gifts. Try DVDs, mp3 vouchers, cinema passes, hair bobble sets, or adopt an animal instead of more toys to clutter. If you DO buy toys, remember the 10 item rule, and go through the toy box and set aside box again to pare it down. Buying lots of clothes to stay in “fashion” may seem like fun, or you just plain like to clothes shop, but at the end of the day, you make yourself possibly not only a mountain of debt, but a mountain of clothes that need washing, drying, and ironing. Try to choose clothes that will stand the test of time, and only buy what you need. IE, buy 5 items to wear to work or school, 6 pairs of socks and undergarments, and 5 items to wear out and about. Buy 2 dressy outfits you can mix and match, and choose a few accessories wisely. Now you have enough to wear that you should not run out of clean garment, and that keeps the wash pile to a minimum. If you choose wisely, there will be no ironing type fabrics not any that require special care. Vary the wardrobe by choosing clothes seasonally, with a cold weather wardrobe, and a warm weather one, and simply rota them by season. The same goes for shoes. Select two pairs of work shoes, two different casual but dressy shoes, two pairs of boots (1 dressy, 1 more utilitarian), a pair of trainers or pumps, and perhaps for the ladies, 2 pairs of dress to kill heels. This keeps cleaning, polishing, and clutter down to a minimum as well, as shoes and boots need regular cleaning, polishing, and even nourishing to keep them in wearable condition. Ladies should also be wary of the handbag trap. Keep these down to 2 or 3 choices as well, to keep down the clutter and need to clean.

Likewise, don’t use cleaning items that can ADD to the mess. Feather dusters chuck the dust about and non HEPA vacuums reemit small particles of dust back into the air. Choose wisely within your budget, and get things that help cut the workload the most.

Tip #8. Don’t be afraid to admit the cleaning requires a JCB and you need motivation. You can use Flylady or another similar site, or even a book such as Time on a Budget to get yourself motivated and a start to your organisation. No one expects it done in a day. Baby steps all the way, otherwise you will burn out! Also understand that studies show that clutter and dirt inspire depression, and may even be a sign of depression. Those cutesy signs and taglines about why a cluttered, dusty house is ok is just a way to try to cheer oneself up, and should be seen as such. Remember dust mites can trigger breathing problems, unseen mould can cause illness and respiratory distress, not to mention what unseen bacteria can do, so pregnant, elderly, and small children are all put at risk from an unclean home. It can also be seen as a source of embarrassment by children, and parents may be oblivious to this fact as the child may never mention it. I once had a friend in high school that NEVER invited people over and instead weren’t to other’s homes or met us at the local pizza place because her mom only wore a tracksuit, often had dishes in the sink, and rarely dusted or tidied. Her mother was in the dark about it as her child did not wish to make her feel bad. So look closely at what you are FEELING in general, and take this as a symptom if need be and take any action required to correct the underlying issue. Regardless of cause, face it head it on, and visit Flylady or get Time on a Budget or a similar book and give yourself a kick up the backside to get those small steps started towards a cleaner home.

Tip #9. Turn off the PC and the TV. Record what you wish to watch, and check your emails and do your online stuff AFTER the work is done. Otherwise time gets away from you and the work is left unfinished. Work first, “play” later.

Tip#10. Remember to take a break. Cleaning is less wearying, even if only lasting for an hour or two, if you break up the chores with a small break. After dusting, and before vacuuming, stop and have a cup of tea or coffee. Then get back to the job at hand.

Summary: ANYONE can have a fairly tidy and clean home!