What are your best house cleaning tips and secrets?

Question

I have a walking/crawling infant, two rowdy cats and a husband. It seems my house is always in disarry, though I try to keep it tidy. I'm really not looking for advice, more than this is just for fun. So, Y! Answerers, what are your best kept secrets, tips and strategies to a pristine home?

Answer 1

oh visit the Flylady.

www.flylady.com

she sends out e-mail reminders and has wonderful cleaning lists

Answer 2

House Cleaning Tips And Secrets

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

Ugh. I know!

I save my chores for when baby is napping. Hubby is gone during the week this way too. Except vacuuming - that's done right before his nap when he's eating lunch in the highchair. Sometimes it even puts him to sleep (15 months).

Otherwise, I don't do everything at once. I just tackle one thing a day. If that goes well I'll do two. I'm also pregnant so I take it easy on myself.

I also double up on dinner. I'll make an extra portion for the next night. Or, I'll freeze the other half for a rainy day. That way if I'm running behind in the house I don't have to worry about dinner.

But, pristine is a pretty high standard! I don't know if a house can really be pristine with hubby, kids, and animals. Unless you have a cleaning lady getting in the nitty gritty!

Answer 5

I avoid doing it all at once. Do just a little at a time. For example I spray the shower down just before I take a shower.

I have specific days for laundry. And laundry waits till the designated days. But when it comes I just do it.

I gave up on all the fancy, bulky deep cleaning vacuums. A light inexpensive one get used much more often and it was only $25 at Walmart.

I like to get early to do some of my household chores. This works for laundry or cleaning the kitchen. Everyone complains when I vacuum at 5 in the morning!

And have a plan for dinner. When its suddenly 5:30 and I haven't thought about what we are having, it becomes chaos. But I now also keep some pre made meals so even that is not as bad as it once was.

Running the dishwasher once a day whether or not it is full may waste some energy but it has made emptying it much easier - and part of the routine.

All this leads to a reasonably clean home. If you really want pristine, you may need to hire a maid. And with two toddlers you could probably use it!

Good Luck!

Answer 6

This is a very cool question =c)

1. Use windex (or any glass cleaner) to clean up grease - I was so shocked that it cleaned up sticky cooking oil QUICKLY from my stove top. It's also good for any food stained fabric you may have like sofas, curtains, etc.

2. Mr. Clean magic erasers work wonders on bath tiles, kitchen counters, tile floors, painted walls, etc. You can do the work in half the time because it comes off so easily.

3.I used to have a procrastination mindset about cleaning - now I know if I pull a shirt off the hanger, instead of throwing it across a chair for later...I hang it back up right away.

4. Dust busters or any cordless mini vac is a good way to get scattered spills quickly.

5. My cat sheds a lot during the summer months and her hair is EVERYWHERE...I actually use clothing lint rollers (the pet ones don't work as well) to remove lint quickly from fabric surfaces....I use the dust buster or vacuum to remove hair from other places.

6. This may be weird but to save time...when I hop in the shower I sometimes bring a mr. clean magic eraser with me and clean up the shower/tub/walls...rinse and then continue with my shower. Also, the scrubbing bubbles shower cleaner works VERY well (the refills are expensive though)

7. When I'm doing a task that seems like it will take forever (like cleaning a room after my husband has wrecked it lol) I give myself a time limit...for instance I'll say...I have 20 minutes to clean this room the best I can. The time limit really keeps me focused and even if I don't get everything done..I usually surprise myself with how much I DO get done.

8. Clean and do something fun at the same time...I love to dance around and sing while mopping or sweeping, etc. Not only am I cleaning, but I'm having fun and burning calories lol. It also makes the time pass so much faster!

9. Start in your least favorite room of the house to clean...that way you will be motivated to move through it more quickly to get to the others...and by the time you get to your favorite one..you'll end cleaning on a good note =c)

Answer 7

When the kids are sleeping thats the best time to clean, easy tips sponge, pinesole and alittle bleach go a long way, also dusting can be just as easy, My cleaning only takes me about 30-45 min and I have two toddlers a 15 yr old and a 7 yr old and once a week is all I need. The rest is just tidy up for the day, everything has it's place and if every helps to pitch in it's alot better, even the toddlers when they are awake we have what we call clean up time and we sing it until we are all done.

Answer 8

I have an infant girl, 10 yr old son, 3 cats (2 of which are rowdy like yours) and a husband.....My husband just started a new job so he is working tons...he helps out when he can but most of the time when he gets home I let him spend time with the kids and I do a "speed clean". I prioritize in my head what NEEDS to be done and the things that drive me crazy if they don't get done and do these things first.

Both bathrooms get cleaned once a week...on the same day...so to me it doesn't seem quite as bad...getting it all done at once seems to make it a little better.

Don't let your laundry pile up. That is the worst feeling to have five or ten loads sitting there! Also, I have MANY laundry baskets...the baby has her own and then my son, husband and I each have 2 hampers (one for whites and one for colors so u dont have to sort when it is time to throw it in the wash)--we also all have walk in closets so we have room to store all these baskets...it may not be realistic for everyone.

The Magic Eraser works great on a smooth top stove...I don't understand why it works so much better than everything else but it does.

If you have a stainless steel sink and it gets rusty (like the cheap one in my last house) use baking soda and lemon juice..poor a bunch in the sink and let it sit for a few minutes... then scrub a bit and it looks brand new again.

Make sure you clean litter boxes everyday!! And when you baby gets older that is a great chore! My son usually does this!

Always put dishes in the dishwasher as soon as you are done using them....what is the point of leaving them on the counter or in the sink when you can "hide" them in the dishwasher...of course, this means you always have to empty the clean dishes soon after they are done washing.

Another person mentioned junk mail...I agree...when you bring in the mail get rid of the junk right away...I cannot stand piles of mail...it makes your house look so cluttered.

Get a bill organizer...they sell them at walmart by the planners and calendars for cheap....they have a pocket for each month for u to stick your bills in....and a place for you to write what you have to pay and when and if you did....and there is a nice clear zippered thing in the front to put stamps or whatever you want in it....It is nice to have this all organized...I know this isn't house cleaning but it is a tip to save you time so that you have more time for cleaning!

And if all this fails---some days you just have to say forget it!! My house is gonna be a little messy today. As long as your kids, husband, cats, and yourself are happy that is the overall important thing! Good luck to you!

Answer 9

When there were things I didn't want to do, I would make a game of it. Put different chores you really would rather not do onto a slip of paper, and then pick them out of a bowl. I would also throw in some fun ones (such as REST 20 minutes) so that there was a chance I would get to do something I wanted to do as well.

Also, limit yourself in your cleaning time. For example, you can't just write down "Clean kitchen", but give it a stop time. I don't know if a house can ever be 100% clean, so if you dedicate only 20 minutes to cleaning the kitchen, it might not all get done. However, if you dedicate a little bit of time to each room, the house will look markedly cleaner.

And don't forget to spend time with your kid, the cats, and the husband! Mom needs her off time as well...try to (if you can) schedule some ME time in there. Even if it's sitting in the bedroom ALONE for 10 minutes a night while Hubby takes over Daddy Duty. That sometimes makes all the difference in the world.

Best of luck to you!

Answer 10

I try to dedicate at least 20 min a day to 'holly housewife' stuff around the house. Little bit of laundry here, tiny bit of dusting here. Or I will fold laundry while I watch TV. Sweep the floor while the oven is heating up for dinner, Definitely try to keep things in a routine. I have two rowdy dogs and a construction worker husband, I work two jobs and have a jewelery business on the side as well. I have my hands full but at least there is always something to do! I love the Swiffer Duster, it's awesome for cleaning up around the house and tiny knick knacks on your shelves. Plus, usually Sunday mornings I spend cleaning up big time for the next week. I can't relax if my house is mess. Maybe I am a little anal retentive.

Answer 11

My partner and I have my 3 year old son and a 78 lb. dog we also live in a two story apartment. Instead of running up and down the stairs we purchased larger packs of cleaning supplies from Sam's Club and keep a caddy upstairs and down stairs of cleaning items, so we're not wasting time with the stairs. We've taught my son a fun game of cleaning up his toys before the timer runs out. If he does he gets to use his color wonder finger paints at the table which isn't something he does all the time like the rest of his toys. While he's doing this I can vacuum and put the dishes in the dishwasher or wipe off the counters. We keep magic erasers and Clorox wipes on hand. We also use the 80lb washer at the laundry mat so everything goes in at one time. We do laundry once a week so we're not making a day of it. I see people come in with 4-5 hampers of clothes and think...these people only do laundry once a month. I never leave dishes in the sink. If you dirty it up and the dishwasher is full then you're emptying the dishwasher and putting ur dirtys in there.

I hope this helps someone!