May 17, 2018 by JulietAyer
You call your cleaning company to do the dirty work once a month, but sometimes, there’s some intermittent cleaning to get you from one deep cleaning to another – typically brought on by last-minute visitors (looking at you, mom). Would you rather be on your knees scrubbing at the floor, chipping your nails despite your best efforts, or kicking your feet up for the next episode of Game of Thrones? Yeah, that’s what we thought.
The problem is, we know that as responsible adults, we should be cleaning our home instead of watching TV, but it can be so hard to implement. In between professional home cleanings (like those from our wonderful company), there are times when a quick clean is just, well, necessary. When you finally get cracking to clean up your home, you find yourself drudging in the kitchen for what feels like hours, only to find you haven’t even made a dent in your household work. We know the struggle. That’s why in this article, we’ll break down for you a few tricks to clean the bulk of your home in around half an hour – just before the in-laws arrive.
Bathroom Ritual: 10 Minutes
Clean the Toilets
Yes, the dreaded T word. The most unpleasant part of the whole cleaning ordeal. It’s really best to take care of this part first, as its psychologically freeing (the hardest part is done, and now you’ve only got easier parts left to do). You should brush the inside of the bowl, and you can use disposable wipes to wipe the seat, base, and floor of the bathroom in one go. One thing that’s often forgotten when cleaning one’s bathroom, but is vital for a clean home, is the toilet tank.
Use Cleaner
Spray any mirrors, sinks, toilets, and the floor with cleaner. Now, as the cleaner does its magic, you should focus on clearing up any surface areas, like countertops. Once you’ve exposed as much of the countertops as possible, spray them down with cleaner as well.
Wipe Well
Now that the cleaner has had some time to work, you can start wiping these surfaces down. You could really do it in any order or direction you’d like, but we’ve found it much easier to track if you start in one corner and move from there. Make sure to use something absorbent, and pay extra attention to those nooks and crannies. Those areas tend to be where the most dirt and bacteria can be found, as they’re often ignored. For that final bathroom shine, you’ll want to make sure to attack grime and hard water collecting areas like sinks and faucets, as even small amounts of grime can ruin the look of the bathroom.
On the same vein, you’ll want to give your light switches a quick wipe. This part of the home is often the most touched and will be one of the first things a visitor will see on the way in and out of your bathroom. You’d be surprised what kind of effect a quick wipe would have on the overall look of your home.
Kitchen, 10-15 Minutes
Alright, so the toilet’s been taken care of. The next part of the home to tackle is the kitchen. This part should take between ten to fifteen minutes.
Target the Most Obvious Areas First
Use a disposable wipe or wet paper towel to clean the most obvious places first. That funny looking stain on the floor you’ve been avoiding looking at for three days? Gotta go. That one coffee spill you “forgot” to clean up after? Better take care of that. You’ll want to do this process for the kitchen floor, countertops, and even your fridge.
Clean the Sink
If you’ve prepared food earlier in the day, take out any particles of food from the drain. After that, spray the sink with a cleaner. Pay special attention to the soap dispenser. Oftentimes, water pools around the soap dispenser, acting as a breeding ground for bacteria.
Wipe Off Any Stains
There’s no shame in having weird spaghetti sauce marks on your cabinets, only shame in keeping them. Look at all of your cabinets, and wipe down the cabinets with the mysterious stains and marks
Clean Up the Microwave
If you’re like most people, you’ve probably held off on properly cleaning your microwave. Which means there probably a decent amount of miscellaneous gunk in the nooks and crannies. Instead of throwing up your hands and leaving it for another day, there’s a simple way of cleaning up your microwave. Pour water and vinegar into a bowl and heat it for about 30 seconds. This process should loosen the gunk hanging around in your microwave, allowing you to clean it up quickly.
Living Room: 10 Minutes
Dust Your Living Room
We’re almost done with the house cleaning process. Just a few more steps left! In this step, we’ll have to use a handy microfiber mitt. Run your mitt over your table tops, light fixtures, and picture frames. Don’t forget to take care of any ceiling fans, which many people are prone to forget about. Dump the dirt in the garbage and you can throw the mitt along with your other clothes for your next time.
Clean Up After Your Pets
Have any pets? If not, you can safely ignore this step. If you do have a pet, you should do this. Take a lint roller over the places you’re pet is prone to go: couch cushions, rugs, even lampshades for the hair strands and larger pieces of dirt. If you’re having a hard time getting rid of it all, or are just getting tired of having to broom all the hairs and dirt, especially if you have a rug, it might make sense to invest in a vacuum. Just don’t forget to dump the dirt collected every once in a while!
Don’t Forget the Entrance
You’d be surprised at how many people forget to take care of the entrance when cleaning up their home on the quick. You can use either a mop or a vacuum to clean up the entrance, especially if you have a hardwood flooring. If you have guests coming over, you may just want to vacuum, instead of mopping, as a damp flooring will trap the dirt they bring in.
If guests plan on popping by in an hour or less, now you’ll be prepared to clean up the house in short order. Even if you aren’t having any guests, these tips are great for tidying up your place while in between deep cleans. Now you should have the time to kick back, relax, and watch Game of Thrones.