Does cleaning make you groan? You are among the majority. Even experienced cleaners aren't looking forward to the task ahead of them. That's why there are simple tricks out there to make cleaning easier. Find out from the pros a few straightforward ways you can organize your household chores.
Pro Tips for Organizing Your Chores
Looking for ways to save time and energy cleaning your bathroom? Get some pro tips from Teresa Ward, owner, and operator of Teresa's Family Cleaning. While she started out of her basement, she built on the basic principles of providing excellence and quality in her hometown, Rocky Point, New York. Get some expert advice on how to organize household chores to make them quicker and easier.
Separate Your Chores
One of the best things you can do to maximize your cleaning time is to create cleaning schedules. Not every type of cleaning is the same. Organizing your daily, weekly, and even yearly cleaning can keep you from wasting your precious time. For example, you don't need to clean your bathroom daily. You need to pick it up, but a full-out clean is a weekly or even bi-weekly chore.
Gather the Right Supplies
Knowing your cleaners is important. Not every cleaner is used in every room. So, you need to know what cleaners you need for each different room or job? Ward noted, "a common mistake is that some people don't have the right cleansers or supplies, and it can make a job harder. For example, you can't use just a wet paper towel on grease marks. Using a proper grease-cutting agent can get the job done quicker without a lot of scrubbing."
Use Time Management
Another smart move when trying to clean effectively is to think about how long a chore actually takes and how much time you have. If you have 15 minutes, you can easily load the dishwasher, but you don't have enough time to sanitize and mop your kitchen.
Along this same vein, a few pro tips from Ward include:
- "When going into a particular room, bring any supplies you would need for that room. This saves time instead of walking back and forth to the kitchen to get any extra supplies.
- "If you must get the whole home done quickly, straighten out first and do most important things done like toilets, dusting, etc."
Create a Cleaning List
Lists make life easier. This is doubly true with cleaning lists. With a list, "everyone will know what needs to be done and no more time is wasted going over it every time cleaning day comes. This will also help when it comes to getting everyone to pick up after themselves during the week. The less time they need to clean on a weekend, the more they will pick up their mess during the week," stated Ward. Additionally, you can mark things off your list quickly. And this doesn't have to be something you write on paper or print, but you can use digital lists too.
Separate Chores by Room
On your list, break down the different rooms you are going to clean and everything that needs to be done in that room. For example, for a bathroom, you need to clean the sink, toilet, tub, shower walls, mirrors, floors, etc. By breaking big jobs down into smaller tasks, you can complete the most important when short on time.
Clean One Room Before Moving On
Distraction is a chore killer. You're cleaning your kitchen and notice that the drawer needs help, which leads you into the laundry room. Next thing you know, you're nose deep into sorting laundry. You aren't sure how you got there, but here you are. Rather than succumb to distraction, clean one room completely before moving on. If you need to silence or phone or wear headphones to get this done, more power to you!
Work From the Top Down
"When in the room, work from the door, all the way around the room staring with high things first and working down the wall," according to Ward. This method of cleaning means that you'll be walking your way out the door as your last step. So, if you can keep your family off the floors for 5 minutes while it dries, then everything is sparkling clean and sanitized.
Make the Most Out of Your Cleaners
Cleaners come in all different varieties. But you have to use them correctly for them to work. Ward pointed out that bleach is a big cleaner people use incorrectly. "A lot of people think that if you just spray bleach on that mold in your bathroom, it will magically go away. This is not true; you will make yourself crazy cleaning these areas over and over again. Bleach will only lighten it. It will come back in a week or so; if you want to get rid of mold, install a fan to get rid of the moisture and re-grout the tiles in your shower area."
Work Together Toward a Clean House
Cleaning isn't a one-man show. It's more like an army working to keep the germs at bay. Therefore, you need to work toward keeping your home clean with everyone that lives there. This can be hard when you have kids or teens, but Ward offered some sound advice. "Make them help you on a Saturday afternoon, especially if you have teenagers who want to go out with friends. Let them know if they don't start picking up after themselves, this will turn into their normal Saturday routine."
The Know-How to Organize Household Chores
Cleaning doesn't have to be a dreaded task in your home. Using a few quick tips, you can make your cleaning routine effective. Now all you have to do is put these tricks to the test.
