Most of us hate to clean, but love a tidy home. We are always looking for ways to clean the house as fast as possible, so we can move on to more fun activities. Over the years, we have developed our own cleaning routine that allows us to save time.
Cleaning Time Savers:
- Multi-task: It feels good to complete two tasks simultaneously. Some household chores require waiting, so while you wait you can spend the time completing another task. For example, while the laundry is washing or drying, the house can be vacuumed.
- Take Laundry Out as it Dries: Within a load of laundry, some of the clothes dry faster than others. Therefore to save time, start removing the dry clothes while the other clothes are still drying. By the time all the clothes are dry, almost all the laundry will be folded. Taking out the clothes while they are still warm results in a lesser chance of them needing to be ironed.
- Wash Dishes as you Cook: The kitchen can get disorganized and messy pretty fast when cooking. We enjoy having a clean kitchen when the meal is ready to be served. When dinner is cooking, if you spend the extra 10 minutes cleaning up the kitchen and washing the dishes, you wouldn't have to worry about who will clean the kitchen after dinner.
- Room By Room: Start in one end of the house and clean each room throughly before moving on to the next room. It helps to stay focused and we enjoy the feeling of accomplishment as we finish a room.
- Clean Throughout the Week: It is never a good idea to let laundry to household chores stack up. Cleaning becomes manageable and maintenance when a little is done each day.
- Clean Food Stains Immediately: It is much easier to wipe up food stains in the kitchen and microwave before they dry.
- Checklist: Create a checklist of the cleaning tasks and stick to the list. If you want to take it a step further, set a time for the tasks to be completed. It helps you stay on track and focused.
What are your cleaning time savers?
(Images: Flickr member Ivan Cabrera via Creative Commons, Flickr member Zieak via Creative Commons)
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Stay focused! Sometimes I can multi-task, but it’s usually better when I complete one task before starting another. Otherwise, it’s too easy to wind up overwhelmed by all of the half-finished chores.
I hate cleaning alone and let everything pileup until someone is coming over, then I have a purpose , otherwise I could care less about how clean everything is, Yet all the while it is messy or dirty It fills me with depression and anxiety and I can't even look at it or get started on the endless cleaning and tidying. Getting jump started is the hardest part, and ritual? eeeekkk! the thought of doing the same thing the same time every day or every week fills me with dread! I don't need a post on my best solutions I need to post the misery of house cleaning!!
The timer method.
Weekdays: set the timer for 10 minutes. Clean until it dings.
Weekends: Set the timer for 30 minutes. Clean until it dings.
The end.
Clean as you go. That's my motto.
I'm a "list" person. I find that when I have so many different tasks going on in my mind, that my mind becomes cluttered and overwhelmed. So by making a list, all the jobs are on paper instead of in my memory. It also feels SO GOOD to check them off when they're finished!
Fine suggestions all. My "time-saver" is a bit different, which is to... not hate it. Cleaning house can be meditative and satisfying labor if you approach it with an open mind. I find that looking for a bit of pleasure in it "saves time" by making the time spent doing it not feel like time lost.
Do the dishes every night.
I followed Flylady for a couple years. (http://www.flylady.net) I'm no longer as rigorous about it, but she helped me learn to keep house much more effectively.
I find a good indication that I am on top of things is when my bed is made... once I don't make my bed, the rest of the place falls apart... its like a domino effect!
I'm a big fan of sweeping up after dinner and taking out the garbage every night.
I rest easier knowing those two things are done, even if I have a pile of unopened mail on the table and clean laundry that hasn't been put away yet.
I don't hate cleaing... in fact, I thoroughly enjoy it...
Not a big fan of cleaning, but I implemented "wash as you cook" recently, and I am so proud of myself... The dishes ARE done before the meal leaved the kitchen (maybe except one or two). Then, after dinner it's just plates to the dishwasher and quick wash of the pan/pot that was already soaking in water for 20 minutes. Breeze.
We've started to have one person cleaning and washing dishes while the other completes the dinner, sets the table, and plates. By the time dinner is on the table, most of the kitchen is mostly clean.
I also have used the timer method. It helps a lot, since I usually convince myself a given job will take "forever". It's humbling to set a timer for 45 minutes, get done in 25 minutes, and have 20 minutes to goof off, wondering why you put the job off for so long.
I want that purple broom!
My hubby of 2 years & I have been working hard to use the "as you go" method of cleaning. It's not enough to sack up the trash & let it sit by the back door until morning. It's still there & it's creating clutter until we follow through & completely get it out of the house.
I'm not a neat person, but I've noticed that I have a trigger that makes me clean: being on the phone with my best friend.
When I'm on the phone with my sister, it's all surfing the internet and pacing the apartment. I don't know what it is about being on the phone with the kid, but something just kicks over in my brain, and I unconsciously tidy up my bedroom or do a load of dishes or fold all of my laundry.
Maybe I should give him a call...
Flylady! If you can get past the rah-rah cheering and fairy dust there's a solid cleaning plan to be found.
I do all those things except one (I insist on having everything ironed), but with a household of four, what saves my sanity is have a weekly professional cleaner. Tuesday afternoons, after she has left, are blissfully clean and tidy...
I just can't pick up everything after everybody anymore...
Roomba saves us a lot of time. We use it daily and with two cats around...it's a blessing to not have to worry about kitty hair and random bits of litter they trek around.
Turn the roomba on, sit back and watch some tv!
Always do the floors last!
Catches all the crud you accidentally knock down when you're dusting, cleaning the countertops, etc.
I always like to clean on Thursday nights too so when I come home Friday ready for the weekend, my house is a welcoming/relaxing place to be.
I just want to live in a magical land where I clean something once and it stays clean forever. I hate daily maintenance...it's a character flaw!
go room by room and make a pile of things that don't belong in that room, and put the pile on 1 tabletop (coffee table, dining room table, dresser).
then go back to each room, grab everything that goes to the kitchen and walk it in and put it away. while you're in the kitchen, then grab the things that don't belong and take them to the next room, etc.
it's a lot more walking than most would like to do, but in my house, at least, most of my cleaning is just putting things back in their designated 'homes'.
Hardwood floors cat = Swifter SweeperVac
I try to clean throughout the week. I have some type of disorder when it comes to my bed and I have not determined when I acquired this habit but...I will not leave my apartment unless my bed is made up. I also have made a habit of tidying up my living area before I go to sleep at night.
Unfortunately, I am still working on washing the dishes every night. My sink is pretty deep so I usually can't tell that I have dishes in the sink unless I actually walk over to that area. Very bad habit...especially when you have a dishwasher that you never use!
OMG...I think I've just realized that I have ADD...no seriously, I wouldn't joke about that. I can't get through one room without making 15 trips to other rooms to drop off items that normally belong there. As a result, I spend more time walking than cleaning, not to mention the distractions I encounter while I'm on the walk.
Right now I'm in CHAOS. If I can get this sorted out once and for all, I think I'll adopt HouseBee's technique...that always seemed reasonable to me, although I like the more playful aspect of thorndale's! hehehe
My goal would be to have it all done by Thursday night, like lilbetty, so my weekend is stressless and enjoyable!
Good Luck to my fellow slobs!
Sheila
An older neighbor once told me, "always clean for 15 minutes before bed." works like a charm. When I make my significant other get into the 15 minute act, it's a full 30 minutes of cleaning.
I used to be a total slob. What changed? When you sit in mess, LIE to yourself and say, "this mess makes me agitated and stressed out. I can't relax." Eventually you'll believe it and you'll start cleaning your home like crazy. Worked for me!