The four cleaning tricks you need to know
Cleaning the house can feel like a thankless – and never-ending – task. However, there are ways to make it easier on yourself.
Our number one tip, of course, is to get other family members to help out. For example, bin-and-dishes duty for hubbie, and tidying toys away for kids. Need help on making this happen? See our article on Foolproof ways to stop you having to nag when it’s cleaning-up time.
And then when it comes to the big sessions, these tricks should help you achieve maximum clean with minimum stress…
1. Cure – and prevent
It’s great to find a product that cleans with little need for elbow grease, but it’s even better to find one that also prevents future build-up, meaning you need to clean less often.
Viakal is one such product. It makes light work of getting rid of unsightly limescale and watermarks from stainless steel – plus, thanks to its clever water-sheeting technology, it protects your surfaces from future limescale damage for three times longer than other limescale removers.
For tips on how to really make your stainless steel sparkle, click here.
2. Sort out your cleaning cupboard
Do you risk getting hit on the head with a mop every time you open your broom cupboard? It’s hardly surprising you lack motivation if even finding your cleaning products is a chore.
So it’s worth spending a bit of time organising your cleaning cupboard. Some hooks and spring-mounted clips on the back of the door can help makes things easy to get at. It’s also worth having all your cleaning essentials – from products to cloths to rubber gloves - loaded up in a caddy you can just quickly grab and go.
3. Use the right tools (without spending a penny)
You’ll be surprised at what you can use to help you with housework. Instead of throwing these items away, recycle them for cleaning day:
Toothbrushes
An old toothbrush is brilliant for getting into all those hard-to-reach places, such as the grout between tiles, and the corners of your shower cubicle or kitchen surfaces. Just be sure to store it well away from the toothbrushes that the family are currently using!
Newspaper
Screwed-up newspaper is great for cleaning windows as it leaves fewer streaks than a fibre cloth. You could also lay old newspaper pages on top of cupboards. Then, when the time comes for a big clean, all you need to do is whip away the paper together with all the dirt and dust that’s gathered on it. Easy peasy.
Socks
Instead of polishing with a cloth, put an old sock over your hand and dust with that instead. It’s easier to manoeuvre and so is particularly useful when cleaning tricky items, like slatted blinds or lamps. Slightly dampen it to help the dust cling to the fabric.
4. Distract yourself
Cleaning can be much more fun with some music pumping out – you can scrub to the beat and make it into a mini workout. Or maybe you prefer listening to a current affairs show on the radio – it’s amazing how much harder you can scrub the bath when you’re also shouting at a politician!
These tricks should help housework fly by – you might even end up enjoying yourself!
For more housework tips, check out our Cleaning Wizard page.
Do you have a favourite housework hack?