Time-Saving Cleaning Techniques

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sanctareparata

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Anyone have any they’d like to share? For example - soaking dirty dishes before washing them. Lots of us do that. Scouring the tub while taking a shower. Only those daring enough to inhale the fumes do that. 😃 (Me being one of them).

The way I pick up house is like this (it used to drive my parents and sisters and husband NUTS till they realized that it was pretty efficient and made for a fast clean-up):

I begin in any room. Let’s say the living room. I put all stuff away that belongs in the living room while at the same time I take all the stuff that doesn’t belong in the living room and toss it into the kitchen. Living room is clean; kitchen’s now a mess. 🙂

Then I move into the kitchen. Same thing - put all the stuff away that belongs in the kitchen and toss the other stuff into the hallway. Kitchen’s clean; hallway’s a mess. 🙂

Then from the hallway to the bedroom, then bedroom to master bedroom, etc.

I can whip this house into shape in about 30 minutes with this routine. (Just picking up - not cleaning like vacuuming or dusting).

So that’s my technique.

Any others?
 
I’ll get the mods to move this to Family Life - posted in the wrong place!
 
That’s brilliant. 🙂

Mine is very simple - use the stuff that works; not the stuff that says it’s for this or that. (Anything marked “Kitchen Cleaner” or “Bathroom Cleaner” is usually a waste of time and money, unless it’s industrial grade.)

I clean all metal and glass surfaces with blue Windex.

I wash my linoleum floors with Tide laundry powder, and wipe up afterwards with an old bath towel, which then goes straight into the laundry.

I wash my wood floors with a mixture of 30% Windex and water, using as many Swiffer disposable mopping pads as necessary. (I don’t use the Swiffer solution that comes with the kit.)

I like the Swiffer disposable dusters, as well.

Anything greasy, I wash with Sunlight dishwashing liquid.

For big jobs like the oven or the tub, I use industrial grade cleaners.

I wash my empty sink with Sunlight dishwashing liquid, and run the soap down the drain to keep it clear and unclogged.

I use Comet scrubbing powder in the bathroom sink and toilet.
 
I clean much like the OP does….

I but I also have the garbage can with me so if there is garbage it get thrown away immediately and if it doesn’t belong in the room I’m cleaning I just tosses it or pile it and enlist the children to run back and forth. 😃 OR I just toss it into the next room like the OP.

For my bathtub believe it or not I fill it with HOT water and DISHWASHER soap (The soap you use to wash your dishes in the dishwasher).

Anyway, the first thing I do is fill the tub with HOT water and the DISHWASHER soap.
Then I go clean my living room, kitchen, hallway, bedrooms, etc. Using the method described by the OP; although I just carry the garbage can with me……

For whatever reason we seem to always have papers around the house (yes I know I should recycle but recycling is not an option for us. It’s not an option because your garbage company doesn’t pick up recyclables)

Anyway by the time I get done with the living room, kitchen, hallways, and bedrooms the water in the bathtub is warm… so I start draining the tub and as it’s draining I wipe down the sides of the tub; (If needed I’ll scrub a little)…. Once the tub is drain I rinse and it’s clean done.

Then use some soft scrub for the bathroom sink and toilet done

For my kitchen counters and kitchen sink I use baking powder and water (It even removes coffee stains off the counter) Then if need a small amount of soft scrub (but most of the time soft scrub is not needed)

Then about once a month I pour baking powder and vinegar down the drain to keep them clean…
 
I clean most surfaces in the kitchen and bath (not granite) with a vinegar solution. It takes some extra elbow grease, but works as well as the expensive cleaners from the store.

Get the empty spray bottles at the store and then fill them with vinegar or 3 parts vingear to 1 part water. I keep one in the shower and spray down the shower every time I shower, including the fixtures. Then, I wipe down the fixtures with the bath towel-- this keeps mineral deposits off the fixtures.

Consistently spraying the shower keeps buildup from occurring and then it’s easy to clean.
 
When I cook or bake, I take out all the ingredients that I need. As I use them, I put them away. When I am done with a dish, I wash it.

I drive my family crazy because when I clean up, for instance a desk. I throw everything on the floor and put back only what goes on the desk. Similar to how you clean room. Great idea by the way. When I use the bathroom I clean the stool. Each day I concentrate on one room to deep clean. I wash down walls dust clean out drawers ect. what ever needs to be done. In the kitchen, I do one drawer or cupboard a day.
 
If you use Clear Liquid Soap and Shampoo in your Bathroom,
you wont get any Soap scum. 👍
 
adrift said:
I drive my family crazy because when I clean up, for instance a desk. I throw everything on the floor and put back only what goes on the desk.
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that made me laugh. that’s exactly what i do!!!
 
Mommyof02green said:
I clean much like the OP does….

I but I also have the garbage can with me so if there is garbage it get thrown away immediately and if it doesn’t belong in the room I’m cleaning I just tosses it or pile it and enlist the children to run back and forth. 😃 OR I just toss it into the next room like the OP.

For my bathtub believe it or not I fill it with HOT water and DISHWASHER soap (The soap you use to wash your dishes in the dishwasher).

Anyway, the first thing I do is fill the tub with HOT water and the DISHWASHER soap.
Then I go clean my living room, kitchen, hallway, bedrooms, etc. Using the method described by the OP; although I just carry the garbage can with me……

For whatever reason we seem to always have papers around the house (yes I know I should recycle but recycling is not an option for us. It’s not an option because your garbage company doesn’t pick up recyclables)

Anyway by the time I get done with the living room, kitchen, hallways, and bedrooms the water in the bathtub is warm… so I start draining the tub and as it’s draining I wipe down the sides of the tub; (If needed I’ll scrub a little)…. Once the tub is drain I rinse and it’s clean done.

Then use some soft scrub for the bathroom sink and toilet done

For my kitchen counters and kitchen sink I use **baking powder **and water (It even removes coffee stains off the counter) Then if need a small amount of soft scrub (but most of the time soft scrub is not needed)

Then about once a month I pour baking powder and vinegar down the drain to keep them clean…
Click to expand...
That’s ONE huge typ-o I meant Baking SODA!!! sorry guys :o
 
1ke said:
Get the empty spray bottles at the store and then fill them with vinegar or 3 parts vingear to 1 part water. I keep one in the shower and spray down the shower every time I shower, including the fixtures.
Click to expand...
good idea on the vinegar. does it make the bathroom smelly though? i’ll have to try this. we have hard water and buildup constantly.
 
1ke said:
I clean most surfaces in the kitchen and bath (not granite) with a vinegar solution. It takes some extra elbow grease, but works as well as the expensive cleaners from the store.

Get the empty spray bottles at the store and then fill them with vinegar or 3 parts vingear to 1 part water. I keep one in the shower and spray down the shower every time I shower, including the fixtures. Then, I wipe down the fixtures with the bath towel-- this keeps mineral deposits off the fixtures.

Consistently spraying the shower keeps buildup from occurring and then it’s easy to clean.
Click to expand...
Salt (you know the stuff you add to your fries) is a mild abrasive and can be used with either baking soda and/or vinegar to help scrub (assuming that the surface can be clean with a mild abrasive)

I’ve used salt and baking soda to clean my casserole pans, especially on around the edges were the food gets burnt on… I’ve also have used it on my stove top… Then again I’m clean something that can handle a mild abrasive.
 
me and my kids are all highly allergic. I very seldom buy commercial cleansers, most are toxic, too harsh, and rely on chemicals that are not needed. Vinegar in water is a good disinfectant, bleach is not necessary. when cleansers are mixed, dangerous accidents can result, MIL of a coworker nearly died a couple of weeks ago mixing ammonia and bleach to clean her bathroom

I clean the bathroom every day after my shower, spray the surfaces with windex, squirt toilet bowl cleaner in, take my shower, spray damp surface with vinegar/water solution, wipe other surfaces-includes switchplate, doorhandle and fingermarks, towel bars, and mirror --down, scrub the bowl. Use my damp towel to wipe down and buff the shower, then with my foot scootch the towel all over the floor. with the used washrag I clean the corners and behind the toilet, pushing it with the damp bowl brush. slide the used towels out the door, rinse my hands, grab a clean hand towel, wipe the mirror (the fog is enough to clean it), put on my moisterizer and leave. 5 minutes tops and my bathroom is always clean. when I dress (yes I am rather airy during this process, but then, I don’t have kids around to embarras me) I throw the used towels in the washer.

somehow I feel if the bathroom is clean I don’t feel so bad about the clutter in the rest of the house.

I clean one room a day, DH does all the floors once a week with the steamer (all ceramic tile, best move I ever made). sweep kitchen daily with small shark vac, swifter on spills. I have cleaning supplies in the room where they are used, so I don’t have to carry things, duplicate bathroom supplies in every bathroom, swifter dusters in bedroom closet etc. I love those, because dirt actually gets picked up and removed. I never liked dusting sprays they always leave a film. i carry a laundry basket for things that belong in other rooms, and a waste basket with a liner for trash. the basket piles up sometimes, but at least it is only one place to look for something that is missing.

Once a month DH and I dust fans and ceiling corners cold air return grills, and tops of drapes etc for cobwebs using attachments for shark.
 
I read a book once that recommended the FedEx method of tidying up–take everything to a distribution poitnt. We can sweep through a room picking up everything and putting into a basket then sorting it out. Or, if it is a real mess, we sweep it into a big pile.

It does seem to be quicker.
 
I’ve got “days” for each thing. One day is “Kitchen Day” where I start at one end and go through the pantry, fridge/freezer, oven, dishwasher, clean off counters, etc. I also do the dining room as it’s adjoined to the kitchen. The next day is “office day” where the paper is shredded and removed, books organized, bills paid, computer work finished, etc. Every morning the kids have to make their bed and bring down their dirty clothes. I do two loads of laundry a day (2 by 2pm).

The cleaning solutions I use is a vinegar/water solution as well. I also add a small smalls quirt of dish soap and then add about four to five drops of TTO (tea tree oil) and since I absolutely HATE that smell, I put 10 drops of lemon oil. I love doing it this way because my kids like to help clean and my two year old will finger paint this stuff when the older ones are using it on the windows (yes, it works great on windows). And it’s non-toxic so I don’t worry if she puts her hands in her mouth.

Otherwise… I do clean alot like the OP. But I also have to be in my moods. I’ve got some days where it takes a Hurculean effort just to move and other days, you can’t slow me down. So on the days where you can’t slow me down… I hit the entire house.
 
When I really need to get the house from disaster to presentable in a hurry I grab a big trash bag for trash, a paperbag for things that need to be filed, and a plastic tub for toys. I work my way around the room on my hands and knees throwing things into the appropriate bag or tub. Other things that need to be put away in other rooms can all be thrown in one central pile. Then when I am ready to stand up, I just grab those things and make however many trips it takes to get them put away. Then I vacuum.

Also, when my kids’ rooms are a disaster and they are too overwhelmed to figure out where to start, I will give them specific tasks to get them going. Like I’ll say “Put away all the books and make the beds and come see me.” Then I’ll check out the work and give them a couple more tasks. Before they know it the room is actually clean, and I’ll vacuum it for them.
 
If I simply procrastinate, the magical elves in my house (DH) clean it for me. That saves a lot of time, but I really don’t recommend it. The magical elves can also make life miserable for you.
 
vluvski said:
If I simply procrastinate, the magical elves in my house (DH) clean it for me. That saves a lot of time, but I really don’t recommend it. The magical elves can also make life miserable for you.
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:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
 
My grandbaby likes push-pull toys, so I give him the swifter everytime he is here with a new pad in it 😃 Amazing how much area the little guy covers for only 18 months old. His mom cracked up laughing when I told her what I was doing.
 
How I get my kids to clean their rooms.

I take a large broom. Anything in the way of my handy broom goes out the back door. If they want it, they have to sort it out, put it away before the trash man comes.

Works every time! 😃 👍
 
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