|
27
Ways To Cut Your Cleaning Time
by Pamela Kramer
Woman's Day, November 1, 2004
I
love it when my house is sparkling clean, especially
during the holidays when friends and family will be
coming over for parties and dinners. But who has
time for dusting and mopping when there are turkeys
to stuff, lights to hang and gifts galore to
buy? Not me! I usually put off the cleaning until
the last minute and end up doing it all the night
before. The next day I'm exhausted and anything but
merry.
This year I decided to stop the insanity. I've
talked to cleaning experts and tidy women across the
country to uncover their smart moves for minimizing
the amount of cleaning necessary and getting it done
faster. I've discovered that not only is it possible
to have a gleaming house in less time, but you can
also have a house that practically cleans
itself! The following tips should help you get a
grip on housework, too.
Cut Down on Chores
Stop dirt at the door. Eighty percent of the
grit and grime that comes into your home is tracked
in on shoes, says Don Aslett, author of No Time
to Clean! Use mats outside and inside every
entrance. Plastic grass-type mats are best outside
because the blades scrape dirt off shoes and let it
drop down inside the mat. Indoors use mats with a
thick, durable carpet top and a nonskid back. Mats
should be at least 2 feet by 3 feet, says Aslett. Regularly
shake outside mats, and vacuum inside ones. Take off
wet and muddy shoes inside the front door to keep
from tracking in more dirt.
Give dust the brush off. Keep windows and
doors closed as much as possible, and have air ducts
cleaned yearly. Upgrade to electrostatic furnace
filters, which are more effective than fiberglass
ones at capturing dust particles. Change them every
two months, says Lou Manfredini, author of the
House Smarts book series. Use a vacuum with a
sealed HEPA (high efficiency particulate air)
filter, because it collects and traps up to 99.97
percent of airborne dust and particulates as small
as 0.3 microns. Bagless vacuums avoid the plume of
dust that occurs whenever you change the bag.
Cook with cleaning in mind. To shield your
stove from grease, put a lid on pans or use a
splatter screen. Cover foods with paper towels as
they heat in the microwave. Wrap casseroles that
might spatter in the oven in aluminum foil. "Spray
the inside of the foil with cooking spray so it
won't stick to the food," says Nancy Rosenberg,
author of Outwitting Housework, who also
suggests keeping a container filled with hot, sudsy
water in the sink. "After using a cooking utensil,
slip it in the water to soak, rinse it off, put it
on a clean dishtowel to dry, then put it away. Put
the container in the dishwasher."
Tame your trouble spots. Squeegee the shower
after each use. Apply a thin layer of car wax to
shower walls and door so water sheets right off,
advises Mary Findley, owner of Mary Moppins Cleaning
System. Reapply every four to five months. Switching
to liquid glycerin soap also reduces cleaning. "It's
the talc in most bar soaps that causes the buildup,"
she says. Once a week pour a cup of vinegar in the
toilet bowl before going to bed to keep stains from
forming. Place an old towel on your pet's favorite
sleeping spot. When it gets dirty, shake it outside
and throw in the washer.
Clean as You Go
Stay on top of messes. Keep cleaning supplies
in the kitchen and each bathroom so you have what
you need to wipe up gravy dribbles and toothpaste
spatters as soon as you notice them--before they
have a chance to set and harden. "Dealing with
spills and spots now instead of later will reduce
your cleaning by at least 30 percent," says Aslett.
Do a little each day. "Saving all of the major
cleaning for weekends is stressful and runs you into
the ground," says Terra Wellington, a mom of three
in Phoenix and author of The Seven Elements to
Balanced Living. Wellington tackles one chore
each day, such as dusting on Mondays and bathrooms
on Fridays. "I turn on some music, work for 30
minutes, and by the end of the week I have a I clean
house," she says.
Watch your timing. Clean the fridge before a
major grocery purchase when there is less food to
move and clean around. This also frees up storage
containers for holiday leftovers. Run the
self-cleaning cycle on your oven once every two
months rather than waiting until the night before a
big meal. "A unit is most likely to fail during and
after a cleaning cycle, especially if there is a
buildup of grease," says Manfredini. Double up on
tasks: Polish a few pieces of silver while you're on
the phone, dust the blinds as the cookies bake
(don't forget to set the timer).
Make regular pickups. Get your family in the
habit of putting items (scissors, videos, phone
books) back where they belong and doing quick
5-minute pickups each night before bed. Whenever Amy
Rea heads upstairs, downstairs or out to the garage,
she scans the room for items that don't belong,
takes them with her and puts them away. "This helps
keep clutter from becoming so overwhelming," says
the mom of two in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Terra
Wellington has her kids take three belongings with
them whenever they're on their way to their
bedrooms.
Zip Through Housework
Make every move count. Keep cleaning supplies
in a plastic bucket or caddy. "It costs you three
minutes every time you stop what you're doing to
look for a scrub brush," says Laura Dellutri, author
of
Speed Cleaning 101, who uses a backpack vacuum
with a belt for attachments. "It's very light and
cuts my vacuuming time in half." Attach an extension
cord to your vacuum so you can reach every comer
without changing outlets. Keep a soft, new
paintbrush in your pocket to sweep dust from
crevices on picture frames and windowsills.
Learn to work the room. Clean in a clockwise
pattern so you don't miss anything or waste time
backtracking. Go from top to bottom so dirt doesn't
fall on clean surfaces, says Dellutri. Dust first
(use a soft, lint-free cloth with furniture polish
rather than oil, which attracts dust), clean mirrors
and glass, and then vacuum your way out of the
room. In the bathroom, squirt cleaner in the toilet
bowl so it can loosen stains while you tackle the
vanity and shower. Spritz the mirror first so any
overspray gets wiped away. Then go back and scrub
the bowl, wipe the toilet tank, seat and rim, and
finish with the floor.
Know when to stop. If the entire patio door or
bathroom mirror isn't dirty, don't clean it. Dampen
a microfiber cloth with glass cleaner or water, wipe
the areas that need it and move on. "This turns a
5-minute job into one that takes 30 seconds," says
Rosenberg. When you're pressed for time, don't
bother cleaning areas that on one sees, such as the
top of the fridge or underneath the sofa
cushions. Before you start cleaning, decide what you
need to get done and focus on just those tasks. Then
quit when you're through with them, because there is
always more to do.
Upgrade Your Decor
Ditch the doodads. Vases, collectibles and
picture frames attract dust and take time to move
and clean around. "If it doesn't serve a purpose or
make you smile, get rid of it," says Rosenberg.
Store infrequently used small appliances, such as
blenders and breadmakers, in a cabinet where grease
and dust can't find them. Display favorite figurines
in glass-front cabinets (line doors with felt strips
using double-stick tape to keep dust from migrating
inside). At holiday time, decorate two or three
focal points, such as your entryway and mantel,
instead of the entire house.
Get a fresh look. Replace your clear shower
door with a frosted one that camouflages water spots
and soap scum. Trade pleated lampshades for
flat. (Remove dust from shades using a vacuum and
lightly rub clean shades with a dryer sheet so they
repel dust.) Forget the dried floral arrangements,
which are dust magnets, and perk up your home with a
bouquet of fresh flowers instead. Choose paint with
a high-performance finish that stands up to washing
and scrubbing. Trade ornamental hardware on
cabinets for smooth, easy-to-clean knobs or pulls.
End paper clutter. Toss unopened mail,
catalogs and school notices in one basket until you
have time to read, sort and file. Place trash cans
where debris collects, such as next to beds and the
sofa. Buy a step-on trash can and use a disposable
liner for the kitchen. Patricia Draznin, whose
husband's home-based business attracts loads of mail
and deliveries, immediately tosses what they don't
need and flattens empty cartons and puts them in her
trunk to drop off at the recycling center later. "I
treat unwanted paper as if it were on fire, because,
otherwise, we would
combust!" says Patricia, a humor writer for a local
magazine who lives in Fairfield, Iowa.
Spiff Up In Minutes.
You can get ready for company in no
time. Really. Follow these five quick and easy
steps:
1. Fold blankets and arrange pillows on '
sofas and stack newspapers and magazines. Toss toys
and other stray items into an empty laundry basket.
2. Load dirty dishes in the dishwasher, toss
food wrappers in the trash and wipe off the kitchen
table and counters.
3. Hang fresh towels in the bathroom. Spot I
clean the mirror, counter and sink. Give the toilet
bowl a quick scrub and clean the seat and rim.
4. Spritz a cloth with multisurface cleaner
and wipe switchplates and knobs near the entryway so
the house smells fresh when guests arrive.
5. Finally, run a comb through your hair,
light a fragrant candle and sit back and wait for
the doorbell to ring.
The Latest and Greatest Cleaning Tools
MICRO FIBER MIRACLE CLOTHS CLEANING TOWELS, 4 FOR
$9.99. Little loops grab dirt and grime. Can
be used for dry dusting or for cleaning with
disinfectants, glass cleaner or plain water.
SWEEPEZE AUTOMATIC DUST PAN, $79. Sweep dust
and debris toward the unit and the infrared beam
senses and sucks up even the smallest particles.
VILEDA PRO SCRUB ROLLER MOP, $12.99. Grooved
sponge design with CollecTex sponge technology is
super absorbent and picks up more dirt than ordinary
sponge mops.
SCOTCH-BRITE DISPOSABLE TOILET BOWL SCRUBBERS,
STARTER KIT $4.99. Built-in cleaners are
activated when put in water. Toss the scrubber and
store the reusable handle.
CASABELLA WATER STOP LATEX GLOVES, 3 PAIRS FOR
$10.99. Comfortable, extra long gloves have a
special patented cuff that catches liquid to prevent
wet sleeves.
OXO GOOD GRIPS SCRUB BRUSHES, $6 TO $10.
Ergonomically designed handles cushion your hand
while you scrub. Perfect for showers, tubs, tiles
and more.
|