We all clean regularly. We spend a lot of effort and time on this. Do you want to know how professionals clean things up? A few simple tips that, if they don’t make cleaning a pleasure, will at least make it less hateful.
Many of us secretly dream of a home where it will always be clean. Unfortunately, this does not happen even in fairy tales. Someone is always cleaning there: either Cinderella, or the unfortunate stepdaughter, or enchanted interior items. But none of us wants to spend most of our lives putting things in order. Is it possible to clean the house quickly, but at the same time efficiently and easily? Let's try.
Make washing dishes easier
1. If there is a party in your house and you have neither the desire nor the energy to wash the dishes, soak them in the evening.
This is especially true for glasses of wine, as well as cutlery: washing dried wine from fragile narrow glasses or dried mashed potatoes from a fork is not the most pleasant thing. Well, it will be enough to rinse them with detergent in the morning. 2. The most important life hack for a party is not to use ordinary dishes. Finding beautiful paper plates in the store is no longer a problem, especially since you can match them to the tablecloth. You won’t have to wash these dishes afterwards; you can just throw them away.
3. Invite someone who can't sleep if there's a mountain of dishes in the sink. Perhaps by morning the dirt itself will magically evaporate.
4. If you want to freeze leftover food in a container, wipe it with vegetable oil first. It will become easier to remove the workpieces, the plastic will not become saturated with odors and will be much easier to clean.
5. Be crafty and freeze food in store-bought bags and containers. You can even buy special disposable containers in reserve and use them if necessary.
Motivation
Believe it or not, the best way to clean quickly and efficiently is motivation. The main thing is to find the right incentive that will give you a great desire to clean up and mobilize all your strength to fight the mess. What could it be?
- One of the best motivating factors is the husband’s words, “Mom is coming to visit tomorrow.” Probably, many will remember how after this the apartment began to sparkle with cleanliness in an incredibly short time. Thanks mom for this!
- Don't feel like cleaning? Then take the amount set aside for a new dress and give this money to the cleaning company. A professional cleaner will come and do all the unpleasant work for you. And at this time you can watch your favorite series while lying on the sofa. True, in an old dress... There is always another option: you will clean everything yourself (for free), and then go buy yourself a new thing. The choice is yours.
- Do you feel constantly stressed, especially in the morning, because you can never quickly find the thing you need? Imagine how your life will change (for the better, of course) when you put your house in order. Each thing will have its own place. In half a second you can remember where it is. And all this is calm, easy, without any hassle. Not life, but pleasure.
- Do you love to eat delicious food, but often have to deny yourself treats (diet, lack of money, other reasons)? Then tell yourself that after cleaning, you will go and buy yourself your favorite treat. You deserve it!
- They say that the most pleasant sight is to see how others work. So give yourself this pleasure. Involve all household members in cleaning. Suppress their reluctance with the powerful argument “Everyone litters, everyone cleans up.” Cleaning together is, firstly, faster, and secondly, more fun. It's also a good way to introduce a new family tradition. And you will (secretly) rejoice that from now on you will not be alone in putting things in order in these “Augean stables.”
Find a place for everything
8. Take a day and sort through everything that is lying around the apartment. Combs - in a stand in the bathroom, pens - in a desk drawer, small items for repairs - in a special box.
9. To avoid clutter in the hallway and the eternal search for keys, place a vase or bowl with wide edges on the shelf. Try to get used to putting your keys, sunglasses and other small things there that you always have to look for for half an hour before leaving the house. Even if a small mess forms in it, it will be limited to the limits of the container and will not spread throughout the entire hallway.
10. You shouldn’t throw away shoe boxes, especially large ones: it’s easier to store winter boots in the summer in the original box. It will fit exactly in size. In addition, the boxes can be stacked on top of each other, which saves space.
Tips for quick cleaning
Please note the following recommendations:
- If you don’t want to waste time cleaning faucet nozzles from limescale, you need to fill a plastic bag with water, add vinegar to it and secure it to the shower head with a clothespin. In an hour there will be no trace left of the raid.
- You can save time on wiping light bulbs if you use alcohol rather than ordinary water to clean them. After this treatment, less dust will accumulate on them.
- To prevent traces of water flowing from outdoor boots and shoes from staining the corridor, use a box lid filled with stones. All you have to do is take off your shoes and put your shoes in this improvised stand. At the same time, you don’t have to wipe the floor several times a day.
- To allow dust to sit on the surface of the furniture longer, they use polish.
- TVs and monitors are treated with special products with an antistatic effect.
- Sometimes trash just consumes rooms. To prevent bits of eaten apples and pieces of candy from lying around everywhere, it is enough to organize a miniature “trash can” in each room. Its role can be played by cute vases or boxes, which need to be emptied every 2-3 days.
- First, you need to collect all the scattered things in one basin, and then put them in their places, moving around the rooms with it.
- All small items should be stored in groups, in small baskets. It is much easier to lift the box of polishes and wipe the dust underneath than to rearrange each bottle one by one.
For quick cleaning, many devices have been developed that help facilitate this process. Their use allows you to reduce the time spent on cleaning the apartment.
First of all, this is modern technology:
- robot vacuum cleaner,
- window cleaning robot,
- steam generators,
- washing vacuum cleaners,
- dishwashers and more.
Don't let dirty shoes stain your floors
11. Buy shoe covers and put them in the hallway. Now you don’t have to take off your shoes to pick up your backpack from the room. If you don't want to spend money, just move the bag of bags closer.
12. Place any unnecessary rag near the shoe mat before guests arrive. This life hack is especially useful in winter, when a mixture of reagents and melting snow brought on shoes can stain half of the apartment. Then you can simply throw away the unnecessary rag.
13. For those who always have a lot of shoes in the hallway, a small bookcase is perfect. Its task is the same as that of a rag: to prevent dirt from getting onto the floor. Well, and prevent you from tripping over a mountain of shoes at night.
Use a paint brush to remove dust from hard-to-reach areas
A paint brush is good for more than just painting surfaces. Use this handy tool as a mini mop to sweep up dust and other dry dirt from tight, hard-to-reach areas. For example, from the grooves between windows, the internal “nooks” of a cast-iron radiator or the petals of the ventilation grille.
How to simplify:
► First, clean a narrow area with a dry bristle brush, sweeping in one direction.
► Then soak the brush in the cleaning solution or spray the product onto the surface to be cleaned. Repeat the steps described in the previous paragraph.
► Dry the narrow area with a microfiber cloth.
Watch out for trash
14. Place newspaper in the bottom of the trash can. This way you won’t need to wash it, even if the bag breaks and leaks, just throw away the newspaper. And to avoid an unpleasant odor, sprinkle a couple of spoons of soda on the newspaper.
15. Place a trash can in your room if you spend a lot of time there. It won’t take up much space, but paper trash, chip packaging and other small debris definitely won’t be lying around. It's better to buy a smaller bucket. Indoor buckets take longer to fill, but that doesn't make them smell any better.
Engage in self-development
Image: Ivan Dudka / Shutterstock
While mopping the floors, you can listen to audio books or podcasts. The choice is huge: fill in the gaps in your knowledge of classical literature or get acquainted with the latest books, listen to interviews with famous personalities, advice on financial literacy, psychology or raising children.
Another option is to learn foreign languages. If you listen to 2-3 audio lessons a week, you can significantly improve your language perception. When reading, you don’t hear intonation and accent, you don’t know which syllable is stressed in words. Listening will help you remember how difficult words are pronounced and help you understand fluent speech.
Make washing easier
16. Buy a small laundry basket. The smaller the basket, the more often it overflows - you have to do the laundry. And the less laundry there is in the machine, the better it washes.
17. Get a special mesh bag for washing clothes and socks. If the bag is not filled too tightly, they can be dried directly in it. And no more missing socks!
18. If your family is large, buy a triple laundry basket and sort it into dark, light and colored clothes at once. Very comfortably.
Video: 10 life hacks for the home
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Take a life hacker approach to cleaning
19. Softening cloths for drying clothes in a machine are not uncommon. They are used to make clothes less wrinkled, smell nice and be easier to iron. But few people know that they are very good for wiping furniture. The napkins are impregnated with a special antistatic compound, which slows down the accumulation of dust. If such napkins are not at hand, any napkin and antistatic agent for clothing will do.
20. To make it easier to keep your refrigerator clean, cut pieces of baking paper to fit each shelf and place them under the food. If something spills or leaks, you won’t need to take out and wash the shelf. Even if you didn’t notice the problem right away and everything had time to dry out, just replace the sheet of paper with a clean one. Don't forget to do the same with your vegetable drawers.
21. Apply some shaving cream to a napkin and wipe down the bathroom mirror. This way it will fog up much less and you won’t have to wash it as often.
For those who, like us, hate devoting weekends to cleaning, here are 22 life hacks that will save time and make the process easier.
“Water” your mattress
We spend a third of our lives lying on a mattress that cannot be washed. Or is it still possible? Pour vodka into a spray bottle, lightly spray the mattress and leave it to dry. The alcohol will disinfect the mattress and kill odor-causing bacteria.
Clean your microwave in five minutes
Cut a couple of lemons and place them in a glass container with water. Place it in the microwave, bring to a boil and leave to simmer for a minute. After this, the dirt will be easily wiped off. Share this recipe with your coworker whose pasta regularly explodes in the office microwave.
Clean your ceiling fan the smart way
Place an old pillowcase over the fan blade and slowly pull it towards you. The blades will be clean, and the dust will remain inside the pillowcase (and not in your hair).
Down with greasy stains!
Are there greasy fingerprints on the wall? Shade them in with white chalk, wait a few minutes and wipe off the chalk with a damp cloth. This method works for clothes too!
Express drying of wet shoes and gloves
Are your shoes and gloves wet through in the rain or snow? Stuff them with crumpled newspapers. Alternatively, you can use sachets with regular rice (just not boiled, of course).
Basic blender cleaning
Love smoothies but hate cleaning your blender? Simply fill it with warm water and a drop of dish soap, then turn it on for a few seconds. Pour out the water, rinse and leave to dry.
Knife in the ventilation
Dirty ventilation grille or air conditioner? Dampen a towel with your favorite cleaner, wrap it around a butter knife, and you have the perfect tool for cleaning narrow grates.
Second life of leather furniture
Polish worn leather furniture with shoe polish. Scratches and abrasions will disappear without a trace.
Onion Grill Cleaner
Halve a white onion, prick the half with a fork, and wipe over the hot grill grate. Onions will not only clean the grate, but also add extra flavor to your food. The method is also suitable for skewers.
Removing lipstick marks
Spray hairspray onto lipstick marks and leave on for 10 minutes. Then blot with a damp cloth and wash as usual.
Cleaner for burnt pans
Pour water into a frying pan and add a glass of white vinegar. Boil over low heat. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons baking soda. Pour the solution out of the pan and wipe lightly to remove any browned residue.
Cleaning your coffee or spice grinder
You cannot wash these appliances by hand without risk of cutting yourself or in the dishwasher. Instead, grind bread or white rice into them to remove odors. Then pass 1 tablespoon of soda through them - this will clean the devices - and wipe thoroughly.
Clean the lampshade
The fastest and easiest way to clean lampshades
Cleaning the oven overnight
Pour 1/2 cup of ammonia into a container and place in a completely cold oven. Leave overnight and wipe off the next day. As easy as pie!
Clean up vomit with a vacuum cleaner
If your child (or roommate) vomits on the couch, don't panic. Make a thick mixture of baking soda and water and, using a spatula or spoon, apply thickly to the affected area (hold your breath so you don't throw up too). Let the mixture dry overnight and you can vacuum it all up with ease. The same product will help deal with the described carpets (yay!).
Clean stove - quickly!
Remember guys: oil attracts oil. The next time you have leftovers on the stove after cooking bacon for breakfast, apply a few drops of vegetable oil to a paper towel, wipe down the stove and watch the grease disappear!
A quick way to deal with slow drainage
Is your sink clogged? Drop 4 Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain and cover with a cup of distilled vinegar. After 10 minutes, rinse with boiling water.
An easy way to remove stains from a bathtub
Stains on the surface of the bathtub? Cut the grapefruit in half and sprinkle the pulp with salt. Wet the surface of the tub and add more salt to the bottom. Use the fruit as a brush, distributing its juice over the entire surface. Rinse off and enjoy the fresh scent!
Blind cleaner
Put an old (clean) sock on your hand. Dip your hand into a solution of one part water and one part white vinegar and then wipe the surface of the blinds.
Stop polishing silver!
If you use silver cutlery, you know that cleaning them is a real pain. Line a large container with aluminum foil and add half a cup of salt and half a cup of baking soda. Fill the container with hot water and put all the silver in it. After 30 minutes, all dark spots will disappear. Simply rinse the utensils and wipe dry.
Magnet for broken glass
There's nothing worse than stepping on a tiny piece of glass that broke last week. Gently press the piece of white bread all over the surface until you pick up even the smallest pieces.
An easy way to disinfect sponges
How to disinfect sponges? Place the sponge in the microwave and turn it on at maximum power for 2 minutes - this will destroy more than 99% of bacteria. Or you can run it through the dishwasher on disinfection mode.
Posted by Beth Buzynski
iTrex translation
source: iTrex
Turn on the music and dance
Music lifts the mood, helps Avinash E Thakare, Ranjeeta Mehrotra, Ayushi Singh. Effect of music tempo on exercise performance and heart rate among young adults / International Journal of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Pharmacology moving rhythmically increases productivity. All this will be useful not only during training, but also during cleaning. Create a playlist of energetic songs that will set the pace for your movements, and start scrubbing the floors. If you want, you can take a break and just dance. This way you will think less about the fact that you don’t like cleaning, and you will get the job done faster.
Keeping the refrigerator tidy
A neat refrigerator is always nice, but, unfortunately, it gets dirty very quickly. To clean your shelves less often, you can put parchment paper on them, which is easy to remove: stuck crumbs, spills and stains will remain on it. Special silicone mats are also suitable: once removed from the refrigerator, they can be easily washed in the sink.
Removing rust from the bathtub
Due to the poor quality of tap water, plaque often forms on plumbing fixtures. In addition to using industrial compounds, improvised means can also help. Choose any method:
- Dilute 1 liter of 9% vinegar in a bath with warm water and leave for 12 hours.
- Mix 3 packets of citric acid with fine salt and spread over the rust. Sprinkle with warm water and leave for 2 hours.
- Leave a towel soaked in Coca-Cola on the contaminated areas for several hours. Phosphoric acid will dissolve plaque.
Getting rid of stains in the oven
To remove fat, you need to place a baking sheet with water in a preheated oven and wait until the steam takes effect. But if the stains are old, the help of cleaning products is needed. Mix half a cup of baking soda and 4 tablespoons of water to form a paste. Lubricate contaminated surfaces with it and sprinkle with vinegar. We wait until the reaction occurs and wipe thoroughly with a sponge.
Lifehack #8. Hairspray will help clean upholstered furniture from animal hair
Hairspray has 2 useful properties - it removes static tension from surfaces and attracts hair to itself. Take advantage of these styling abilities when you decide to clean your upholstery from your beloved pet's hair.
How to clean wool from a sofa or chair using hairspray:
♦ Spray the varnish onto a disposable damp cloth.
♦ Wipe the upholstery with a napkin.
♦ When the napkin becomes covered with wool, replace it and repeat the procedure.
