5 habits that will reduce your cleaning time by half

Derek Swalwell

We can all use a little extra time in the day and certainly if it’s recouped from your cleaning schedule. Here are five ways you can change the way you do things do you spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying life.

1. Soak it

This applies to just about every cleaning job in the house and all it takes is a little planning. Pretreating before you clean works to deal with dirt, stains and food that build up over time.

Kitchen

Remove baked-on food from cookware and ovenware by submerging in hot water to cover the food and adding squeeze of dishwashing detergent. Soak overnight then remove with gentle brush or scourer.

Bathroom

Spray bathroom cleaner ahead of time and allow to soak before you scrub your basin, bath shower and toilet. Remove with brush or soft scourer and rinse clean.

Laundry

A presoak in your washing machine may be a cycle you never use but it works wonders to remove long-term stains and freshen sheets and towels to make them like new. Alternatively, use a bucket or your laundry tub and add a little nappy soaker or liquid washing presoak.

2. Clear before you clean

Tidy up and remove and toys, clothing, paperwork and clutter before your begin your cleaning. Clear benchtops, stack chairs on top of your dining table, lift waste bins off the floor and upend footstools and ottomans for a clear area to clean. Even a quick whip through will have your actual cleaning time and save lots of lifting and bending.

3. Keep everything dry

Wherever possible, hang up to dry items such as your bathmat, hand towels, shower curtains and tea towels. When things stay damp they’re in danger of developing bacteria, making them harder to clean.

4. Break it down

Adding an extra small job to your general cleaning each week means they wont become bigger jobs down the track. Cleaning windows, vacuuming the sofa, cleaning the oven and dusting your picture frames are all jobs that don’t have to be done every week so can all be tackled one-at-a-time when you clean week-to-week on rotation.

5. Lower your standards

This might sound shocking but not having a perfectly clean home is not a sin. Decide what your kind of acceptable looks like and aim for that, rather than insisting on perfection every single time.