Cleaning tips and tricks

[luckystar112]

I''m looking at my post-thanksgiving house disaster (there''s only two of us, how did it get so bad?) and I''m NOT looking forward to cleaning.
We used to have a maid, and I was always so amazed how I could be gone for just a few hours a day and come home to a sparkling clean house. What is the MAGIC here? What secret tips does this lady have that makes her able to whip through a house so fast?!?

So I figured I''d start a thread to see if any of you have any shortcuts that make cleaning go by faster. A couple I automatically do:

1. Organize my silverwear in the washing machine. I heard that you aren''t supposed to do that, but I do it anyway because I feel like it saves time.
2. Keep one vaccum upstairs and one vaccum downstairs (same thing with cleaning supplies) so that I don''t constantly have to run up and down the stairs.
3. Dust and clean all counters/shelves before vaccuming (okay this may just be common sense)

Do you guys have any tips that help you to breeze through the house?

 

[Independent Gal]

By washing machine you mean dishwasher right?

I just spent about two full minutes trying to picture how the washing machine sorted silver ware. And then I realized you didn''t mean the CLOTHES washing machine. Haha!

Music is my key to success. I put the tunes on, and then cleaning is like dancing. Boogy woogy woogy woogy dusting cloth! Keeps me cleaning all niiiiight! (Sing it gals!) Boogy woogy woogy ... OK. I''ll stop.

 

[luckystar112]

HAHAHA oops. Yeah I meant dishwasher!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 11/23/2007 11:52:18 AM
Author: Independent Gal

Music is my key to success. I put the tunes on, and then cleaning is like dancing. Boogy woogy woogy woogy dusting cloth! Keeps me cleaning all niiiiight! (Sing it gals!) Boogy woogy woogy ... OK. I''ll stop.

I jam out while cleaning too!!!! My favorite is to buy the bulk clorox wipes and keep them in each of the bathrooms and kitchen. I love baking soda; I use it to clean the microwave; I mix 1 cup of water and 1/4 c of baking soda microwave for 2 mins and then wipe the inside clean.

Happy Cleaning

 

[surfgirl]

My family has a wise, age old tradition for cleaning up after the holidays...they hire someone to come in and clean up as the dinner is being served, so there''s only dessert to deal with afterwards. Works like a charm!

ETA: I do like the idea of an upstairs vac and a downstairs vac, no schlepping up stairs...great idea! I like those stairs organizers - the stepped baskets you put on the stairs and fill with stuff that needs to go up, and visa versa.

Yes, stacking all the same flatware can cause damage. When your spoons are all together they tend to "nest" and then the washing soap can get stuck in between them, causing pitting and discoloration. Dont do it! Instead, vary them in each basket, but when it''s time to put away, just take the basket out of the machine and plop it on the counter next to your flatware drawer...it doesn''t take much time to put them back and you dont have to keep bending over the machine to take out a handful of flatware.

 

[Blenheim]

My only real "tip" is that if I spend about 15 minutes a day tidying up and cleaning, I can breeze through the major cleaning on the weekend and everything seems less overwhelming.

Date: 11/23/2007 11:46:13 AM
Author:luckystar112


2. Keep one vaccum upstairs and one vaccum downstairs (same thing with cleaning supplies) so that I don''t constantly have to run up and down the stairs.

My solution to this is to make hubby do the vacuuming.

I do have cleaning supplies stashed all over the house though.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 11/23/2007 11:46:13 AM
Author:luckystar112
I''m looking at my post-thanksgiving house disaster (there''s only two of us, how did it get so bad?) and I''m NOT looking forward to cleaning.
We used to have a maid, and I was always so amazed how I could be gone for just a few hours a day and come home to a sparkling clean house. What is the MAGIC here? What secret tips does this lady have that makes her able to whip through a house so fast?!?

So I figured I''d start a thread to see if any of you have any shortcuts that make cleaning go by faster. A couple I automatically do:

1. Organize my silverwear in the washing machine. I heard that you aren''t supposed to do that, but I do it anyway because I feel like it saves time.
2. Keep one vaccum upstairs and one vaccum downstairs (same thing with cleaning supplies) so that I don''t constantly have to run up and down the stairs.
3. Dust and clean all counters/shelves before vaccuming (okay this may just be common sense)

Do you guys have any tips that help you to breeze through the house?

Yeah, I heard you''re not supposed to do that either.

 

[somethingshiny]

Date: 11/23/2007 12:12:33 PM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 11/23/2007 11:52:18 AM

Author: Independent Gal


Music is my key to success. I put the tunes on, and then cleaning is like dancing. Boogy woogy woogy woogy dusting cloth! Keeps me cleaning all niiiiight! (Sing it gals!) Boogy woogy woogy ... OK. I''ll stop.

I jam out while cleaning too!!!! My favorite is to buy the bulk clorox wipes and keep them in each of the bathrooms and kitchen. I love baking soda; I use it to clean the microwave; I mix 1 cup of water and 1/4 c of baking soda microwave for 2 mins and then wipe the inside clean.


Happy Cleaning

I do this too!

I also swear my Mr Clean Magic Eraser. They are great for EVERYTHING, literally! They remove marks from floors and walls, clean stainless steel, great for bathtubs, everything!!

I am also a fan of vinegar. I will put vinegar in the microwave, too. Makes everything come right off. I also use shaving cream (the actual cream, not gel) to clean bathroom mirrors. It keeps the mirrors from fogging.

And, I''ve started using those Swiffer dusters. They''re pretty good for a quick clean-up, but not as good as regular dusting.

 

[zoebartlett]

Random thought about silverware and the dishwasher...I heard that it''s a good idea to put some pieces in upside down and some right side up. I forget why it''s recommended but that''s how my dad does it.

The only suggestions I have are:

1. Put cleaning supplies in all bathrooms, etc., so you don''t have to search for them in another room. I see I''m not the only one to suggest that.

2. I do a large part of my cleaning while I''m watching TV. Every time a commercial comes on I get up and clean. That way, I feel like I can relax when I get home and watch TV, and I can get a lot of cleaning or laundry done at the same time.

3. This one pertains more to straightening than actual cleaning. I don''t know about you but I tend to be a piler. I used to be horrible at piling clothes on top of a small bookcase we have in our bedroom. I decided to get rid of the bookcase and now there''s no place for me to pile my clothes. I''m forced to hang up my clothes as soon as I empty the clothes rack (which is a whole other issue). When we get a "real" bedroom set, I''d actually love to get a tall dresser or an armoire so I can''t store things on top of furniture anymore.

 

[zoebartlett]

Luckystar, do you mind if I jump in real quick and ask a question? No, okay, good.

What have you found to be the best tub cleaner? I hate doing this so much yet it really needs to be done thoroughly every week. My FI often finds me in the tub, scrubbing the vinyl (?) like crazy with a hard rubber brush and Clorox bathroom cleaner with bleach. Within days it seems like little grey streaks are forming again and it grosses me out. I clean like crazy but I''m not finding anything that makes it spotless for more than a couple days. Ughh! I could try the magic eraser but I''m afraid it won''t be strong enough. Any suggestions?

Sorry to interrupt!

 

[ljmorgan]

zoebartlett, for bath tubs I am a big fan of older fashioned powder cleansers. I feel they have superior scrubbing power to the liquid bath cleaners. They are abrasive and will scrub away any invisible gunk that can cause streaks to show up again so soon. My old cleaning person used to scrub my tub with baking soda and lemon juice but that''s a bit too much work for me!

Here are my fav cleaning tips:

1. Buy cleaning supplies that you enjoy using! This works shockingly well... when you buy products that you enjoy using and feel good about, you want to use them more! I love Caldrea cleaning products -- they are all natural and smell amazing. I love cleaning because my house smells so fantastic when I''m done. Since they''re all natural, I don''t nearly faint when I''m cleaning the bathroom like when I used to use tilex and scrubbing bubbles, and I can feel good about what I''m putting in my house. I''m paranoid since watching Dr. Oz on Oprah talking about toxic household cleaners.

2. Take a 20 thing fling boogie. I learned this from the fly lady! Grab a trash bag and move through one or more rooms and throw away 20 things as fast as you can! Do this every day until things are really decluttered. This is easy and fun, and takes no time at all.

3. Put waiting to use! When I brew iced tea or heat up food, I wipe down my counters, clear the dishwasher, clean out the microwave... I tell myself I will clean until whatever I am waiting for is over. These days I can wipe down those counters, clean the range, sink, put away dishes, and deoderize the trash can before my tea is done! Sometimes I can''t think of anything in the kitchen to clean while I''m waiting, which is a great thing!

 

[ljmorgan]

Oh I forgot, one other great "cleaning" trick -- buy a high quality air filter for your furnace. 3M makes a good allergen filter that will remove a lot of dust and particles from your air, one of Consumer Reports best buys. You won't have to dust your furniture as often! This makes your home AND lungs cleaner!