Life is hectic. In today’s world you need cleaning shortcuts to keep your place clean. Remember when your grandmother stayed home and took care of the house. Her house sparkled brightly from constant cleaning. Who has time for that in this hectic world? First a cleaning schedule is helpful. Take all the cleaning duties and break them down into a simply daily routine. Then create a cleaning list for Monday through Saturday. Doing 2 simple cleaning duties a day will make life a lot easier. This method is great for the weekly cleaning duties but what about the other cleaning things. Grease build-up on the over the stove hood, cupboards and that stubborn burnt on mystery crud in the microwave. Those require a little extra time and demanding work. Cleaning shortcuts will save you time when dealing with those duties. AS a result, your home will sparkle in no time.
Great Kitchen Cleaning Shortcuts
A kitchen is the most used room in the home. You spend time in it cooking, eating, entertaining and cleaning. As a result, it needs the most cleaning. Following are some great kitchen cleaning shortcuts to help you spend less time in the kitchen.
Firstly, the microwave is a haven for cooked on splatter. As a result, it is hard to clean. A great cleaning shortcut for the microwave is place 1 cup of hot water with 1 slice of lemon in the water, bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Leave the door closed so the steam can work its magic. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes. When ready open door and wipe the baked-on splatter clean.
Secondly, let us tackle the hood over the stove. When you fry anything little grease particles float in the air and stick to the hood and cupboards near the stove. This buildup is sticky, and every dust particle will stick to it. A great cleaning shortcut for the hood and surrounding cupboards is foaming shave cream. The concentrated soap in shave cream cuts easily through the grease. Barbasol brand works wonders. Spray the foam onto dry surfaces and let it sit. Come back in 5 minutes or more and wipe clean with a damp cloth. Depending on the amount of buildup it may require a second application. In addition to hoods this is great on cupboards, stove tops, and refrigerators.
Additional Kitchen Cleaning Hints
Next is the dishwasher which can smell and have water discoloration. These two things will make your dishwasher appear unclean. A simple solution is to purchase a packet of Lemi Shine. Open the Lemi Shine packet and pour the crystals into the dishwasher, run it through a cycle with no dishes in the dishwasher. The fresh scent and cleaning power will brighten your dishwasher. In addition, this cleaning shortcut can be used on your washing machine to remove odors and hard water discoloration as well.
Lastly for the kitchen is the kitchen faucet, toaster or other chrome surfaced appliances. Most are not chrome but a chrome plated finish which will show every water drop or streak. A great cleaning shortcut for these surfaces is a used dryer sheet. A dryer sheet that has gone through the drying cycle still has enough static removing properties to break the hold any water spot or streak has on the surface. The sheet is lint free and will polish the surface. As a result, the surface will sparkle.
Great Bathroom Cleaning Hints
The bathroom is used frequently between showers and bathroom breaks. As a result, it can quickly become dull. Following are some great bathroom cleaning shortcuts to bring the sparkle back.
First, let us address soap scum and the glass shower door. The easiest way to break soap scums hold on your shower door or tub is the shaving cream shortcut! It will power through the scum in no time. Once the scum and any residue are removed, dry the door thoroughly. Next use Rain-X, following manufactures directions, to coat the glass! The water will run from the glass leaving it scum free. Once you notice the water is not slipping off as easily, reapply! In addition, this cleaning shortcut can be used on mirrors or other glass surfaces in your home.
Second cleaning shortcut is for those smelly trash cans. Whether it is your bathroom or kitchen trash receptacles, this shortcut will make cleaning the cans easy! Start with using your toilet bowl cleaner, the thick liquid will stick to the sides. Next add a little water and swish clean with your toilet bowl brush! Then rinse and allow to dry for a fresh clean can.
Lastly is the grout in your shower or kitchen back splash. This area can be tough, a cleaning shortcut would be to use a bleach pen. On white or light-colored grout, draw the bleach pen over the grout. Use an old toothbrush to gently scrub any stained areas. Allow the bleach to sit on the grout for about 10 minutes. Rinse the bleach from the grout and admire the results. This can be time-consuming if you have a lot of grouts, but so worth the effort!
Livingroom Cleaning Hints
Dust is the number one issue in the living room as well as throughout the house. Using disposable wipes or any disposable duster adds waste to landfills. An ecofriendly solution is a microfiber cloth. It does an excellent job of picking up the dust. One of the best reasons to use a microfiber cloth is it can be washed and used repeatedly. Imagine the waste you will have kept out of the landfills! Another reason a microfiber cloth is your best option is the dust is removed from the surface and not reintroduced into the air where it can land back on your furniture and electronics.
Speaking of electronics, they attract dust and hold it to the surface with a static charge. A great cleaning hint is to treat the surfaces with an antistatic dusting spray. Thus, eliminating the static charge that keeps the surface dusty.
Lastly, let us address the windows of the house. A wonderful cleaning hint is to clean all your windows and then treat with RainX both inside and outside. During the next rain storm the water will run off and not leave those annoying water spots. The bonus of inside treatment will be that dust will not stick as easily to your windows and if they do a simple wipe with a microfiber cloth and it is gone. They stay cleaner longer and will require less washing.
In other words, if you do a simple daily cleaning chart and use these cleaning shortcuts for the tough areas of your home, it will be cleaner and with less effort. Leaving you more time to do the other things you love.