In an ideal world, our homes would be magically clean all the time without any effort on our part. Obviously, that is NOT the world we live in, and most of us are just trying to get by, scrubbing and dusting as we can and trying to find long blocks of time on the weekends to get the house in order.
We can find – and have found – all sorts of tips and tricks to make those cleaning sessions more effective, to make sure we’re actually killing all those germs, to restore the shine like never before, and sometimes even to learn how to make the chores more efficient. What doesn’t change, however, is that those pesky bugs will inevitably come back and we’ll have to start the process all over again. What we really need are ways for our homes to achieve a better foundation of daily cleanliness, and for that, we don’t need big tutorials – we need small, simple, smart tips, tricks, and changes to our routine that produce lasting results.
With PureWow as our inspiration, we’ve compiled a list of the ELEVEN best tips and tricks we know of for extending the time between deep cleanings and generally making a sparkling home more attainable.
1- Make a daily shower spray.
When it’s time to scrub the entire shower, make it easy and keep it sparkling between cleanings with a daily spray you can make yourself.
2-Keep your toilets fresh with DIY fizzies.
When you don’t have time to clean the toilet – and no one has time to clean it every day – these fizzes keep things fresh and cover up odors.
3- Double up on garbage bags.
Line your trash cans with not one, but TWO trash bags at the same time. Not only does this trick give you an extra liner to keep your trash cans from leaking, but it means that when you take out the trash, there’s already a bag waiting to receive the next round of trash.
4-When you take out the trash, check the refrigerator.
Sometimes the best tips for keeping our homes clean are simple changes in our habits. When you take out your trash, make it a habit to check your refrigerator at the same time for expired or smelly food. That way, you’ll never give them a chance to turn into hard-to-remove stains and mold!
5-Put your pots and pans in the sink to soak before sitting down to eat.
Another change to the routine? Start the soaking process before you start eating. This will only delay your dinner by a few seconds, and the time you eat should be enough for a sufficient soak. Not only will your dishes be faster and easier, but you’ll be less tempted to let your pans soak overnight and make the mess last longer.
6- Get rid of those extra pillows on your bed.
You know that one of the best things you can do to have a clean house is to make your bed every day, right? You’re more likely to do that if you get rid of all those extra pillows that need to be put away.
7- Rub a dryer sheet along your baseboards.
Baseboards are one of the easiest places to forget about in our homes. Use a sheet of dryer paper to not only remove dust – and repel any that try to settle there later! – but also to make your home smell great!
8- Line the bottom of your oven with aluminum foil.
Prevent spills from becoming smoke problems by catching them with a piece of foil. You can leave it in the oven until it starts to build up, then just remove and replace it!
9- Put your clothes away immediately.
Folding and putting away clothes is the most tedious part of laundry, but doing it immediately is the best way to keep them from piling up. Clutter begets clutter, after all.
