Spring House Cleaning Tips Made Easy

Let’s be honest here – house cleaning is, never was and never will be any fun.

It makes no difference if you look at it as a handy way to get your exercise (the Jane Fonda Houseworkout video…), or your penance for wanting three bathrooms, cleaning is, well – a chore. Why spend more time on cleaning detail than we have to? Basic cleaning should be cost-effective, take little time and

serve the purpose.

I mean, really – who needs floors clean enough to eat from? Who do you know who eats off the floor?

Now that Spring has arrived and you’re facing major house cleaning detail, here are a few ideas that might succeed in minimizing time and effort.

First, don’t waste your time cleaning areas that don’t need to be cleaned. “We’ve got to do the whole house,” you say, “because it’s Spring, and we do it every year, and…” you just shut your eyes and go to it, regardless if what you’re cleaning really needs the full treatment. It may not – and you’re just

wasting your precious time. Therefore, clean just the handprints from your patio door (and disinfect the doorknobs), but don’t waste your time cleaning the entire door if it doesn’t need it.

Second, deal with small jobs before they turn into big ones. Use your hand vacuum on crumbs and spills before the stuff gets ground in.

To avoid frustration, don’t clean up till the mess is completed. You’re just spinning your wheels trying to keep an area tidy during a mess in-progress. There’s little point sweeping and washing the mud room floor as long as there are people still coming in. Wait until everyone’s in for the night.

Never waste time cleaning stuff you hate. Instead, get rid of it that ugly plant, or the swag lamp that just keeps gathering dust.

Make efficient use of water. Knickknacks are easier to wash in a bowl of soapy water than if individually dusted. And bulky items like venetian blinds and high chairs can be cleaned in the shower. Instead of dusting plants, try misting them.

Always dampen your dusting utensils – rags or mops. Otherwise you’re just rearranging the dust.

Make cleaning convenient. The handier your broom, the more likely you will use it. Duplicate tools and cleaning solutions in places where you need them, and always keep a sponge and box of baking soda or cleanser under each sink. Another idea is to keep a well-stocked cleaning caddy handy for taking around the house.

Save steps using a long extension cord when vacuuming so you won’t have to keep unplugging it and work your way around the room instead of walking back and forth.

Once you have your vacuum in gear – maximize its use. Use attachments to cut down on dusting and to avoid ground-in dirt.

Vacuum upholstery regularly so dust won’t attract grease, which promotes staining. If you vacuum a windowsill before you clean the window you won’t have mud to clean off later. Pass the brush along the actual glass – there’s dust there too, and it will make cleaning the window itself easier. If you vacuum your bathroom floors when they are dry, you won’t be left having to pick off stray hairs from your sponge or mop.

Use several mats at all entrance ways to reduce the amount of dirt tracked indoors. The ideal mat should be large enough to cover four footsteps.

Use fabric softener to eliminate static. Mix it 10 to 1 with water to spray on rugs, 1-to-1 with water to clean television and computer screens. Less static, less dust is attracted.

Always clean from top to bottom – that’s the direction the dirt is going.

You can get away with not cleaning those areas which are higher than your tallest house guest. Remember the old adage, “what people can’t see won’t hurt them”. If you’re still concerned about those dusty out-of-sight spots (such as the top of a kitchen cupboard), here’s a tip; line the top with waxed paper and change the paper once a year.

Maximize your time by doubling up on chores in a two-for-one configuration – wipe the tub ring while waiting for the tub to drain, for example. Where possible use both hands – one sprays, the other wipes.

Don’t rush an extremely dirty job; for example, don’t rinse until you’re done scrubbing a filthy surface. Don’t feel guilty about leaving something to soak – there’s little point scrubbing away at something that’s not going to come off easily (such as stove top rings or drip catchers). Let the hot water do its work, and move onto something else.

If the phone rings, don’t use it as an excuse to stop if you’re not ready for a break. If you have a cordless phone grab it and keep going. Keep in mind however that the longer metal antennas on older models may get in your way and cause damage such as scratching the porcelain in your tub, for example.

To simplify bed-making, pull up the sheets and covers before you get out of bed. This saves a lot of time running from one side of the bed to the other to get everything lined up. It’s also a way that little children can learn to make beds – even top bunks.

Save old toothbrushes and nylon stockings with runs for cleaning hard-to-reach spots.

Cut down on needless laundry – you’re only wearing out your clothing faster. Many people are in the habit of simply tossing a garment into the wash not because it needs laundering, but rather due to wrinkling – laundering again is easier than ironing.

If you find yourself still cleaning at midnight (usually on that all-or-nothing spring cleaning day), you’re a keener – and you’re also taking this cleaning thing far too seriously. Most cleaning jobs don’t have to be all done at once – don’t clean a room from top to bottom when only a couple of things in the room really need doing.

Make big jobs, such as cleaning the basement or garage, a family affair. Set up the your old cassette player and dig out everyone’s favorites from the past – Barney, Garth, Elvis, Hootie and the Blowfish (ask your teenager) – and go to it, alternating the musical accompaniment. You’ll find the work gets done quicker and doesn’t seem like such a huge chore.

Combine cleaning the garage with preparation for a garage sale. You’re going to be cleaning, and organizing the garage for the sale, so there’s no point attacking the garage at the first sign of spring, only to plan a sale and do it again three weeks later.

Finally, reward yourself – invite a few friends over. If you’re like most, you don’t clean for the pleasure of it. If you operate with a reward mentality and find you need a little incentive to get your cleaning done – plan an impromptu ‘apres-cleaning’