By Anja Sonnenberg
Time is a precious commodity that you can’t buy, rent, borrow, store, or save. So it makes sense that most homeowners would prefer to spend less time on everyday tasks like cleaning, so they can spend more time on the things that really matter. These tips for everyday speed-cleaning will help you keep your house tidy all week long, so you don’t have to devote an entire weekend to cleaning up.
Clean the Shower Daily
After your daily shower, spray the walls with a store-bought or DIY cleansing spray and wipe dry to keep the soap scum and water stains away. Spending these extra few minutes during your daily shower will help prevent buildup, which can take a lot of elbow grease to remove if left untouched.
Freshen Your Garbage Disposal
Your garbage disposal can get quite nasty and smelly over time, but here’s a simple trick to keep it smelling fresh. Chop a lemon into pieces and place into an ice cube tray. Add white vinegar and freeze. Every few days, drop a couple of cubes into your garbage disposal and turn it on to wipe out kitchen odor.
Unclog Your Shower Head
The easiest way to clean a clogged shower head is to use distilled vinegar in a sturdy plastic bag that is secured over the shower head. Leave it to soak for an hour to allow the limescale to break down. Remove the bag and rinse. Your shower head will be sparkly and clog free while you’re off taking care of other things.
Clean Your Microwave Easily
When microwaved food bakes onto the appliance walls and ceiling, cleaning it can be a time-consuming chore. Save yourself the effort by heating a bowl of ½ cup water and ½ cup white vinegar in the microwave for ten minutes. The steam will loosen any splatters so that they can be easily wiped away with a damp sponge.
A Dishwasher Isn’t Just for Dishes
The dishwasher is one of the best kitchen appliances to ever save you time, but don’t limit its use to just washing dishes. Many household items should be disinfected on a regular basis—and most can safely be washed in the dishwasher. Plastic toys, toothbrush holders, vacuum filters, and sponges are just a few items that your dishwasher can safely clean.
Keep Drains Free of Clogs
Drains will collect whatever can’t quite make it through them. So if you neglect this household chore, you may soon regret it. To help prevent hair from building up in the shower or bathroom sink, pour boiling water down drains once a week. For stubborn clogs, you may need to slip on a rubber glove and manually clean the drain and then flush with hot water. This little bit of cleaning know-how can save a costly plumbing fix later.
Put Down the Iron
Ironing has become a household chore that most people refuse to do. Instead of firing up the iron, remove clothes from the dryer and fold or hang them up right away to prevent wrinkles. For clothes with wrinkles, dampen the item with a little water and then steam the clothes in the dryer for fifteen minutes. Not only will the wrinkles be gone, but you’ll have saved yourself the tedious time spent ironing.
Become a Multitasker
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when multitasking. If you happen to be chatting on the phone, put your conversation on speaker so you can fold laundry, tidy up clutter, dust the shelves, empty the dishwasher. Suddenly all those minutes spent gabbing can be put to doubly good use.
Disinfect Door Knobs with Convenient Wipes
Door handles are one of the most common places where harmful germs and bacteria live. That’s why one of the surest ways to prevent household illness is to disinfect door handles and knobs. As you go about your day at home, take a few minutes to wipe the door knobs clean with a disinfectant wipe.
Wash Dirty Dishes as You Cook
Cut through after-dinner dishwashing time by washing as you cook. If you can’t take your eye off the stove long enough to clean up, try this instead. Fill your sink with hot soapy water and place used dishes soak while you eat. Presoaked dishes are much easier—and faster—to clean!
Banish Dust Bunnies
It’s amazing how big the dust bunnies lurking in corners can become. To prevent them from collecting, keep the corners free of clutter. If you do have furniture situated in corners, grab a broom or vacuum and regularly tackle these areas. A dustpan with a rubber edge works well to prevent the annoying line of dust when sweeping up dirt.
