Organize Your Cleaning Schedule and Free Up Weekends

The best way to keep your house clean is by deep cleaning it every week. This involves dusting, vacuuming, and scrubbing a variety of surfaces such as floors, windows, and countertops consisting of different sink sizes throughout your home. But what should you do when you can’t book a cleaning crew or don’t have the time yourself to clean? Luckily, some quick and easy strategies can make your home sparkle without investing too much effort.

Here are six simple ways to keep your house from being overrun with unwanted and unsightly daily messes.

1) Cook with the Right Tools

• Don’t cook with your bare hands. Use tongs or oven mitts to pick up food, and always use pot holders when removing something from the oven.
• Put away any kitchen tools that aren’t being used after cooking is done; otherwise, they’ll create clutter on countertops.
• If you’re cooking more than one item at a time on the stovetop, store the cooked food in your oven instead of on the counter.
• Thoroughly clean your kitchen tools before putting them away. If they’re still dirty, it’s easier for bacteria to grow while they sit overnight.

2) Keep Pets Out of the Kitchen

• Pets are great, but they can make a mess in the kitchen. Pets may also get into your food if you leave it sitting out on the counter. Keep your pets in another room when cooking and eating. This goes for any other animals that live in or visit your house; kids should be kept away from the stove as well.
• It might seem like a good idea to let your pets eat from their bowl on the floor, but it’s not sanitary. Bacteria love moist environments and they can flourish here. Try keeping food raised above the floor or feeding them in a small corner instead of directly on the ground where they walk.

3) Stock Up on Plant-Based Cleaning Supplies

• If you know that the counters will be a mess, make sure you have plenty of reusable towels or cloths available. The same goes for any other surface in your home; when they’re about to get messy, restock your cleaning inventory with what you need.
• Keep some old rags or towels in your car. If you’re out running errands all day, it’s easy for the kids to get hungry and messy; keeping some sustainable supplies in your trunk can help keep them stay clean while on the go.
• Use non-toxic cleaning products that are specific for surfaces like wood or tile. They might be more expensive than all-purpose options, but they’ll last longer and do a better job of cleaning.
• Cleaning supplies can be costly, so don’t waste them. If you use a sponge to clean up something sticky or greasy, make sure it gets sanitized cleaned before using it again. Also, try not to leave dirty clothes lying around for too long; use baskets to place them in. They’ll need to get washed immediately if they are damp to avoid mold growth.
• When you are done using your eco-friendly cleaning products, make sure that you put them back where they belong. You might not always see the dust piling up on countertops or tables, but these surfaces will continue to attract dust, dirt, and bacteria weekly.

4) Create Laundry Rules

• If your kids are older, they can help out by doing their laundry. Don’t forget to teach them how to sort colors before you let them go at it alone; otherwise, that new load of whites will turn into unwanted pastel colors in no time flat.
• Try not to overstuff the washer. It’s a lot easier to do multiple loads than deal with a broken washing machine.
• Washing clothes in hot water does a better job of killing bacteria, but you can still use cold if that’s what you have available and use vinegar in the rinse cycle. Just don’t let clothing items sit too long before drying; otherwise, this can harbor mold and bacteria.
• If you don’t have enough clothes to do a full load, try to get them at least partially clean by using a smaller load or a quick wash. You can also use laundry detergent in combination with vinegar or non-chlorine bleach to get your clothes whiter and brighter.
• Only use the amount of detergent that you need. If using too much or too little, clothes won’t get clean and might even show detergent stains. White distilled vinegar is a great fabric softener to use to prevent towels from being too rough on bare skin.
• Dryers can cause fabrics to shrink and lose their shape, so try to avoid putting too many clothes in at once. If you do have way too much laundry to fit in the dryer all at once, take some outside to hang; you can even get indoor hanging racks. The fresh air will help get rid of odors while also restoring the apparel’s shape and size.

5) Go with the Flow

• Empty the dishwasher promptly after each load. You don’t want someone putting their dirty plate in there or you’ll be stuck rewashing everything.
• Keep a towel or rag nearby while cooking. It’ll make it easier to wipe up any spills or splatters before they get caked on.
• If something spills on the floor, don’t fret. Grab a mop or broom. A spilled drink can quickly turn into a sticky mess that attracts dirt, and a dropped piece of food can be a haven for germs and unwanted insects or pests if you don’t tend to it right away.

6) Designate a Place for Everything

• If you have several children, make sure to label their belongings with their names. This will help them learn while making it easy for everyone else in the family to put things away when they’re done using them.
• Make sure to assign a place for everything. This way, when you’re in a hurry to clean up after dinner, you won’t spend twenty minutes looking for a dish that someone left behind the sofa cushion. Keep things put away where they belong so that you don’t have to waste time digging around for them.
• When it comes to kids’ toys, make sure that they’re put away before bedtime. Toys might seem like the perfect distraction after a long day at work or school, but if a favorite toy ends up lost in a pile on the floor, you’ll have to dig through the mess to find it.

You can also use these six easy tips when cleaning up daily. Put that dirty dish into the sink or dishwasher right away and hang your damp towel on a rack instead of leaving it on the floor. By being proactive every day, it will free up your time and allow you to enjoy your days off more.