I’m going to be honest with you: when it comes to cleaning my house, I’m always looking for ways to make spring cleaning quick and easy. I don’t hate cleaning – in fact, I’d love to have a week off to do it all at once – but as a working mom with two small children, I don’t have hours to dedicate to scrubbing. Over the past 5 years, I’ve perfected my cleaning routine to make sure all the basic tasks get done without taking up time for myself. The sink and toilet get cleaned when the kids are in the bathroom, and I cook and clean the kitchen while I’m at it, so it’s (almost) spotless after I’ve cooked. Incorporating cleaning into daily life in this way means that this time of year I can get a good spring clean done without all the other distractions.
Just like my daily cleaning, I wanted to make sure deep cleaning fit into my life and didn’t feel like a chore. So, I came up with these 11 hacks to make my spring cleaning surprisingly quick and easy. These tips are less about scrubbing surfaces with lemon and vinegar and more about using technology to our advantage. Very.co.uk has a fantastic range of spring cleaning supplies that revolutionise both everyday essentials and spring cleaning must-haves and I’ve put some of them through their paces.
Make a list
Go from room to room in your house and make a list of what needs cleaning with an estimated time you will need to complete each task. This will help you make the most of the 5 free minutes, but will also allow you to get on with the more important tasks when you have more time available.
I also use this list to brainstorm. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the task at hand, I write everything down on paper. When I get down to cleaning, I’m not distracted by other tasks at hand. If it’s on the list, I know I’ll get to it at some point, instead of trying to do too much at once (and not get anything done at all!).
Work in bursts
Robovac is my new best friend. I’m not kidding, move over, coffee maker. There’s a new favorite appliance in town. While this little gadget doesn’t do a deep clean, it does a fantastic job of cleaning day to day. Every day I run my Eufy Robovac over the downstairs of my house. This area collects the most dirt, and before I had a Robovac I used to sweep at least twice a day. Now, instead of using my time on a daily cleaning task, I use that time to check a quick task off my deep cleaning list. These daily 10-15 minute periods make my spring cleaning manageable and more productive, and the more I keep up with these larger jobs, the quicker it is to get a deep clean done each year.
Bluetooth Headphones
I always have a podcast, e-book, or music playing while I clean. I use my Bluetooth headphones so that while I’m running around the house and doing my chores, I don’t have to stop and turn on the audio or take the speakers with me. This helps me stay focused on a task and also gives me self-imposed time limits to work on. Even if it’s just organizing a sock drawer for a song. Once the song is over, the day’s work is done.
Be your future friend
Make the coming year a happy one by adding simple ways to keep your home clean all year round. After you’ve spent time scrubbing down your kitchen appliances, put liners on your refrigerator shelves and drawers and oven liners on your oven and broiler pan. Throw them in the dishwasher when needed and you’ll save hours of cleaning in the future. Other tasks that can help save you time include changing or deep cleaning doormats once a month to prevent dirt from being moved around your home unnecessarily. You can also place blankets, clothes and pillows in vacuum bags to prevent them from collecting dust when they’re not in use.
Stop spreading dirt everywhere
Often when we clean surfaces, we can end up just moving dirt or dust around. My favorite trick for removing dirt quickly and effectively is to use a window vacuum. Not only do these leave windows sparkling clean inside and out in no time, but they can also be used on a variety of flat surfaces to suck dirty water right off of them. In addition to windows, I use them on my stovetop, oven door, tile, shower doors, mirrors, and even kitchen cabinets. The window vacuum works wonders on shiny cabinet doors to leave them streak-free without having to dry them.
Open the windows
I’ve found that the quickest way to freshen up your home is to simply let fresh air in. As soon as it starts to get warmer, I open the windows every day to let out the stale air and let fresh air in. Even five minutes can make a difference in the way your house smells. It’s like an instant air freshener!
Retouching
When painting a room, a good tip is to fill a paint pen with a small amount of the same paint. This makes it easier to touch up any scratches or marks. Label each pen with the name of the paint and the area it was used on. For high-use areas where touch-ups are needed more frequently, fill an old jam jar with leftover paint and label it. Instead of storing half-empty cans of paint that will likely dry out, you’ll only need a small drawer or box to store your paint pens for a quick touch-up when needed.
Use the right tools
In our small home we don’t have a lot of free space for cleaning supplies. Tools need to be stored like a jigsaw, and while I love pulling out the larger tools when I need them, if I can use something smaller and more easily accessible for the job, life becomes a lot easier.
My Shark cordless handheld vacuum is probably the most used cleaning tool in my home. It’s small enough to fit discreetly in a corner and so light that it can be carried around. I can whip it out in a flash and often use it to get into any corners that the robot vacuum hasn’t been able to reach. But the Shark vacuum isn’t just for floors. It can be used on many surfaces around your home without the arm strain of heavier handheld vacuums. I often use the Shark handheld vacuum on blinds, lampshades, plants and open shelving. It can clean skirting boards and windowsills in seconds. It also has a fantastic attachment for keeping sofas clean – perfect for stopping crumbs collecting on the back of cushions!
The dishwasher is good for more than just washing dishes
The dishwasher is an excellent tool for cleaning much more than just dishes. Think vases, plastic bath toys, microwave plates, high chair trays, candle holders, or dusty knick-knacks. Obviously, don’t put delicate pieces or items that have been painted or printed in. But many nonporous items can be effectively cleaned in the dishwasher, saving you the need to scrub them over and over again.
Don’t forget your fabrics
A very simple way to remove pet hair from fabrics is to run a damp rubber mitt over the surface of the fabric. This will pick up the pet hair easily and can be cleaned by dipping the mitt into a bucket of water. For any stains, a Bissell Spot Clean Pro is the best I have found in my years of searching (grey couch problems!). I pull it out constantly to spot clean carpets, couches and chairs. I even used it recently to refurbish our old stroller and it looks brand new!
Reap the rewards
I always find that cleaning is quicker and easier if I’m motivated to do it. I can often get myself to do a five-minute clean on my lazier days, but sometimes it just takes a little longer, and I’m not ashamed to say that I have my own little reward chart for getting the job done. They’re not just for the kids! My rewards can be anything from a fancy hot chocolate to a pair of shoes I’ve been eyeing. But even if you don’t want a physical reward for your hard work, there’s nothing more satisfying than checking that task off the list and feeling that sense of accomplishment once it’s done.
