Golden Rules of Cleaning…Things your Mom Never Taught You!

Have you ever cleaned something in your house only to think to yourself… “Dang! I should have wiped the counters before sweeping the floor!” Efficiency in cleaning is paramount if you want to make the most of your time! Cleaning is something that has to be done, but why take more time on it than you have to? Follow my simple, easy to remember, guidelines to help you be the most efficient that you can be when cleaning your home. Don’t spend unnecessary time re-doing tasks. Again, these are very simple concepts, but they can make a world of difference.

Vacuum your way out of the room

I confess I am one of those types of people who love to vacuum my carpet in straight lines. For some reason, it’s a rewarding feeling for me. But there is a sense of accomplishment that comes with looking back into a room that you have just cleaned! Vacuuming your way out of a room allows you to see and feel that sense of accomplishment when the bed is made, clothes are off the floor, room is dusted, and carpets are vacuumed. Vacuuming gives the room a finished look that makes all of the difference.

Clean Spills Up Immediately

This one seems to be a no-brainer, but yet we sometimes fail to do this one–myself included! It’s going to take you 10x the effort to scrub dried-on spaghetti sauce off of the backsplash rather than just easily wiping it off with a damp rag immediately after it’s spilled. If you have kids… juice is one of the worst things to clean up when it gets spilled! But it’s SO much easier to wipe it up when it’s wet than to have to scrub it off of the floor when it’s dry and sticky. Steam mops are the best for this, by the way. Check out my Steam Mop recommendation in my post: Amazon’s 15 Top-Rated, Must-Have Cleaning Products That Make Your Life Easier)

Do Your Hardest Tasks First

We tend to put off the most difficult tasks in hopes that they will magically disappear. I do this all the time! But if we leave the hard things to the end of the day, we don’t have the same amount of energy that we had in the morning. So it never gets done! Sound familiar? Me too. So challenge yourself to wake up tomorrow, and choose the most dreaded or most difficult task on your to-do list and do it very first! You can do it!

Do it Right or do it Twice

I tell this to my kids all of the time! You can make a choice. You can do the job correctly and only have to do it once, or you can do a half-job and you’ll have to do it again! So do yourself a favor and get it done right the first time so you don’t waste valuable time having to do it again. This is a great tip when helping your kids learn how to clean, which will save you tons of time long-term.

Clean from Top to Bottom

Sometimes I forget this rule and sweep the kitchen floor, only to remember that I haven’t wiped the counters yet. Then when I wipe the counters, I get crumbs all over the floor! Can you relate? Please tell me I’m not the only one. Another time I cleaned the bathroom sink and counters only to look up and realize how badly the lights needed to be dusted. So I crawl up onto the counter, dust the lights, and then realize that there is a fresh layer of dust and gunk on the bathroom counters I cleaned 5 minutes ago. If you start at the top and work your way down, you increase your efficiency and don’t waste your precious time!

Clean from Cleanest to Dirtiest

This tip corresponds a bit to the previous point. Typically, the dirtiest part of your house will be your floors. Gravity plays a huge part in this. Crumbs, dust, and dirt are constantly falling onto the ground. Imagine using your cleaning rags to wipe up a spill on the floor and then using the same rag to clean the kitchen counter! It’s like cleaning with a super dirty rag and expecting the surface to be clean! It’s not gonna happen people. So always clean from cleanest to dirtiest. This tip is also a huge laundry saver because you don’t need to use as many rags this way.

I hope that you have been able to find a couple of helpful tips that will increase your efficiency when it comes to cleaning your home. Cleaning most definitely isn’t the greatest part of life, but if we learn to do it in the most efficient way we can, we can get back to doing the things that we love, sooner!