If you’ve decided that getting on top of your household cleaning is your priority this year, here are seven easy-to-follow resolutions to take the stress out of maintaining a clean and tidy home.
Declutter
You can’t develop smart cleaning habits without clearing the decks first.
If there’s a room that’s been overflowing with items for some time – be it the kitchen, the bathroom or the bedroom – get to work gathering everything in that space together and, for each item, ask yourself if you use it regularly and if you love it. If the answer to these is “no”, then bin, recycle or donate to charity.
Design a cleaning schedule
A cleaning routine doesn’t have to consume your life, especially if you plan well and break down tasks into manageable chunks.
Using a family noticeboard, a planner pinned to the wall or even notes on your phone, designate chores under the titles ‘daily’, ‘weekly’ and ‘monthly’ to avoid overwhelm and to stop your cleaning jobs from getting out of hand.
Little and often goes a long way
On the subject of daily chores, before you settle in for the night, there are a few quick and easy habits you can get into to keep your home spick and span:
- Pick up nightly – Are there toys littering your living room or the day’s clothes tossed on the nearest chair? Make the effort to put everything back in its place. Waking up to a tidy home every day will do wonders for your wellbeing!
- Clean while you cook – As food is simmering on the stove, wash and put away cutlery, chopping boards and bowls, and return extra ingredients back to their cupboards so the clean up at the end of the evening isn’t so daunting.
- Don’t leave dishes overnight – Don’t be tempted to leave the after-dinner dishes. Wash up or pop your dishwasher on overnight. No one wants to wake up to dirty plates in the morning.
- Think ahead – Try to prevent your weekly and monthly chores from becoming too onerous by thinking ahead. For example, squeegee your shower walls daily so the soap scum and limescale don’t build up before your next scheduled full clean.
Set a timer
Wondering where to get the motivation for completing your daily cleaning jobs? Set a timer.
At the end of the day, set a timer for 15, 10 or even five minutes and you’ll be amazed at what you can get done in that time.
For another resolution, why not use the ad breaks in television programmes to schedule a quick bit of cleaning? Perhaps the dishwasher needs emptying or some shelving could do with a dusting? There are many small tasks that can be ticked off your list in just a couple of minutes.
Get the whole family involved
Cleaning can seem overwhelming if left to one person, but there’s no reason why all members of the household can’t lend a hand.
Granted, getting children to help with cleaning isn’t always easy but, depending on their age, they could put away dishes, tidy their toys, make their beds or do some vacuuming – especially with the incentive of pocket money!
Go green
A new cleaning routine also offers the perfect opportunity to do your bit for the environment and switch your cleaning products for more eco-friendly options.
Did you know FastKlean is committed to using eco-friendly practices and products? We have an established partnership with suppliers Eco Bravo who provide specialist environmentally-friendly products and solutions to ensure that we are able to reduce our impact on the world.
Ask for help
Sometimes we all need an extra helping hand to keep on top of our cleaning responsibilities.If you’re a busy working parent, high-flying professional or shift worker, hiring a domestic cleaner will ensure you always have a spotless, calming space to come home to.
FastKlean offers daily, weekly or fortnightly domestic cleaning services. For more information, please give us a call on 020 8884 9149. You can also book online – it’s quick and easy.
Seminar:
Recommended books for further reading:
- The Easy Life: Quick ways to clean and manage your home all year round
- Simply Clean: The Proven Method for Keeping Your Home Organized, Clean, and Beautiful in Just 10 Minutes a Day
- The Naturally Clean Home: 150 Super Easy Herbal Formulas for Green Cleaning
- Clean My Space: The Secret to Cleaning Better, Faster, and Loving Your Home Every Day
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever
