Cleaning has never been a fun way to spend your day due to all the elbow grease, but also to the fact that it’s a never‐ending job. Luckily, there are ways to make it easier and save some precious time.
Whether you’re experienced in tackling chores or a beginner developing skills, there’s always room to make your routine more efficient. With a couple of tips and tricks from professionals such as NW Maids in Portland, you’ll save time and still have excellent results. Keep reading for some great expert hacks.
What are Some Expert Cleaning Hacks?
Spend more time doing the things you enjoy and less time tidying up your home with the help of these 9 professional hacks:
Multitasking
While this may seem obvious, many people don’t do it. Bundle the cleaning with other tasks you do every day. For example, if you’re standing by the kitchen counter waiting for the tea water to boil, use that time to unload your dishwasher or do some other short task you can easily fit in.
Pet Hair and Rubber Gloves
Any pet parent knows how stubborn all that hair can be. No matter how thoroughly you vacuum, there’s always some of it around. However, if you put on rubber gloves and slowly go over an area creating traction, the hair will stick to the rubber and you’ll be able to remove it easily.
Make Use of the Dishwasher
Rather than wasting your time washing plastic toys, baseball caps, tools, and even shoes, you can simply put any of these into your dishwasher. You can do it with a lot of other items that can take a bit of heat.
Cutting Boards and Lemon
To remove the stains from your plastic cutting board and keep those scratches germ‐free, cut a lemon in half and rub it all over the surface. Let it sit overnight, then thoroughly rinse and dry. You can also check if the cutting board is dishwasher safe and run a hot cycle to remove bacteria and germs.
Soda for Your Washing Machine
Once or twice a month, run a hot cycle on your washing machine without adding clothes or detergent to remove bacteria and mold. However, two or three times a year, run the same cycle adding some baking soda to the detergent compartment and a bit of white vinegar to the fabric softener compartment. This way, your washer will always be fresh and hygienic.
Easy Kettle Descaler
Unplug your kettle and fill it with equal parts of white vinegar and water. Leave it overnight and consider attaching a note to it so no family member uses it accidentally. Pour out the mixture and rinse the inside thoroughly. Fill the kettle with fresh water, boil it up, and discard. Your kettle is all clean and ready for use.
Old Socks for Detailing
When dealing with dust on tricky areas that are not easy to wipe thoroughly, feel free to use a clean old sock. Dampen it slightly and pull it over your hand. You’ll have better control than when using a cloth. This way, you can tackle your blinds, picture frames, or baseboards.
Sticky Labels and Oil
When you remove a label from an item and it’s impossible to clean all that sticky mess that’s left behind, try using some oil. You can use olive, baby, or any other oil you have at hand. Apply a little bit to the affected area, then sprinkle some salt over it. Rub with a cloth, rinse, and wipe down.
Fridge Coffee Deodorant
If you need to fight odors in your fridge, adding a bit of coffee is a great solution. Fill up a small bowl with coffee and keep it inside the fridge. Replace every couple of weeks for optimum results.