Monday, laundry!
Tuesday, baking!
Wednesday, windows and floors! Etc!
Although that may have been your mother's or your grandmother's weekly schedule, let's face it ? we don't have the time to spend day in and day out making everything spick-and-span as Mom or grandmother did.
The era when women took care of the house full time and men earned the living has since passed. So, now women are trying to find time to balance work and home at the same time and lets be honest sometimes life happens!
However here are some tips on ways to help make cleaning take a little less time and make it a little easier if you have the right tools and cleaning tips!
1. The best refrigerator cleaner is a combination of salt and soda water. The bubbling action of the soda water combines with the abrasive texture of the salt to make a great cleaner.
2.The best way to get rid of lime buildup around the faucet it is to lay paper towels over the fixture, soak it with vinegar and let it set for an hour. The deposits will soften and become easier to remove.
3.Clean screens with a scrap of carpeting. It makes a powerful brush that removes all the dirt.
4.Clean windows with a rag and soapy water, and then dry them with another rag. You can also go to an auto-parts store and buy a windshield squeegee, which cleans very well.
5.If drapes are looking drab, take them out of the window, remove the hooks and run them through the air-fluff cycle in the dryer along with a wet towel (to draw off the dust) for 15 minutes. Hang them back in the windows immediately.
6.Clean the blades of a ceiling fan by covering them with a coat of furniture polish. Wipe off the excess and lightly buff.
7.Sometimes comforters, blankets and pillows don't need to be cleaned, but they do need to be aired out after a long winter in your closed-up home. Take them outside and hang them on a clothesline for a day.
A cleaning tote is a housecleaner's best friend. A plastic bucket or totable tray, it holds the tools and supplies needed to clean it right and clean it fast. What's inside? Check your cleaning tote for these top tools:
Cleaning apron. An apron protects clothing, keeps cleaning tools at hand and has pockets to hold spare garbage bags and collect trash or small out-of-place items. Choose a sturdy, comfortable, machine-washable apron.
Rubber gloves or washing-up gloves. Protect hands from harsh cleaning products with rubber gloves. New colors make rubber gloves a bright addition to the cleaning tote-but steer clear of frou-frou decoration. Fur cuffs or rhinestone embellishments are fun to look at, but are not meant for serious cleaning.
Cleaning cloths. White cotton cleaning cloths are the cleaner's mainstay. Fold them for easy access, and then use them to wipe fixtures dry, make mirrors gleamand remove fingermarks fast.
Scrubbing sponge. This dual-duty sponge has an absorbent side and an abrasive side. Flip from soft to tough to take out stubborn, dried-on deposits in the sink.
Squeegee. Clean windows, mirrors and glass the way the pros do. A rubber-bladed squeegee removes cleaning solution and soil with one quick swipe. Wipe the blade dry with a cleaning cloth between strokes.
Scraper. Dried-up gunk comes up fast when tackled with a smooth metal or plastic scraper. Keep the scraper handy in an apron pocket; it'll make quick work of blobs of jelly or dried-on oatmeal.
Tile brush. A handled brush with thick bristles cleans tiles, bathtub surrounds and ceramic fixtures in a flash. Bristles reach into corners; the handle keeps your hands free and clear of the cleaning fray.
Toothbrush. Tiny spaces attract big-time dirt. Tackle them with a firm-bristle toothbrush. Use it to rout gunk from around sink fixtures, sink rims or tight corners.
In addition to the above, if you are planning to buy cleaning products in bulk, you will also need the following:
Squirt bottle. Tile and bathroom cleaner works best when applied evenly and thickly. Use a funnel to decant the cleaner into a clean squirt-top bottle to get the right amount of product in the right spot-even underneath toilet rims.
Spray bottle. Whether you spritz it for light coverage or spray it for harder jobs, adjustable spray bottles make it easy to apply window cleaner or degreaser to surfaces. Use a color code or label bottles to tell them apart.