Time-Saving Housekeeping Tips

Is your house clean? Could it be cleaner? Ask yourself these questions first and foremost. Without making too many assumptions, you probably think that your house could indeed be a little tidier and that you shouldn’t be wasting so much time with basic chores.

Well, according to professionals in the housekeeping industry, there are several tricks that maids use to cut the wasted time and make their tasks job efficient. Here are a few of them that will surely help you out:

Tools to Keep on Hand

Once you have the right tools for the right job at your disposal, the entire cleaning process will be a lot simpler. Put together a caddy with these basic items and you’ll always have everything at hand:

Microfiber Cloths

Microfiber cloths are far better than sponges and paper towels at cleaning surfaces. They’re machine washable so you can reuse them several times without having to waste any of your precious time cleaning them by hand.

When used in combination with multi-surface cleaners, microfiber cloths become true house-cleaning superpowers. Microfiber cloths can even absorb 99% of bacteria and are far more efficient than traditional cleaning cloths, which is why many hospitals have started using them as well.

Other Supplies For the Caddy

Before getting started with cleaning, you should also have a glass cleaner, a mildly abrasive cleaner, an all-purpose cleaner, and a pair of latex gloves. Feel free to add a standard brush, a toothbrush, and a spray bottle if you also need to clean windows.

Cleaning the Kitchen

The kitchen is by far the room that needs the most cleaning because it is the place where you cook and eat every single day. It’s a priority for housekeeping as well because hygiene is of the utmost importance when enjoying our daily bread.

The "Clean as You Go" Mentality

Things can quickly get out of control in the kitchen, so it’s best to adopt a "clean as you go" mindset when tackling this place. Did a spill occur? Wipe it immediately. Did a cup leave a watermark on the table? Wipe it away.

The same thing goes for appliances. If you do a basic cleaning checkup on your stovetop, dishwasher, coffee maker, and other appliances, you won’t have to bother as much with the general monthly maintenance. Pro tip: you can find some really affordable dishwashers that also have self-cleaning filters to make your work even easier.

Get a Baking Soda Supply

Baking soda isn’t just for, well, baking. It comes in handy more than you can imagine if you have to deal with tough stains. Sprinkle some baking soda on a cloth and wipe down any areas that have grease build-up. Give it a couple of minutes and then follow up by wiping the area with a clean, damp cloth to pick up the residue.

Cleaning the Bathroom

This is probably the most frequented room in your entire house. And if you have a lot of people living in the same place or if you have a lot of guests often… well, let’s just say that things can get messy.

Clean the Most Used Surfaces Often

Much like the kitchen, keeping up with your bathroom on a daily basis can make deeper, less frequent cleanings much easier.

The faucet, the toilet, the bathtub, and that place behind the toilet should be your main concerns overall. They’re some of the most germ-ridden areas in existence and you should focus on them at least once or twice per week.

Keep Bathroom-Specific Cleaning Supplies Under the Sink

Having your cleaning supplies handy can make it much easier for you to do your daily and weekly chores. Since we’ve already mentioned the importance of a clean bathroom, we also recommend keeping the specific tools handy so that you can mentally focus on keeping up with your cleaning schedule much, much easier.

Closing Thoughts

Keep a short version of these tips handy. Jot them down somewhere or keep them on your phone if you need to come back to them easily. Good luck!

Mindy Gerard is an engineer who spent most of her life teaching others how things work and trying to make even more things work better. She found a calling in writing guides and tutorials, as she wants to help people making the best choices for their