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| Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash |
For many of us, cleaning means a lot of
unpleasant, time-taking hard work. However, in reality, there are some simple
tips that will ease the process of cleaning, and most importantly, change your attitude to the cleaning process.
The primary cause for negative attitudes towards cleaning your house is the wrong internal motivation or even a
complete lack of motivation. Often, one person does most of the cleaning
work, but the whole family creates a mess. In addition, no
matter how much time was spent putting everything in order, by the very next day
the mess seems to have recreated as if by itself! It can feel neverending.
Here I'll share some tips on how to make cleaning your home pleasant, easy and not
burdensome.
Cleaning as you go
Urgent cleaning prevents a shallow, easily
removable mess from escalating into a serious problem. For example, after
cooking dinner, a few greasy spots remain on the stove, they are barely
noticeable and do not bother anyone at all, you could easily leave them there. However, if you don't wipe the mess away immediately, and if you leave the dirty
stove unattended every day, then a multi-layer burnt crust will form, which
will require a large amount of cleaning products and hours of elbow grease, all when you could have spent just two minutes each day keeping your stovetop nice. It really is a false economy to leave it for another day.
Draw up a family rota
We've already acknowledged that there are multiple people in the family and why should just one person do all the cleaning? Of course, one person may do more than others, but everyone should have some input. Even the children can vacuum, dust, clean the sink and mop the floor.Plan for long-term cleaning
There are certain jobs that need to be done just a few times a year and to ensure that they don't get neglected, it is good to have a plan and even put reminders in your diary. Jobs, like cleaning the curtains, turning the mattress, defrosting the freezer, scrubbing inside the oven and sorting inside the kitchen cupboards, need to be planned.Admit defeat and get the experts in
As we've mentioned above it is really sensible to tackle small cleaning needs, like spills as you go along, but realistically many of us are guilty of thinking, "I'll get to that tomorrow" and tomorrow never comes. This is certainly the case with me and my carpets.
I'll get to a point where I am feeling really motivated and I decide that I'll tackle the carpet and get it looking brand new again. Then I find that the mild detergent doesn't do the job and I am now faced with a stronger cleaning product, which worries me, as realistically I could do more harm than good. This is the time when I know it is sensible to turn to the experts.
Coping with old
stubborn stains on your carpets is one of the most difficult and time-taking home
duties. For that reason, you can use professional cleaning services. You can
turn to steam cleaning services for help when you notice old stains on your carpet or when
you want to refresh its colours.
Visualise it clean and tidy
Do not despair when confronted with clutter and dirt, better to imagine cleanliness and order after a thorough sort-out and effective cleaning. Such visual images are a powerful tool for "pure thinking." Comparing “before” and “after” pictures is a very good motivator. Give it a go, find a small area that is dirty and/ or cluttered and imagine how it will look after cleaning. Then actually do it and revel in the satisfaction of how good it looks and feels once it is orderly and clean. Start small and work your way around and within a couple of weeks, you could find your house is in a far better state.Allocate days
I find this method really works for people who are very busy. When I was working but had baby twins and a toddler, I was convinced that I couldn't get the house clean each week, but actually, with a plan, I could. Monday was bathroom/ toilet day, Tuesday was the kitchen, Wednesday was a day off, Thursday was bedrooms and Friday was lounge/ dining room. Of course every day we still had to clean up after cooking and keep on top of things, but I only needed about an hour on a set day to get a room into a good state. Of course, not everything was perfect, but sometimes we need to give ourselves a break and accept what we can do.Look after your tools
You'll need various items when you want to clean and it is important to have them all together in one place, so you can just grab them and set to work quickly. Make sure that after cleaning you throw your clothes, dusters, mop heads etc in the wash and then they'll be clean and ready for when you next need them. Nothing worse than trying to clean with dirty cleaning equipment. What a waste of time!I hope you've found these tips helpful and feel a bit more motivated to get your home in order. Good luck!