Does it seem like there is always something to clean? And not enough time? Between working a full-time job, a part-time job, blogging, and maintaining a workout routine; I am stretched thin and exhausted by the end of the day. In order to keep my house in order, I utilize several cleaning hacks to help me get through the week. I’ve separated these cleaning hacks by areas of the home.
Living/Bedroom Room Cleaning Hacks:
Do a 10-minute tidy
Anyone else watch “The Big Comfy Couch”? My mom was a big believer in the 10-second tidy and would usually extend it to 10 minutes. Set a timer for 10 minutes and just pick up around the house. If you pick up items that belong in another room, return the items to that room and pick up items in that room while you are already in there. I prefer to clean for several hours and have the whole house clean by the end of the day…not always realistic though. So, some days, I just get 10 minutes here and there. Usually, I put 20 minutes on the timer and pick up all around the house. I may not completely finish a room, but it is still cleaner than it was. In the picture below, you can see where I spent less than 5 minutes just picking up around my living room. I took a cluttered room and put everything away before the screen on my computer dimmed.
Sweeping/Vacuuming floors
Do this last. In addition, sweep/vacuum the whole house at once. If you vacuum your bedroom before finishing the rest of the house, you will inevitably track more dirt into your room as you put other things away. Plus, it is annoying to pull the vacuum out, put it away, pull it out, etc.
Organize Messy Projects
When you are always on the run, the best way to keep the house picked up is to make it easy to put away. I’m usually in the middle of some crafting project in my kitchen. If I start cooking, I need to quickly clear what I’m working on to make sure I don’t grab a bottle of yellow paint instead of the bottle of mustard. A few months ago, I bought a silverware organizer with a handle, and I sorted many of my craft supplies in it: paint brushes, markers, colored pencils, crayons, etc. For anything that won’t fit in my craft caddy, I have a $1.50 thrift store tray to store the rest of my project on. Within 15 seconds, I can have my whole project on a shelf to finish later.
Make Your Bed
As much as I may try to be, I am not a morning person, but making your bed is a cleaning hack. Usually, your bed takes up the majority of your room, so a made bed makes your room instantly look better. Compare the pictures below:
Bathroom Cleaning Hacks:
A Shower Scrubber
The best time for me to clean the shower is when I am in the shower. Most shower cleaners are not safe to use while in the shower because of the fumes. I do a deep clean of my shower about once a month, but, on a weekly basis, I have scrub brush that holds soap. I put two tbsp of Dawn and fill the rest of the dispenser with white vinegar. During my Saturday morning shower, I scrub the shower and, then, scrub myself when I finish. We all know vinegar has an odor, so it isn’t the most pleasant smell, but it isn’t toxic either. The smell fades as the vinegar dries.
Clean your sinks
I use my shower scrubber to also clean my countertops and sink in my bathroom. After I finish washing everything, I take my hand and wipe up any excess water. Then, the towel goes in the laundry.
Clean your shower liner in the washing machine
I learned this trick in college when I had to clean 20+ showers as an RA at the beginning of the year. There are two prerequisites for this hack. First, invest in a good liner. If your shower liner cost $3 bucks, it probably won’t make it through a spin cycle. Second, this only works if you have a washing machine without an agitator in the middle. In grad school, I had to replace a liner because the agitator tore the edges of mine. If you have a good liner and a washing machine without an agitator, put your liner in the washing machine with two towels and your normal detergent. Wash on a normal cycle. The towels will do all the scrubbing for you. When it is finished, rehang in your shower to dry.
Mirrors
I was always taught to use newspapers to clean mirrors, but I no longer buy the paper as I rely on the internet to provide my daily news. Instead, when the Wednesday ads come in the mail. I clean my mirrors with a weekly ad and white vinegar.
Miscellaneous Cleaning Hacks:
A bottle cleaner for your coffee thermos
Most to-go coffee cups are not supposed to be washed in the dishwasher, but it can also be difficult to get a sponge down into the bottom of the cup and really clean out your morning cup of joe. A few years ago, I bought a baby bottle brush to clean all my coffee cups. A squirt of dawn on the end, scrub, and rinse.
Sorting Laundry
As the second of six kids, I have washed hundreds of loads of clothes, and I used to hate sorting laundry. I still remember being in middle school when my mom bought our first sorting laundry basket…game changer. Instead of taking time to sort through all your dirty clothes every week, you do it on a daily basis. I have two baskets (one for white and one for colors) and a reusable grocery bag on a hook in my closet for delicates that need to be hand-washed.
Car trash bin
If I don’t have a place to put my trash as I run errands, the car becomes the trash bin. Instead, I’ve come up with two simple solutions to the problem. On long road trips, I have a bucket with a lid that I use on family vacations. On a daily basis, I keep a coffee cup with a lid in one of my cup holders and put my granola bar wrappers in there as I go. When the cup gets full, I dump it, wash the cup, and replace.
Reduce your household cleaning supplies
If you haven’t noticed by now, I rely on some very simple products in cleaning my house as I’ve tried to reduce waste and live a greener life. My basic cleaning supplies are white vinegar, baking soda, dawn, and (sometimes) an essential oil. As I’m cleaning my house, it makes it easier when I only have 2-3 products to carry around. In an empty spray bottle, I combine ¼ cup of vinegar, 1 tbsp dawn, ¼ cup of water, and 15 drops of an essential oil (peppermint is my favorite).
Do you use any other cleaning hacks? Share them in the comments!
Wow! Great tips! I am always looking for new cleaning hacks being a new Mommy!
The 10 minute tidy is a great idea. Especially wiht the kids.
The 10 minute tidy makes a huge difference.
I like quick tidy tips. These are great. I am always looking for ways to cut my time when I need to clear. This is very helpful!
Great tips! I think the key is doing a little bit each day!
Absolutely! It becomes overwhelming if ignored for too long.
I love the shower scrubber idea, definitely going to try it!
These are great tips! I need serious help with my laundry, but I’m afraid the wheeled laundry sorter won’t help because my washer/dryer is downstairs. I really need a dumbwaiter.
When my family moved to a new house, we had the same issue. My mom bought a decorative woven basket laundry sorter for all the bathrooms. When it was time to do laundry, we just pulled the liner out of the basket with the clothes already sorted.
10 minute tidy-ups with four kiddos around our house… that’s my speciality:)
Great tip about washing your shower curtain liner. I have always been afraid to try it, but I’ll do it now.
Car trash bins are really useful. I’ll also apply the 10-minute tidy from now on 🙂
Thanks for sharing these great tips! After working all week, the last thing I feel like doing is cleaning. I’m going to implement these ideas for sure!
Glad you found them to be helpful! Thanks for stopping by!
cleaning hacks are my favorites 😀 thank you for all the tips, I especially liked the idea to clean the shower when taking a shower!!!
The shower tip saves so much time!
Great tips! Especially the shower one!
Great tips! Thanks for these! I especially loved the shower cleaning idea.
I have to break up everything for each day with 4 kids and my husband no way I could do it all on one day unless I want to pass out! Today actually is bathroom day! Thanks for your tips.
These are some great tips that will help when I only have a little bit of time while my daughter is sleeping! Thank you for posting!
Glad you found some useful information! Thanks for stopping by!
Love the shower scrubber idea and throwing the liner in the washer! Thanks for the awesome ideas.
I absolutely despise cleaning but can get so much done when I multitask & do the little things!
Lol this is perfect for me, I get super lazy when it comes to cleaning. Thanks for sharing!
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These are great tips! I totally wash my shower curtain liner in the washing machine and everything feels so much cleaner if I just take a quick minute to make my bed!
All the major trouble spots in one post!! Thanks, pinning for future inspiration. Did I mention I hate cleaning???
Haha! Me too, girl! I hate cleaning. Along with being super busy, I’ve got to make sure that my cleaning is super efficient.
These are great tips! I love using vinegar to clean. The scrub brush in the shower is something I’m going to have to try. I don’t have any good hacks. I just try to do something small when I find a few moments. Like sweep the kitchen floor while I’m waiting for something to warm up in the microwave. Or I’ll take a few minutes to clean the sink or toilet while my son is getting his bath. I love your suggestions though and will have to try some. 🙂
I love these simple tips, as a busy mom i need all the help I can get. Thanksgiving is here before we know it and I need to get onto the cleaning game.
My mom has always told me that making my bed every day makes all the difference in keeping everything else clean!
These are great tips! I am a firm believer in making your bed – something about it makes me feel accomplished 🙂 And what a great idea for the 10 minute clean! I am going to get my kids involved in that one!
YES! You will be amazed by how much better your house looks from just 10 dedicated minutes. Good luck!
Im all for a 10 minute tidy! It really is the simple things that make all the difference like a mini organizer, washing your shower liner and making the bed. I HAVE to make the bed daily.
I definitely need to minimize my cleaning supplies – I despise doing laundry. lol thanks so much girl 🙂
No problem! My key to a clean house is keeping it simple and in short spurts. All the cleaning commercials make you think you need a bottle for every room, but you don’t!
We’ve always set 10 minute timers in our house, and it’s amazing what you can accomplish in just 10 minutes! Great tips!
Love this 10min with a timer idea, will definitely try that out!
Great tips! I use vinegar, baking soda and essential oils to clean everything too.
There are so many great tips here! I may try out the shower curtain one today 🙂