1 Work from the top down, inside to outside, to avoid getting what you just cleaned dirty again.
2 Do one room, even one area of one room, at a time to avoid unfinished jobs. The satisfaction of seeing one room sparkle will make the hard work feel like it's worth the effort.
3 When tidying, reduce trips around the house by temporarily depositing items in one spot en route to but not at their final destination.
4 Do two things at once. While laundry is going, scrub the shower stall. 5 Make small repairs. If you're not handy, hire someone. 6 Invest in good rubber or vinyl gloves to protect your skin and nails. 7Dust before vacuuming or cleaning the floor. Try feather or lambswooldusters, especially extendable ones for reaching above window and doorcasings and into corners. Household rags are invaluable for jobsrequiring a damp cloth – natural fibres work best. 8Buy mops with a squeeze mechanism (great for vinyl, linoleum or ceramictile floors) and a decent-size heavy-duty pail – one with a measuringscale helps get soap-to-water ratios correct. 9Don't stand your brooms on their bristles. It will destroy their shapeand diminish their effectiveness. Instead, get a broom holder, like theMagic Holder 5-position broom organizer. 10Use a Swiffer for light dusting, or your favourite broom or vacuumattachment to clean hardwood floors. Then damp-mop with a mild cleanersuch as Murphy Oil Soap. I recently discovered BonaKemi's MicroPlusHardwood Floor Care System, which includes a mop with a removablewashable microfibre pad and a nontoxic water-based spray cleaner. Itmakes the floors glow, and smell good, too. From of Style at Home magazine
2 Do one room, even one area of one room, at a time to avoid unfinished jobs. The satisfaction of seeing one room sparkle will make the hard work feel like it's worth the effort.
3 When tidying, reduce trips around the house by temporarily depositing items in one spot en route to but not at their final destination.
4 Do two things at once. While laundry is going, scrub the shower stall. 5 Make small repairs. If you're not handy, hire someone. 6 Invest in good rubber or vinyl gloves to protect your skin and nails. 7Dust before vacuuming or cleaning the floor. Try feather or lambswooldusters, especially extendable ones for reaching above window and doorcasings and into corners. Household rags are invaluable for jobsrequiring a damp cloth – natural fibres work best. 8Buy mops with a squeeze mechanism (great for vinyl, linoleum or ceramictile floors) and a decent-size heavy-duty pail – one with a measuringscale helps get soap-to-water ratios correct. 9Don't stand your brooms on their bristles. It will destroy their shapeand diminish their effectiveness. Instead, get a broom holder, like theMagic Holder 5-position broom organizer. 10Use a Swiffer for light dusting, or your favourite broom or vacuumattachment to clean hardwood floors. Then damp-mop with a mild cleanersuch as Murphy Oil Soap. I recently discovered BonaKemi's MicroPlusHardwood Floor Care System, which includes a mop with a removablewashable microfibre pad and a nontoxic water-based spray cleaner. Itmakes the floors glow, and smell good, too. From of Style at Home magazine