Posted on May 18th, 2016
Between work, school, family, holidays, and friends, fitting in time to clean can feel tantamount to planning and carrying out a stealth mission. Alas, we all know we have to clean, time or no time—the longer we put off cleaning, the bigger the job becomes. Fortunately, these seven clever, quirky, time-saving cleaning hacks can shave minutes or even hours off your weekly home cleaning regimen. Our expert house cleaners swear by them, so they’re absolutely a must-try!
1. Use packing tape on hard-to-dust surfaces.
Dusting becomes a much quicker job when you know how to tackle stubborn surfaces like lampshades, speakers, and the insides of drawers. Just grab a strip of packing tape, wrap it around your hand with the sticky side facing out, and pat down these surfaces, lifting dust and dirt as you go. Replace the tape when it loses its adhesiveness.
2. Clean rugs with a shower squeegee.
Vacuuming hair, dust, and fibers out of rugs can be challenging as the action of the vacuum can actually work things like hair deeper into the rug—plus hair and other fibers easily get caught in the vacuum’s brush roll. Save yourself this hassle by running a dry squeegee across your rugs (working in overlapping rows). The rubber edge of the squeegee will create a static pull that gently lifts hair and other fibers out of the rug pile. The fibers will form clumps which can easily be picked up and thrown away as you clean the rug.
3. Mop on the go—with your feet.
Do you have a long conversation with a friend or family member planned? Need to move back and forth around the kitchen preparing dinner? You can clean the floor at the same time by dampening the bottom of a pair of super-absorbent socks with a mixture of equal parts water and white vinegar, putting the socks on, and sliding your feet back and forth over the floor. As an added bonus, this mopping method makes it a lot easier to dust hard-to-reach corners and baseboards—no more getting down on your hands and knees and scrubbing.
4. Use car wax to prevent your toilet bowl from becoming stained.
Scrubbing the toilet bowl is just about everyone’s least favorite time-consuming house cleaning task, so you’ll probably be relieved that you can use polymer-based car wax to prevent toilet bowl stains from building up at all—for an incredible six months at a time. The slickness of the wax means that grime ends up where it belongs—flushed away.
Here’s how you can do this genius cleaning hack:
- To apply a wax coating, clean the toilet thoroughly.
- Empty the bowl of water and dry it with a cloth.
- Using a second cloth, apply the wax to the bowl’s surface while keeping a window open for ventilation.
- Let the coating dry for ten minutes before allowing water back into the bowl.
- To keep the toilet bowl clean over the six-month period between wax coatings, just pour a half cup of white vinegar into the bowl every few months, let it sit for a few minutes, and flush.
Note that when hiring a professional house cleaning services Indianapolis, customers should inform their house cleaner of lasting modifications like this one so that he or she knows which cleaning solutions to use and/or avoid using.
5. Stop scrubbing Tupperware—let the sun do the work.
If you have ever spent hours hand-washing a Tupperware plastic container that came out of the dishwasher still looking stained and grimy, only to find that removing the staining was all but impossible, you know how frustrating it can be to try to return a “like new” look to these useful items. Thankfully, there is an easier way. Trying washing the container as you usually would in the dishwasher, then leaving it outside in bright sunlight for at least eight hours. The sun’s rays act like bleach (without harming the container), helping to penetrate stubborn stains. Likewise, the outdoor air should freshen the containers and eliminate lingering odors.
6. Keep your garbage bin clean with newspaper.
Placing a newspaper in your garbage bin is a great way to stop messy trash-bag leaks before they soil your garbage pail, reducing the number of times you’ll need to scrub it out.
7. Hire a professional house cleaner.
It may seem like cheating, but if you really don’t have time to clean, no matter how many tips and tricks you use, the best approach is to simply hire a house cleaner before the situation gets out of hand. When looking for housecleaning services Indianapolis, most customers will discover that there is a range of options available to suit every budget and every schedule—so don’t hesitate to make the call and make a bit more time for what really matters: yourself and your family.
No Time (or Energy) to Clean? Book Indy’s Best Professional Home Cleaning Service
Looking for a professional cleaning service near you that can get the job done the way you like it can be challenging. But when the going gets tough, there’s always DeluxeMaid at your service. We offer premium cleaning services in Indianapolis and other surrounding areas. Our cleaning partners are highly experienced and vetted to guarantee customer safety and satisfaction.
Ready for a clean home? Book a home cleaning in Indy today.