cleaning tips – quick and easy ideas to leave your home spotless

by Mihir Bhavsar end of lease cleaning melbourne

Whether you’re tackling a deep clean or you’ve got five minutes spare for a quick refresh, effective cleaning tips that get the job done in double-quick time are always preferable. Not only does it take the pressure off, but it also gives you the opportunity to actually enjoy your efforts – after all, what’s the point in a lovely clean home if you can’t relax in it?  

From the kitchen to the bathroom, the living room to the bedroom, the jobs can seem endless, as can the list of cleaning products, for that matter. But you’ll be pleased to hear that you don’t need expensive tools, chemical-laden solutions, and complicated cleaning rules to achieve a sparkling finish, for example, there are lots of things you can clean with vinegar.

‘Our top tip is to make use of the everyday products you already have in your kitchen cupboards. Baking soda, lemon juice and white distilled vinegar are some of nature’s greatest natural cleaners, and they work wonders for a whole host of common cleaning tasks’, says Sue Caldwell, managing director of Clean Living International. 

With the help of those in the know, we’ve put together an expert-approved list of quick and easy cleaning tips, from hard-working fixes and all-natural solutions, as well as some cleaning hacks to avoid, to ensure every inch of your home looks – and feels – spotlessly clean. 

Cleaning tricks professionals use

(Image credit: Mark Scott)

Before you start cleaning any room, a good tidy up is recommended. Begin by emptying bins, putting away laundry, clearing countertops and surfaces, tidying toys and generally decluttering where necessary. You’ll then be left with a much clearer idea of what needs to be done, and you can start to prioritize tasks.   

 1. Start with a plan – and write it down

(Image credit: Mark Scott)

Tackling a deep clean can be overwhelming, particularly if you’re working through every room in the house. ‘I like to make a list of the things I’d like to accomplish and in what order, so they’re not all floating around in my head’, says Andrea, founder of Pine & Prospect Home. It makes the whole process feel a lot more manageable, and you’re less likely to give up halfway through’.  

 2. Deal with dust (the right way)

They may be fun to use, but fluffy dusters only spread dust, they don’t collect it. If you want to keep pesky particles at bay, opt for a damp microfiber cloth, at Amazon instead. For hard-to-reach areas, or if you’re dusting particularly fiddly items – think artificial flowers, intricate ornaments and such like – use a hairdryer set on low to free the dust, leave for five minutes to let the dust settle (literally), then wipe beneath.  

3. Whisk away stray pet hairs

If your home plays host to a furry friend or two, you’ll want to keep stray hairs at bay; if not every day, at least before guests come over. Use a lint roller like these ones from Walmart on soft furnishings and lampshades. For more routine cleaning, run a damp rubber squeegee or rubber gloves over carpets before vacuuming with a cleaner that specializes in tackling pet hair, such as the Dyson Ball Animal.  

 4. Show houseplants some love

(Image credit: Alamy)

Houseplants, like any other household item, require regular cleaning to keep them dust-free. Hardy houseplants can usually handle a rinse in the shower (as long as you stick to lukewarm water), but if their leaves are a little on the large side, the easiest way is to simply wipe them down with a damp microfiber cloth. 

‘Don’t forget to wipe the undersides of your leaves too, you’ll be surprised how much dust you’ll find there. Maintain this method once a month to keep your plants looking fresh and healthy,' says indoor plant specialist Mo Bhula of The Botanical Archive.  

For more delicate specimens, wrap paper towels around the container to stop the earth falling out and gently dip them leaves-first into a bowl of water – easy.  

5. Don’t scrub carpet stains

‘Whether it’s nail varnish, coffee or a red wine stain, try and avoid panic-scrubbing when cleaning a carpet, you’ll only push the stain deeper into the fibers. Instead, blot the stain gently with your remover of choice using a clean cloth – only ever use a white one to prevent any pigment bleeding into the carpet and making the stain worse ’, advises Vera Peterson, President of Molly Maid.

6. Ditch synthetic scents

(Image credit: Tim Young)

Aside from being overly-perfumed, synthetic air fresheners often contain chemicals that are bad for our health, and the environment. If you prefer a more natural approach to fragrancing your home, try these seasonal hacks. 

During warmer months, keep windows and doors open for freshness and make up little bundles of your favorite seasonal flowers to bring fragrance into every room. Through winter, make a quick-fix air freshener by filling a pan with water, fresh herbs and lemon, bring to the boil, and allow to simmer for a few hours so the vapors scent the air.

7. Clean as you go 

Make daily cleaning a habit by wiping down surfaces and putting items away as soon as you use them. This will prevent mess from building up and make cleaning faster and easier going forwards’’, recommends Angela Lee.  

The living room

8. Refresh woodwork

Save yourself both time and effort scrubbing scuffs and stains of doors, baseboards and woodwork in general by investing in a Magic Eraser. They don’t call it magic for nothing, it makes light work of fingerprints, pen marks, paw prints and more. 

This humble white sponge can also be used for cleaning walls, but be aware that they do have a tendency to leave faint marks behind on certain paint finishes, particularly matt ones, so test in an inconspicuous spot first to be on the safe side.  

9. Spot-clean couches with baby wipes

Given how much time we spend on them, knowing how to clean a couch quickly to avoid spillage stains setting is pretty useful… and the answer is baby wipes. They’re gentle and contain very little moisture, making them practical for spot-cleaning most materials; not to be confused with proper cleaning wipes which may contain stronger chemicals that could cause damage.  

10. Keep TV screens streak-free

(Image credit: Future)

When cleaning a living room, tackling the tv screen regularly (at least once a week ideally) is a must, but knowing how to clean a tv screen the right way is essential if you want to avoid any damage. The main thing to remember is to avoid liquids at all costs. While a microfiber cloth works well, you can also use a tumble dryer sheet; they’re anti-static,  so you won’t have to dust so often, either – bonus!

The kitchen

11. Clean the oven – without using chemicals 

You may think you know how to clean an oven already, but this easy trick for cleaning with lemon juice might just revolutionize your method. 

Place a slice of fresh lemon into one and a half cups of water in an oven-proof bowl, then place into a 250-degree oven for 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the water cool slightly before wiping the floor, walls and racks with a cloth or sponge dipped in the hot lemon water until they shine. 

This ‘steam-cleaning’ method can be used to clean a microwave, too.  Place half a lemon cut side down on a microwaveable plate with a little water, and heat on high for about 30 seconds (or until it produces steam). Leave to stand for a few minutes, then use a damp cloth to wipe down the walls. 

For tougher, baked-on greasy areas in either appliance, try rubbing in some baking soda with half a lemon (squeezing it as you go so the juice mixes in to form a paste), or try bleach-free Barkeepers Friend cleanser.

 ‘To lessen your workload in the future, consider lining the bottom of your oven with aluminum foil, then place a baking sheet on top. This will catch any spills or drips so you don’t waste time scrubbing baked-on food. Replace the foil when it gets dirty’, advises Angela Lee of HellaMaid.  

12. Keep your sink looking spotless

(Image credit: Future PLC / Darren Chung)

Even if the rest of the room isn’t quite up to scratch, a sparkling sink will give the impression it is. How you clean a kitchen sink (or a bathroom sink, for that matter) will depend on what it’s made of, but if you’re looking for a quick fix, a mixture of mild washing up liquid and warm water is generally safe to use. If you’ve got chrome taps, try rubbing with a little whitening toothpaste squeezed onto a dry cloth to restore their original shine. 

To get rid of any drainy smells emanating from the plughole, tip half a cup of bicarbonate of soda and half a cup of vinegar down and rinse with hot water from the kettle.

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Created on May 2nd 2024 02:12. Viewed 82 times.

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