10 Cleaning Hacks for People Who Are Rarely at Home

by SharkClean
on 13 November 2016

If you’re one of those people who spends more time in the office than in the home, the chances are you won’t have a great deal of time for cleaning. But dust, grease and dirt won’t adhere to your schedule, so you’ll need to figure out a way of keeping your home clean without too much time or effort.

Fortunately, there are several things you can do to lighten the cleaning load.


1. LIVE MINIMALISTICALLY

If you don’t have time for cleaning, there’s no way you will have the time to declutter and tidy your house every day. Because you spend so much time away from your home, it makes no sense to have clutter in your home. Strip away everything that is not essential to your daily life, and either recycle it, sell it or throw it away. Don’t save things ‘just in case’, but if you can’t bear to part with a personal possession, stick it in a loft, a car boot, a friend’s house or anywhere it won’t be seen. Living minimalistically will make cleaning jobs such as vacuuming much easier.


2. ASSIGN EVERYTHING A HOME

‘A home for everything, and everything in its place’. This is a very good principle to live by if you struggle to find the time for cleaning. For instance, you should find a permanent home for cleaning tools and chemicals, remote controls, magazines, toys and anything that can cause clutter. If you and your family can get into the habit of automatically putting things in their rightful place, your home will remain clutter free at all times. And everyone knows that a tidy house is much easier and faster to clean than a chaotic one.


3. CLEAN AS YOU GO

Stop thinking about cleaning in terms of a weekly or daily task that must be scheduled. Instead, make cleaning part of your daily rituals. For instance, if you brush your teeth, clean the sink immediately afterwards. When you make your bed, vacuum the floor immediately afterwards. Do these essential household tasks as you move around your home, and you probably won’t need to set aside a specific time of the week for cleaning.


4. CREATE ROUTINES FOR YOUR CHILDREN

If you have children, the chances are they are the source of most of the dirt and grime in your home. But you can help your children to help you clean in a number of ways. As well as giving them daily chores, set aside play areas, homework areas and eating areas. Also, create specific areas for items such as dirty clothing, rubbish and toys.


5. START A NIGHTLY CALL TO ACTION

Many hands make light work, so make sure everyone is doing their fair share of cleaning. At the same time every evening, give a call to action for everyone in your household. Everyone should start picking up clutter and doing their own cleaning tasks for 15 minutes or so. Doing this every day should keep your home reasonably tidy and clean without too much effort.


6. GO DIGITAL

Wherever you can, switch from paper to digital. As well as saving energy and trees, doing this will keep your house free of magazines, newspapers, letters and financial statements. Check with your bank and utility providers, as many now offer a paperless service.


7. WASH DISHES STRAIGHT AWAY

It can be so tempting to tell yourself ‘I’ll do the washing up after watching a little TV’ — particularly after a long day at work. However, washing dishes just after using them is quicker and easier than having to chip away at dried-on food the following morning.


8. CREATE MESSY ZONES

Accept the fact that some mess is simply a part of life. So instead, of trying to maintain a completely mess-free home, designate messy areas. But keep them away from areas in which you receive visitors. The best places are bedrooms, spare rooms, walk-in cupboards and utility rooms. These spaces can be invaluable when you have to tidy up very quickly — which can happen when guests drop in unexpectedly. Simply throw any clutter straight into the messy zone, and deal with it later.


9. WASH CLOTHES EVERY DAY

Don’t make Sunday your laundry day, otherwise you could spend what might be your only day off washing a full week’s worth of clothing. Instead, commit to a load of washing every day. When your day off arrives, you’ll then be able to use more of it for relaxing and recharging your batteries.


10. INVEST IN EFFECTIVE CLEANING EQUIPMENT

To make cleaning as quick and painless as possible, you will need the right tools for the job. An inferior vacuum cleaner, for instance, will make cleaning your floors a laborious task. Make sure your vacuum is bagless with cyclonic technology. Shark vacuums don’t lose suction, and they can be emptied in seconds. In addition, the steam power of a Shark steam cleaner will help you to cut through grease and dirt on almost every surface in your home — without the need for cleaning chemicals.