While most people accept that cleaning and maintaining their home are the only ways to keep it looking its best, it is also true that most people want to save time and money on cleaning wherever possible. Whether you are worried about the cost of toilet cleaners or the time you’re wasting cleaning your oven, there are ways to save yourself both time and your hard-earned cash whilst going about everyday domestic tasks.
1. Have replacements at the ready
If you’re cleaning items such as bedding, curtains and rugs on a regular basis, you might be used to quickly removing and washing them – before replacing them on the same day. However, investing a little in low-cost extras means you can simply replace these items on set days, and clean them on your set laundry days.
A simple way to save time on endless trips up and down stairs, and into different rooms of your home, is to have some basic cleaning materials in strategic places around your home. Although you will need to spend a little extra on cleaning materials in the short term, buying in bulk will save you money during the course of a year.
2. Make your toilet shine with denture tablets
Some people spend hours scrubbing their toilet bowl every week, but there is a very simple way to achieve the same results without any effort at all. Give the bowl of your toilet a squirt of bleach once a day, and keep a pack of anti-bacterial toilet wipes handy for cleaning the seat and rim of your toilet. Then, twice a week, throw a denture cleaning tablet into your toilet and leave it to fizz for about half an hour. Take a toilet brush and give the bowl a very quick scrub, and then flush. The same action that brightens dentures will bring a fantastic shine to your toilet.
3. Avoid ‘professional’ and concentrated cleaners
Unless you are cleaning a commercial property, there is very little in your home that will benefit from expensive cleaning agents labelled as ‘professional’ or ‘heavy duty’. Similarly, concentrated agents don’t really deliver any additional benefits that standard and budget products don’t.
Of course, having a steam mop in your home means you can clean floors, appliances and work surfaces without any cleaning agents at all. And remember: adding more antibacterial agents doesn’t kill more germs. The key to using antibacterial sprays, creams and liquids is contact time – not strength or volume.
4. Clean your own windows
Many household pays a window cleaner, but it is often not necessary. A mild solution of washing-up liquid, white vinegar and water is usually enough to make windows sparkle. Even if you don’t want to attempt your upstairs windows, you can cut your window cleaner’s bill simply by taking care of your own ground floor windows.
5. Give your sinks a bath
Using scourers, metal wool and abrasive cleaning agents can sometimes damage cast-iron and porcelain sinks. However, by filling your sinks with hot water, washing up liquid, some white wine vinegar (about a cup should suffice) and a bunch of thyme, you can leave them to almost clean themselves. After a couple of hours, empty your sinks and wipe them down with a dry, micro-fibre cloth. They should be glistening and aromatic – saving you both time and money.
6. Clean daily
By cleaning your home on a daily basis, you can ensure that the inescapable jobs in your home never become too complex or time-consuming. Even if you spend three minutes wiping down your bath, sink and shower cubicle once a day, you’ll be stopping soap scum, limescale and grime from accumulating – or at the very least you’ll be slowing it down. If you need to, devise a very basic cleaning rota, making sure that all of the day-to-day cleaning jobs are assigned a minute or two each.
Keeping your home clean and inviting throughout a busy week is not easy, and it can also be an expensive undertaking. However, with a schedule in place – and one or two cheats along the way – you should be able to keep your home tidy and presentable without too much damage to either your social life or your wallet.
