Watching live TV can be a bittersweet experience these days. We live in an on-demand world these days, so having to wait three or four minutes for a TV programme to restart can be frustrating.
If you get annoyed every time TV commercials invade your home, don’t become frustrated and angry. Instead, use the opportunity to make your home a better place. Instead of spending around 30 minutes of every evening sitting through ads, use the time to perform these basic cleaning tasks.
1. Fill the dishwasher
As soon as the commercials begin, leap into action and head straight for the kitchen. Use this three or four minute window to load the dishwasher. Start a washing cycle, and sit back down in time for your show to restart. By the time the next set of ads arrive, your dishes will be clean — and you can use your next few spare minutes to put them away.
2. Deodorise your furniture
That three-minute window during the first 20 minutes of your favourite TV drama represents a great opportunity to get rid of those niggling aromas on your furniture. Sprinkle baking soda over cushions, sofas, upholstery and carpet. By the time the next set of ads starts, the worst of the aromas will have been absorbed — so just vacuum the baking soda away.
3. Pick up pet hair
Pet hair can be really difficult to remove from upholstered furniture and carpets, even with a great vacuum cleaner at your disposal. Once the ads begin, quickly put on a pair of damp rubber gloves, and run your hands over areas where you spot hair. Take a look at your hands, and they should be covered.
4. Clean skirting
A lot of people forget to vacuum and clean their skirting boards, as they don’t really look all that bad unless you take a close look. Once the TV ads begin, spray an old sock with water and put it on your hand. Run the sock across the skirting, and the dust and dirt should come off with ease. You should be able to clean the skirting in a small room within three minutes.
5. Clean gadgets
Small gadgets such as TV remotes can attract a huge amount of dirt and bacteria over the course of a week. Use the three-minute TV ad break to clean your remotes and other handheld gadgets with antibacterial wipes — you may not need to leave the sofa!
6. Take the rubbish out
Don’t let rotting food, grease and this morning’s breakfast fester in your kitchen bin when you’re simply sitting around waiting for your show to restart. Spring into action, and take the trash outside. Insert a clean liner, and sit back down in plenty of time.
7. Clean that baked-on pan
How often do you simply fill a pan with hot, soapy water when the baked-on food just won’t budge? The chances are you do this regularly. During the first ad break, fill pans and dishes with hot water and detergent and leave them to steep. When the next break arrives, scrub the food away — most of it will have loosened in the meantime.
8. Mop the kitchen floor
Your kitchen floor can be mopped in a matter of seconds — if you have the right equipment. The latest steam mops heat up in just a few seconds, and they don’t leave your floors drenched afterwards. Simple fill them with water, switch on and watch dirt and grease vanish before your eyes. If you have a relatively small kitchen, you should be able to heat the mop, clean your floor and be back in time for the resumption of your show.
9. Vacuum the living room
Have your vacuum cleaner ready, so you can start cleaning as soon as the TV ads begin. As long as you have a powerful cleaner that doesn’t lose suction, three or four minutes should be sufficient time to vacuum a modestly sized living room.
Don’t let the time spent waiting for your favourite TV shows to resume go to waste — get cleaning!
