Everybody loves coming home to a clean, organised house. It makes us feel more relaxed and lowers stress. Did you know that studies found that people who have better-kept homes exercised more and made healthier dietary choices?

And yet, many of us struggle to maintain a tidy residence - we here at the SDC will be the first to put our hands up. Sometimes, we just don’t have the time or motivation to do housework because of other responsibilities.

So how do you keep a spotless home when your schedule and other limitations get in the way? Thankfully, there is no shortage of simple and easy-to-execute tips on the internet that help contain the mess. We’ve rounded out some of our favourites below:

1. Set aside 15 to 20 minutes for cleaning before heading to bed.

Yes, you read that right – you only need a quarter or a third of an hour. Pick a spot or chore, set a timer on your phone, and start cleaning. You can wipe kitchen counters, fold fresh laundry, empty the dishwasher, and more. While this might get you going, we recommend stopping when your phone starts ringing so it doesn’t become a dreaded task. You’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish within a short amount of time – and reduce your stress by almost 20%.

Putting your folded clothes in the closet only takes a few minutes. Credit: Dan Gold/Unsplash​

1. Use your ‘waiting time’ to tidy up.

It’s easy – and tempting – to check your phone when you are doing nothing while waiting for the pot to boil or for a dish to reheat. But we have a better suggestion: clean while you are temporarily idle. You can wipe the sink, sweep the room, and dust off your cabinets, anything you can do quickly, really! While you don’t always have to be productive, this tip might help if you have difficulty keeping your home clean. A few little things here and there can save you time later on, particularly if you were just going to aimlessly scroll on Facebook.

1. Wipe down the shower after every use.

You don’t have to wait a week or more to clean your bathroom. If you make it a habit to spray your shower down and use a squeegee after showering, you don’t have to exert too much effort in removing the buildup on the walls and shower door. Make your weekly bathroom cleanup even easier by leaving the windows and doors open – this way, you can keep the moisture level down in the room.

1. Use blue gel toilet cleaner for more than just the toilet.

Look, deep cleaning the bathroom is not everyone’s idea of a good time. But it is important to do so because the bathroom can be a host to harmful bacteria – Staphylococcus aureus, E. Coli, and Shigella can all lead to life-threatening diseases. Thankfully, you can save yourself time from scrubbing with a blue gel toilet cleaner, and any brand will do! Smearing the liquid in the sink, walls, and tubs can remove scum effectively in as short as 20 minutes. Apply the cleaner, leave the room (and attend to other chores – remember our second tip?), and come back to wipe with a rag and warm water, and you should be done in no time.

1. Prevent dealing with hard-to-remove stains by preemptively containing potential leaks.

Removing stains can be difficult depending on the liquid, but you can make cleaning easier by using containers that are capable of holding any leaks or residue. It can be as effortless as using coasters and placemats when dining, putting candles in holders, setting food containers on a deep tray, and laying down newspapers or mats when painting. It all boils down to this: you can fend off the mess before it even begins.

1. Stock up on melamine sponges.

Isn’t it amazing when one material can clean all kinds of surfaces? The melamine sponge – which is also called Magic Eraser (although this is a brand name) – can be used to remove pesky stains on floors, walls, pots and pans, and even shoes. It is also safe to use on stainless steel, aluminium, ceramic, wood, and fibreglass, and it doesn’t take many scrubs to clean! Check out this video to know other things you can clean with the sponges:

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1. Clean the microwave quickly by boiling lemon water.

Splattered food inside a microwave can be difficult to remove, which is why it is better in the long run to clean whenever you can. Otherwise, you risk growing bacteria which is not ideal if you use the appliance regularly. Thankfully, cleaning can be as easy as boiling a cup of lemon water inside the microwave and leaving the cup inside for about five minutes. This should help moisten up the surfaces which would make the mess easier to wipe with a damp cloth.

Keeping a well-organised and tidy home can seem daunting, but these tiny steps can go a long way! Everyone deserves to reap the benefits of a clean house, including keeping the blues at bay.

Know any other quick and easy cleaning tips you’ve found useful? Want more of these hacks? We’d love to know in the comments below!

 

[Ricci]

My solution is to have a My Aged Care cleaner! She comes once a week and for about an hour before she arrives I tidy up, put things away and generally spruce the place up! Can't have her thinking I live in a pigsty can I !!

 

[terri]

My solution is to have a My Aged Care cleaner! She comes once a week and for about an hour before she arrives I tidy up, put things away and generally spruce the place up! Can't have here thinking I live in a pigsty can I !!

Old habits and guilt are hard to overcome. No one wants their home to look grotty, especially when others are coming in. That's why I don't have people over.