15 Useful House Cleaning Tips You Need To Know
Keeping your home in tip-top shape doesn’t need to take all the time in the world. That’s why the team here at Jim’s Cleaning New Zealand has put together some helpful house cleaning tips to simplify and reduce your workload. Let’s explore 15 practical housekeeping tips that will keep your property cleaner than ever.
15 house cleaning tips and tricks you need to know
Maintaining a clean house doesn’t need to be a complicated affair. With the right tips, tricks, and tactics by your side, maintaining an immaculate home might just be easier than you think. So without further ado, let’s jump right into 15 home cleaning tips that make domestics a breeze.
A quick word about our home cleaning tips
Everyone has their own unique approach to cleaning and domestic duties. These house cleaning tips are not necessarily designed to be exhaustive, nor do they work in every situation or circumstance. It’s best to look at these as helpful guidelines rather than expectations. They’ll also assume that you’ve got some handy-dandy professional cleaning products around too.
1. Make your bed every morning
Start your morning off the right way by making your bed every time you get up. Not only does this set the tone and mindset for the rest of the day, but the entire process will take less than a minute to complete. Current research points to the effectiveness of morning bed making, with people becoming more productive and confident for the rest of the day.
2. Clean your dishes every night
Keep the sink clean and clutter-free by doing your dishes or loading up the dishwasher every night before bed. That way, you won’t have to deal with a pile of dirty dishes in the morning. Instead, kick off your day with a clean slate and an empty basin.
If you have a dishwasher, keep in mind they can clean a lot more than just dishes! Toys, ceramics, and even flip-flops can be washed very effectively (and without any additional labour on your part).
3. Deep clean the bathroom once a week
Bathrooms are some of the grubbiest rooms in the home. While a quick wipe-down every once in a while will keep them looking superficially clean, your bathroom requires regular deep cleaning for sanitising purposes.
You may want to accomplish your bathroom’s deep cleaning using a step-by-step approach:
- Start by wiping down surfaces and counters with a deep cleaning cloth.
- Clean individual appliances (sinks, toilets, and tubs) using speciality products.
- End by dusting, mopping, and sweeping to remove any additional grime.
4. Microwave your sponges
You use sponges to clean dishes, tables, and other surfaces, but what about cleaning the sponge itself? These porous cleaning tools can capture up to 45 billion+ pathogens per square centimetre, spreading illness and disease throughout your home.
Protect your sponges and their cleaning efficacy by sanitising them in the microwave. Heat them on high for thirty seconds, then wait a moment or two before pulling them out of the machine. Heating them will remove up to 90% of the present bacteria, which is much more effective than leaving the sponge out to dry.
5. Use a lint roller on your furniture
If you own pets, you know how quickly animal fur can become embedded in upholstery and clothing. Not only is this unsightly, but it can also trigger allergies and other respiratory problems.
Prevent furry buildup from affecting your home by giving your furniture a weekly lint rolling. Start with the big pieces (couches, chairs, etc.), then move to table cloths, runners, and other upholstery. You may want to use a squeegee or other rubbery tool to pull additional hair out of problem areas.
6. Clean faucet heads with vinegar
Like many other appliances in the home, faucets and shower heads can become grimy or even mouldy over time. Their constant exposure to soap and water leaves behind a mineral deposit that looks bad and can affect its functionality.
Soak a rag or sponge in white vinegar to clean faucet heads effectively and wipe down all exposed surfaces. Let the vinegar sit for a few minutes to loosen any deposits, then use a second cloth to remove any residue. You can tie a sandwich bag of vinegar over the faucet head for a few hours, then buff out any remaining stains.
7. Remove floor scuffs with tennis balls
No matter how you look at them, scuffed floors are downright unsightly. Shoe or boot scuffs may be difficult to remove using mops alone and time-consuming to scrub with other methods.
Maintain the cleanliness of your floors by removing scuffs with household items like tennis balls. The coarse fuzz quickly removes any lingering scuffs on hardwood, linoleum, and tile. Make this even more effective by pairing it with baking soda or salt.
8. Try using dryer sheets on baseboards
Baseboards are one of the first places where dust and dirt accumulate in the home. Try using dryer sheets to loosen any clinging dirt to clean these areas quickly and easily. The sweet-smelling aroma will freshen up the house, while the sheet itself will pick up any excess debris or dust.
Feel free to use your dryer sheets on other dusty home areas, including gaming consoles, fans, and window blinds.
9. Re-polish silver with foil and baking soda
Silver is a delicate metal that slowly dulls or tarnishes with time. To bring back the original lustre in your jewellery, cutlery, and more, try this simple polishing method:
- Cover a baking sheet with aluminium foil, then place your silver on top.
- Cover the silver in very hot water.
- Add several tablespoons of baking soda to the water.
- Allow the mixture to sit for at least one hour. There may be a smell — this is normal.
- Rinse well and scrub dry with a soft towel.
10. Loosen tough carpet stains with salt
No matter how careful you are, carpet stains are inevitable. To loosen and remove some of the most tricky blemishes (gravy, ink, etc.), try sprinkling salt over the area and letting it sit for a few minutes. The salt will work to absorb the stain, making it much easier to vacuum up.
You can also try working with a professional carpet cleaning service, including those offered by Jim’s Cleaning.
11. Eliminate bad smells and stains with citrus
Lemons, grapefruit, and limes are excellent cleaning fruits in the home. Add some to a pot of boiling water to deodorise many nearby rooms. Dry and grate leftover citrus rinds to remove strong odours from your garbage disposal.
You can also scrub soap scum and hard-to-remove bathroom stains with grapefruit halves and a little salt. Remember that citrus is no substitute for bacterial cleaners and other professional-grade tools.
12. Do a little laundry every other day
Letting dirty clothes build up is a surefire way to overwhelm yourself before washing day. If you run a busy household, do one load every other day instead of doing everything at once to speed up the process and streamline putting them away.
As you run your laundry, follow all best practices — separate clothing into different piles to prevent colour leaching. Be sure to use cold water to save money and extend the life of your apparel.
13. De-streak windows with newspapers
Newspapers might be an old-fashioned way of cleaning glass, but they’re still one of the best methods for modern homes. Not only do they prevent streaks from affecting your windows and mirrors, but they’re also extremely absorbent. You won’t find any dust to ruin your view!
Once you’ve finished cleaning your windows, just toss newspapers into the recycling bin (or reuse them for other purposes).
14. Write up a cleaning schedule
A cleaning schedule can keep you on track and on target with regular domestic tasks. It’s a perfect way to keep every household member accountable for their weekly contribution to household chores. Create one for the week, month, and year to ensure that nothing gets left behind.
As you write up your schedule, don’t forget to include some long-term considerations. Perform a deep cleaning of the home at least once per quarter (every three months). Schedule regular professional maintenance for things you cannot manage alone, including
pressure cleaning, car detailing, and more.
15. Ask professional cleaners for house cleaning tips and tricks
Many experts, including those employed by Jim’s Cleaning, have an excellent understanding of household cleaning tactics and other best practices. Feel free to speak directly to your assigned technician about future advice or discuss any concerns you may have before or after treatment.
Discover more household cleaning tips with Jim’s Cleaning
If you’re interested in discovering more house cleaning tips for your apartment, home, or residential property, Jim’s Cleaning is ready to help. We offer more than three decades of cleaning experience in New Zealand and beyond, with dozens of franchises across the country.
Get in touch with us today to discuss housekeeping tips with a Jim’s Cleaning team member. We’re standing by at 131 546 to take your call and are prepared to answer your contact form anytime.
And if you’d rather book a professional home or office cleaning service instead of doing it yourself, we can help with that too! Request a quote today, and get your surroundings looking as clean as possible — we look forward to hearing from you soon.