If you have a large house, or a few kids, the amount of time spent cleaning can get cumbersome, dirty, and overwhelming. Fortunately, we are living in an age where everyone can share their tips and tricks with the click of a button, and these resources can save you a lot of time and energy.
Here are 10 cleaning hacks that every mom should have in their arsenal, from mold prevention to stain lifting.
- Removing mold from the tub. After a long day full of work, getting kids to sports practice, and everything else motherhood can throw at you, nothing seems more relaxing than a warm bath. If your tub is full of stubborn mold stains, however, that bath can seem more repulsing than relaxing. Luckily, there is a chemical-free way to remove this that only takes 2 ingredients, costs less than $5, and only takes a few minutes. Check out this simple hack from Genius Kitchen.
- Pick up more pet fur. If lint rollers simply aren’t cutting it when it comes to picking up pet fur, try wrapping duct tape around a paint roller. This will pick up a great deal more than a vacuum or a simple lint roller, so you don’t have to spend more time keeping your couch and clothing clean.
- Share the burden. One skill you’ll definitely want to pass on to your kids is that it takes teamwork to make a house clean. Try coming up with a fun way to keep everyone involved in the cleaning process. From reward charts to “pick a chore” bowls, there are plenty of ways to make cleaning fun so you don’t feel like you need to shoulder all the hard work yourself.
- Clean all the toys at once. Is your kids’ toy room filled with dirty plastic toys from days, or weeks, of playing outdoors? Clean all of them at once by sticking them in the dishwasher. This is especially important if you have young children who are still putting anything and everything in their mouth.
- Start with the dishes. If you dread the start of your day due to the pile of dishes in the sink, clean them as soon as dinner is over. This will not only have you start every day with a sparkling clean sink, but it will also keep the whole family healthy by reducing grime build up on old dishes.
- Let the robots work while you sleep. Some things, like loads of laundry in the wash, should be changed over before you go to bed, but there’s no sense waiting for the dishwasher or dryer to finish their job before hitting the hay. Try to time your tasks so you can wake up to clean dishes in the dishwasher, clean clothes in the dryer, and even clean floors if you have a Roomba or some other vacuum.
- Use some magic. Instead of having to lug around cleaning products to each wall or scuff in the house, try using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. From water-spotted faucets to shoe scuffs on the walls, these truly magic erasers can save you tons of time, and save you a good chunk of change when compared to wasting paper towels and chemical sprays.
- Wipe down more. Instead of spending one day every two weeks cleaning the entire house and wasting a whole day, use antibacterial spray and wipe down benches as you go or try giving one room a quick wipe down each day. Giving your rooms a little clean will give you more time to fully enjoy your days off rather than spending them cleaning the entire house for hours.
- Bake with aluminum foil. While this might seem like it will take more time when cooking, this method will ensure that your baking trays will stay clean and save you tons of time by letting you avoid any touch scrubbing and just tossing the aluminum foil.
- Steam clean your microwave. Rather than scrubbing crusty stains and spills, stick a damp sponge in the microwave for two minutes. Not only will the sponge steam your microwave and loosen up tough grime, but you can also just pick up the sponge and start scrubbing!
While cleaning a home can be a very time-consuming chore, these hacks will hopefully have inspired you to find ways to make the process both easier and even more fun. Remember to work smarter, and not harder, and encourage good cleaning habits by making cleaning an inclusive activity which you can even find enjoyable by promoting the right mindset.
