Simple Tips for Quickly Getting the House Cleaning Back on Track

House cleaning is one of my least favorite activities which means that sometimes I do fall behind. No matter how hard some of us try, our homes never make it to the category of spotless. Looking lived in is good enough for me as long as the baseboards and window ledges are clean and the stove is shiny and inviting.

I do fall behind quite often. Living with two dogs, a husband that has a different definition of clean than I do and the random house guest here and there, it can be a challenge that will sometimes leave me feeling like I'm the resident maid. I work a lot. Some days 12 hours or more so cleaning does take a back seat on occasion and the house can start to look like a bit of a war zone.

Over the past couple of years, I have discovered a few things that will not only help when trying to catch up, they help prevent me from falling behind. With simply changing a few daily habits, cleaning times can be cut down tremendously. When time becomes a premium, some things are priceless.

Invest in a small squeegee that can be used on the bathtub after every bath or shower. This dramatically cuts down on soap scum and other bad shower stuff because the shower isn't left to air dry with the soap residue on the tile. It takes about 60 seconds to squeegee our shower and it dramatically cuts down on the cleaning time and frequency it is needed.

Get rid of excess bathroom clutter by utilizing and organizing the medicine cabinet and vanity. This will take a little time to do the initial clean up and organization but it is SO worth it once it is done. Have a place for everything. Deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, makeup, his razor and hair styling tools. Leave nothing out on the counter that can be covered with over spray from the hairspray or hair that you lose from shaving or the hairdryer. Toothbrush holders are a cesspool for all things gross in the bottom. Make sure everyone knows to put the item away after they use it. This cuts down on a lot of clutter that has to be cleaned on a regular basis or it becomes extremely nasty!

Make sure there is a small trash can in the bathroom. I'm always surprised at how many people that do not have a trash can in the bathroom.

The cleaning schedule for a bathroom is easy and can be done in 15 to 25 minutes a WEEK. In this order, I just wipe everything down quickly: the bathtub, the vanity, mirror, toilet. I sweep the floor every time but mop it once every 2 weeks. The bathroom receives the wipe down 3 days a week. Usually on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and it's now always clean and fresh and I don't have to worry about it when someone comes to the door unexpected.

Oh the kitchen. My favorite room in the house and where I spend most of my time. It is the room that can take the longest to clean and if you get behind in this one, it can take what feels like forever to catch it up.

I hate doing dishes. It is my nemesis and if I could hire someone to just do dishes, I'd do it. Unfortunately it is a necessary evil in my house because there is no place to put a dishwasher in my 1945 kitchen. So, I do the wash as I go through the day to break it up and not be bombarded with a large pile of dishes all at once. Run the hot water and wash everything as it is used. This may not technically save time, but it sure does feel like it!

Using splatter shields on your pans will cut down a lot of time on stove cleaning! After cooking, spray down the top of the stove when a cleaning product that contains a degreaser and let it sit for a few minutes while you finish up the dishes. Wipe the stove top and give the front and sides (if your stove is freestanding) a quick go over to catch anything that may have ran over. Your stove will stay sparkling clean every time it is used if you take a few seconds to do this.

Clean out the fridge every time you go to the store. Throw out any leftovers and anything else that you can't remember when you bought it. As the new goes in, take the old out.

I sweep and mop the kitchen floor on the same schedule as the bathroom, or more if something happens in between that demands it such as a large gathering or cook out. Our flooring in our kitchen is industrial linoleum that doesn't require anything when mopping except for a dab of dish soap. If your floor requires waxing or heavy duty cleaning, a good deck brushing to catch up might be required to get it cleaned the first time.

One thing that I discovered that save a LOT of cleaning time is to simply keep as much off of the counters as possible. Keep toasters, coffee makers, blenders and other small appliances in a cabinet instead of on the counter. They can get extremely dusty and grimy, even if you use them on a regular basis. They are also collection points for crumbs underneath and lead to a lot of unnecessary cleaning. Put them away after you use them and it will cut out a lot of cleaning time!

I lumped these two together because they are both quicker and easier cleans.

Since we have two dogs, I do vacuum more than the average person has to. Usually the areas that the dogs frequent are swept every day and the entire rooms are done on Tuesday and Thursday. The frequency of vacuuming varies for everyone, depending on what is going on but at least once a week is suggested to keep the dust and dirt under control.

Our living room and dining room are dusted once a week. Keeping nick knacks and other things just laying around is kept to a minimum. When you see that statue of whatever it is that you like, think about how much dust it will accumulate and how often you will have to clean it before making your purchase decision. It not only helps cut cleaning time down but can also save you a bit of money when you approach buying the decor for your home.

Living rooms are the most frequently used room in most homes so they can quickly become cluttered! Before you go to bed at night, make sure that anything just laying around like the shoes you wore that day or the bag of chips you were snacking on, are put away and this will cut down dramatically on the clutter! When it gets out of hand or you are playing catch up, start in once corner of the room and work your way around in a circle as fast as you can move and it will be caught up quickly.

We are all human and sometimes life does get in the way of house cleaning. Falling behind can feel so overwhelming sometimes, but it doesn't have to! If you fall behind, it isn't the end of the world by any means. Take a deep breath and dig in.

Like I mentioned before, start in one corner of the room and work your way around. Accomplish one task at a time. For example, if the end table is piled up 6 inches high, start and keep working until you are finished with that pile because once it is finished you can move on to the next area.

Don't try to catch up the entire house in one day. Start with the room that is bothering you the most first and go from there. Your home didn't get into this shape overnight so don't expect to clean it all overnight! Set a realistic goal of having it caught up by a certain day then get back on schedule for keeping your home exactly the way you want it and you'll never freak out when that friend drops by unexpectedly again!