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July 2007 – We each have 24 hours in a day and may choose to spend it on differing priorities. If you like to have your home look nice but avoid spending too many of your precious hours cleaning, these hints could help you.
Quick ‘Clean Up’ Solutions – here are some of your new best friends:
For quick kitchen and bathroom clean-ups, these wipes are excellent. Buy them in bulk and keep one container in the kitchen and one in each bathroom. When a kitchen or bathroom area begins to look soiled but you don’t have the time for a full cleaning, give the area a wipe down. Wipes are a quick and effective solution.
Hint: Do not flush wipes down the toilet – they may be too thick for some plumbing.
This tool is a must-have for the bedroom. Bedroom carpets collect crumbs, lint, pet hair and various other undesirables that make the room seem less serine. Whether an old fashioned carpet sweeper or a modern one with replaceable cleaning sheets, this self-powered tool can be stored in your closet and pulled out for a quick and easy clean-up.
An absolute must for the kitchen and family room, especially if you have children. Very quick clean ups for every day crumbs that pile up or for small spills that you want to get rid of immediately.
Hint: When purchasing a new hand-vac, ensure it is cordless and has a large horse-power (at least 5) – in order to maximize the convenience and effectiveness of this cleaning tool.
Decorative storage bins idea by Sheri Gammon Dewling
Designating specific areas for items not only keeps you organized but makes clean ups even faster, if the solutions make sense. Here are some that have worked in our home:
Decorative trunk in family/living room for toys: If you have children, you know that they want to play where you are. However, you don’t always want the rooms you frequent to look like play rooms. A storage truck that enhances your room décor is an excellent solution for quick toy clean up and storage.
Hint: Pay extra for a truck with hydraulic hinges that will stop the lid from falling down on your child.
Hooks in bedrooms and bathrooms: A convenient location for handing robes and clothing items that can be worn again helps keep bed and bathrooms tidy and avoids extra laundry from clothes that are not dirty but appear to be because they were crumpled on the floor. Strategically place these hooks in the areas where changing occurs and ensure they are attractive to enhance your room. If you are unsure the solution is one that will work for you, temporary hook hangers such as the type that hang from a closet or room door top would make for a good test.
There is a big difference in the time involved to keep a home clean vs. keep it tidy. Tidy goes a long way to creating the appearance of clean. This article does not suggest that you choose to live in squalor, but instead, satisfy your need to ‘look clean’ while minimizing the time spent ‘cleaning’.
If you have a storage or home maintenance challenge and need ideas to solve them, or if you have a comment about how some of my ideas have worked for you, email me.
Article by Sheri Gammon Dewling
Markham Organizing Maven
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