9. Simple Tricks to Make Cleaning Easier and Faster
Admit it. You hate cleaning. As a working mom, where do we even find the time to get the house clean? When I get home from work, the last thing I want to think about is housework. The thought alone drains me. When you can’t seem to keep the house in order 100% of the time, cleaning days take hours and all of your effort. Just to turn around and have your kids, animals or partners come up behind you and leave their dirty socks on the couch. It is exhausting and sometimes feels pointless. I understand, mama.
Lets Make Cleaning Easier
Over the years, I have found little tips and tricks to help ease the daunting task that is housework. I’m a homemaker at heart and I am also very particular. I like things cleaned and tidy. That is just how I am. If you are like me, you get frustrated with your partner or family because maybe they don’t have the same needs as you do where cleaning is concerned and they are okay leaving dirty socks on the couch. Not me. No ma’am.
I know I would see Ember walk past literal trash on the floor and not pay it a second thought and think, “DO YOU NOT SEE THAT?”. How can someone just walk into a room that is a mess and not feel completely overwhelmed with the mess? For me, it is all I can think about.
I had to learn that not everyone has the same needs or triggers as me and that is ok. I had to figure out ways to make it easier on everyone involved. Including myself, since I was the one needing it done.
1. Tidy Up!
Start with trash. We have to get it out. I always start with a kitchen garbage bag and I bring that bag room to room with me. All the visible areas in the room you are starting in needs to be cleared. Check those corners and bookshelves. Toss out the random papers and old school work. The candy wrappers that, no doubt, are tucked into whatever little hands can reach. Toss it all out.
Anything out of place needs to be picked up. Kids toys, old socks, dog bones.. get them out of the way and into their proper place. Doing this makes it easier to see every surface and decide what has to be cleaned this time.
2. Cleaning Caddy
Make a cleaning caddy. A cleaning caddy alone saves you time and effort when it’s time to start a cleanup. You need to decide what things you use the most when cleaning and toss it into a bin. Place it somewhere that you can easily access and quickly. You also want to be able to just toss the item you use right back in. This makes for a very quick grab and go. You’ll want rags and brushes in there, too.
For example, my caddy has: Multipurpose cleaner, glass cleaner, disinfectant wipes, disinfectant spray, a glass cloth, a surface rag and urine stain and odor remover (because senior dogs like to pee everywhere). I change out the cloth and rags as needed. These are the items I am constantly grabbing for quick clean ups. I have it under my sink in the kitchen and I can just open the cabinet, grab and go.
3. One Multipurpose Cleaner
Using less saves you time and money. I promise, you don’t need all 14 cleaning sprays in your cabinet. You need to find one spray that will do it all. Personally, I use Odoban, because it is safe for all my surfaces, it is safe around my animals and even the house chicken, and it is safe around kids. I buy it in the concentrated gallons and I dilute as directed for each surface or use that I need.
Kid spilled juice all over the table? I grab Odoban. Dog decided to pee on the couch? Get the Odoban. Pancake slipped out of her chicken diaper and pooped on the book shelf? Grab the Odoban. See where this is going?
Find a cleaner that you love that you can use for everything. It makes it super quick to grab it and clean the mess. It takes up less space in your caddy and now you don’t have to waste money on 45 different cleaning products because your one multipurpose cleaner does it all.
4. Clean One Room at a Time
You heard me. You start in one room and you finish that room. Then move on to the next room. There is no point in going back and forth to do the same thing in each room. That will leave you with things not getting finished across the board. You want to get the entire room cleaned.
I bring everything with me. I bring the caddy, the trash bag, the broom, the mop.. everything from room to room. Ya’ll, I even sweep the dirt from room to room. That way, in the last room, I just sweep it up once and it’s done. Again, I am not running back and forth. One room at a time.
5. Top to Bottom
You want to remember that dust and trash falls to whatever surface is under it. You don’t want to sweep first and then wipe the counters down, pushing all the crumbs to the floor. You are giving yourself more work that way.
You’ll want to start at the top of the room. If you are planning to dust ceiling corners or fan blades, do that first. (After tidying up, of course). Then move onto dusting the shelving units or wiping down the cabinet doors with your multipurpose cleaner.
Save your floors for last. You always want to mop your way out of the room. Mopping will always be your last step.
6. Cleaning Routine
Ya’ll, we’ve got to have a cleaning routine. I know its hard to have one when you are working 40 plus hours a week. But a simple 15 minute routine in the morning and a 15 minute routine in the evening makes a world of a difference when it comes to keeping the house clean and making cleaning easier.
Want a Freebie? Use my free morning and evening cleaning routine printable as a guide to get you started on your journey to a more peaceful home.
Want one you can fill in yourself? Here you go.
Think about it like this, if you don’t have to spend an hour folding and picking up all the laundry from the previous week, you are saving yourself time and sanity. You now have an extra hour to devote to cleaning something else or to just watch Netflix on the couch after you kick your family out of the house when its all cleaned.
7. Declutter
While this isn’t necessarily a tip to make cleaning easier right this second, it will help you in the long run. Ya’ll, we have to get rid of things that we aren’t using. Having been raised in a household with hoarding tendencies, I struggle with letting things go. I actually have to talk myself into throwing things out. I have to remind myself, that while this item was from my first-grade days and my mama loved it and kept it for me, I don’t have to keep it. This item brought my mama joy, but it doesn’t bring me joy. This item is taking up space for something that could bring me joy. I can let it go.
Decluttering is hard. I know it is. However, spaces stay clean when there are less items in it. The clutter you are seeing on the counters contains objects that you use regularly. Objects that don’t really have a proper place, huh? The old coffee pot under my cabinet that I was holding on to “just in case” was taking up space that I could have been storing my KitchenAid in. The spot I had the KitchenAid was taking up space that I could have been storing our bags and lunch boxes. The same bags and lunch boxes that get thrown on the counter in front of the coffee station that I worked so hard to decorate. You see where this is going? Letting go of items that you don’t use will give you a space to create a home for items that you DO use. Which means- no more clutter sitting out in the open.
8. Organize
Organize, organize, organize! To make things go easier and quicker, things need to be organized. We have to have items in a place that makes sense. We need cleaning products where our messes typically occur the most. -Mine is the kitchen. Bins and containers to contain the clutter is a must. You can further organize these bins/containers as you like. But we have to start out with bins. Group items together in big categories then separate further as needed. These containers are meant to contain your items. Once the container is filled- you don’t have room for more. Which means, we can’t keep it.
An example of things I implemented in my house: I have a pet cabinet. In the cabinet are all of the pet supplies I use. This includes grooming supplies, pet medications (separated by RX and over the counter), potty pads, extra collars, bowls and treats. If I need emergency medications for a seizure or charcoal for a poisoning, I know exactly where it is and I’m able to grab it right away.
We have to do this with everything we have. Organize it in a way that makes sense for you and everyone in your house. Everything should have a place. If it doesn’t have a place to go, it’s time to declutter and create a space for it.
9. Listen to a Podcast or Audiobook
Ooooh, mama. Let me tell you.. I can get some stuff done when I am listening to a podcast or an Audiobook. My brain is constantly going. I will start one project and then I’ll see something else and the original project is long forgotten. Somehow, listening to a podcast or Audiobook keeps me focused and I get everything done.
Sometimes, I don’t even realize how long I have been cleaning. I like to wake up early on the weekends, before everyone else, pop my Air Pods in and off I go. Five hours and a pot of coffee later, Leslie is stumbling out of bed and into the kitchen only to realize that I’ve rearranged the entire house.
Listening to podcasts or Audiobooks keeps me from thinking about how much I hate doing the task and it keeps me from angry cleaning. Which in turn makes for a happy day for everyone in the house.
You know what I’m talking about.
You can do it, Mama.
I know you can. It might take time, but it will get done. You’ll get that house cleaned and organized and then you’ll find that simple cleaning routine that works for you and your family. You will find peace. Try out these tips here and see how it goes.
Have a question or comment? Shoot me a message. I would love to hear from you. Until then, good luck!