Nobody enjoys cleaning, but everybody loves a clean house. We all know that time is precious, and housework often ends up on the back burner, but a good deep-clean every once in a while, is crucial to help keep the dust bunnies at bay.

When you clean your home, you’re not only creating a happier or more peaceful living environment for yourself and your family, but you’re also making it a healthier and safer space too. Here are a few of our top tips to help ensure your home is cleaned thoroughly and efficiently. 

House Cleaning tip #1: Get In the right frame of mind

A clear space = a clear mind, but it takes the right frame of mind to clear your space in the first place. If you struggle with motivation to start cleaning, try breaking your workload up a bit so that your long list of tasks doesn’t feel so daunting anymore. Focus on one end of the house one week, and the other end the next. 

Make the experience even more enjoyable and crank out some tunes. The Seven Dwarves were onto something when it came to working: Heigh ho, heigh ho, it’s off to work we go!” So, put on your favourite playlist, get into the zone and watch the time fly.

While cleaning may not be your favourite pastime, it helps to keep the benefits in mind – they outweigh the task itself. Pace yourself and tackle one space at a time.

House cleaning tip #2: Clean top to bottom, left to right

A common mistake that people make is cleaning in a way that is more disruptive than it is helpful. For an efficient cleaning session, try cleaning in an orderly system, from top to bottom, left to right. Working top to bottom ensures that you don’t shift any dirt down into newly cleaned areas, for example, start with dusting the ceiling fans and aircon vents and work your way down to the floor where you can vacuum up all the collective dust right at the end. The same can be said about the direction in which we clean. By cleaning your space from the left to the right (or right to left) you can prevent confusing your workflow and trapsing dust and dirt from flowing back into clean rooms as you walk back and forth throughout the house.

House cleaning tip #3: Keep a cleaning caddie

Cleaning is tedious enough as it is, we know this. Work smart, not hard, and avoid pacing ack and forth unnecessarily to grab supplies from under the sink as you need them. Instead, gather everything you need right at the beginning and ensure it’s all at arms reach by sticking it all into a bucket or cleaning caddy to carry around with you as you go. Instead, minimise the unnecessary walking and keep all of your disinfectants and cleaning products in arms reach. By keeping a bucket with a handle or cleaning caddy near you, you will have easy access to everything you need.

House cleaning tip #4: Make use of microfibre cloths

No collection of cleaning supplies in complete without a set of microfibre cloths. Toss your old rags and stock up on these multi-use towels – they work so much better. 

From windows to bathtubs to floors, these towels can do it all. Made primarily out of polyester, microfibre cloths are very effective at lifting and holding onto dirt, dust and moisture. They’re also far more effective at picking up microscopic materials like bacteria and other germs, due to their incredibly tiny fibres. However, they are not antibacterial and do not kill bacteria, they simply remove them, so it’s important that you continue to use household disinfectants to truly remove any harmful organisms.

House cleaning tip #5: Delegate the work

When it comes to cleaning, teamwork makes the dream work! We are stronger when we work together. Lean on those who share the space with you and share the responsibilities of keeping your space clean.

Why not get the family involved and make an activity out of it? Getting the kids involved is a win-win: not only are you getting a bit of help, but you’re teaching them responsibility and what it means to be part of a family. 

Everybody enjoys a little good-natured competition. Try creating fun challenges, like “who can vacuum the fastest” or assign points to different tasks and tally them up at the end of the month. You’ll be surprised how quickly the little ones forget how much they hate housework. 

It might seem counterintuitive, but at the end of the day, if you really want to cut down your cleaning time, you need to clean more often. Consistency is key, and cleaning one section of your home each week will keep your space clear and inviting, while sparing you the overwhelming task of doing several months’ worth of cleaning in one go.