Note: This post is brought to you by Clorox and The Motherhood, and I’ve been compensated for my time. All opinions are my own.
While I may not be the best homemaker, I really do enjoy being one. I love cooking for my family & providing a meal to bond over at the end of the day, and I even like cleaning. I like how repetitive it is and I find that to be therapeutic. I even do a lot of my best brainstorming while I clean.
Even though I enjoy cleaning, I still don’t want to feel like I’m wasting my time by making tasks take longer than they need to! I like to work smarter, not harder. There are five easy to implement tips that I live by for making cleaning more efficient:
1. Clean from top to bottom. Nothing is worse than diligently vacuuming your floor, only to push dust from the counter onto it moments later. Be sure to work from the top down {think ceiling fans & light fixtures first, then walls, counters and surfaces, and then the floor} and by the time you get to the bottom, you’ll be able to pick everything up with the vacuum.
2. Keep it handy. Keep your household cleaners in the same place that you use them. I find that I am much, much more likely to actually clean if I have the product I need handy. For me, that means keeping multiples of products- I have one set of glass and window cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, cleaning rags, bathroom cleaner, dusting cloths, and sanitizing wipes upstairs and one set downstairs. It makes it easy to do quick touch-ups, and it makes it harder for me to procrastinate by saying the product that I need is too far away.
3. Less is more. Products that can do multiple jobs are winners in my book. I’d rather use one bottle for everything in my bathroom than have to use a separate cleaner for my toilet, shower, and other surfaces. I like Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner + Bleach for bathroom jobs since it can tackle everything in the room.
4. Purge items before or while you clean. It took me awhile to figure this one out, but either take a few minutes before you pull out the cleaning solution to throw away trash and do a quick decluttering or do it as you go. I spent a lot of time dusting items that I decided five minutes later to donate, and I moved a lot of trash to dust or clean under it before realizing I was adding extras steps. Rather than cleaning around items that you don’t want or need, just toss or donate them before or while you clean!
5. Spray Every Drop. I used to get so annoyed with bottles of cleaners that would still have a lot of the contents left but would stop spraying correctly because it was running low. Sometimes I’d take a cloth or paper towel and dip it in the open bottle to soak up the cleaner, but it was often too saturated and just made a big, wet mess. Clorox has a brand new technology in their bottles called Smart Tube Technology that makes sure that not one drop of your cleaning product goes to waste! Each bottle has a built-in tube that reaches all the way to the bottom of the bottle, allowing you to actually spray every drop. This new technology is available in many of your favorite Clorox, Formula 409 and Tilex products.
Buy It: You can find Clorox’s new bottles in stores now. To get started with cleaning more efficiently, be sure to head to the Spray Every Drop website to download and print a coupon for a high value coupon- $1 off for watching a quick video & $1.50 off if you share the video with your friends!
Win It: One lucky reader is going to win five coupons for FREE products! Just enter using the simple form below. Good luck!
April Golightly says
These are great tips!
Keely Hostetter says
I like using clorox wipes on bathroom and kitchen surfaces. They are quick and easy to use.
Angela S. says
I keep disinfecting wipes in allow my bathrooms and kitchen. It’s so much easier than running around to find them.
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Sandy VanHoey says
I use the disinfecting wipes, sprays….love the wipes and am forever grabbing one for counters to keep clean. They are awesome
Maryann says
I use a lot of these tips already.
Colleen says
My tip….get a maid LOL I have someone come in once a month I never have the time to clean properly.
rachel @runningrachel says
Great cleaning tips! 🙂
Dianna @oyveyaday says
Great tips. I really like the idea of the new technology that prevents waste!
April Harvell says
I do a fast wipe down at least once a day in the bathrooms and kitchen so it is not as hard to clean when I do a real good cleaning…
Heather Hayes Panjon says
My Tip Is Focus On One Area A Day And Rotate For A Good Organized Clean Home 🙂
Theresa says
Great tips!
Carrie says
My husband is the WORST about cleaning top to bottom…he will always clean the floors before the counters, or vacuum the rug before I wipe down the couch (which gets dirty with these kids!). Drives me batty.
HilLesha @To the Motherhood says
Wonderful tips!
Donna Cheatle says
Do a little bit each day. That way it never overwhelms
Anne - Mommy Has to Work says
I love the commercial for Smart Tube!
Anne - Mommy Has to Work says
I love the commercial for Smart Tube!
Laurie J says
I try to clean a little bit every day to be more efficient!
Maryann D. says
I try different products and try to clean up messes as quickly as they happen.
Stefani says
Great tips! Thanks for sharing.
Stephanie says
These are great tips, I clean more efficiently by making the kids help me. LOL!
Kathy says
Great tips… I just deep cleaned my entire house this weekend for an Open House. I love the tips you give!
Elaina- A Time Out for Mommy says
great tips! I don’t like cleaning but it has to get done!
Lisa says
Great tips!
Robin Gagnon {Mom Foodie} says
I have been trying to tackle spring cleaning this week.
Tammy says
I love products that can be used in more than one room – multipurpose cleaners are a must in my book.
June Lisle says
I use things like clorox wipes and swiffer dusters to get the job done quicker.
Marcie W. says
I love having multi functioning cleaning products so I can just transport a few items from room to room.
Robin Gagnon {Mom Foodie} says
Top to bottom or from on spot in the room clockwise is how I tackle a messy room.
Maureen says
I clean more efficiently with some fun tunes playing and cleaning rooms by zones! If I have a dirty surface, I spray it all down, let it sit while I clean another area and then come back to wipe it down…works great!
Jen says
enlist family to help
Pamela S says
Love the hints. I need to work more on the purging part! Thanks.
Michele P says
I stick to a schedule/routine and don’t vary from it very much-by keeping on top of things, it makes the routine cleaning go super quick and cuts back on the major cleaning.
Wanda McHenry says
Try to keep everything as neat and clean so it doesn’t turn into a big job.
Kimberly Schotz says
I use Clorox Wipes, fast and easy
katklaw777 says
I make sure I do 10min in each room every single day and I am done in an hour and a half!
Jessie C. says
I dust and wipe five minutes a day as I go around the house.
Faythe @GrammyMouseTails says
great tips. one of things I do is when I am doing a wet job, like washing a wall or the shower stall, I wipe from the bottom up. you can catch drips and no streaks.
Virginia Rowell says
I clean while I cook.
Lily Kwan says
I use heavy duty products to clean more efficiently.