This year, all thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of us are spending a vast majority of our time at home.
And what with the work and home boundaries becoming blurred, with many of us still working from home, we just want to keep our homes clean, right? The good news is that some simple planning and tricks on keeping your house clean and tidy will go a long way in making your stay at home more pleasant and comfortable.
Start with clutter in the house. Or rather, de-cluttering your home. Throw away or discard unused clothing, furniture, toys, tools etc that are either lying around the house or buried away somewhere deep in the house. De-cluttering is the first step in the right direction to get you into the house cleaning mindset and groove. Yes, groove!
Next, think about when would be a good time to carry out your cleaning chores. Needless to say, don’t attempt to clean out your entire house in the middle of a busy day, when either you have a packed schedule or there’s plenty of activity and people moving through the house.
Come up with a simple schedule that suits you. Either break up the tasks into smaller tasks that need to be carried out over a number of days over a shorter duration of time, or dedicate one day of the week to all the house cleaning. This helps you stay organized and disciplined about cleaning your house regularly, and also making sure that the mess doesn’t get out of hand. You should then take a look at your house, room by room, and figure out what is the best cleaning flow; which rooms or sections of the house should you tackle first?
An important part of house cleaning is making sure you have the necessary tools, cleaning materials and chemicals all in one place. Often times, people tend to keep different cleaning products in different parts of the house such as under the bathroom sink, under the kitchen cabinet or in the store. By the time you locate all the items required for cleaning, half the day would be gone! Instead, organize yourself and keep all the items in one section of the house.
Here’s a useful tip. Rather than use store bought chemicals that are full of nasties and cost money, consider creating your own cleaning chemicals. For example, to scrub clean your toilet tiles, corners and bathtubs, combine one cup of baking soda with half cup of liquid castile soap, half cup of distilled water and two tablespoons of vinegar. Shake well before spraying it to floor tiles, shower and tub area. Leave on for a few minutes before scrubbing clean.
Like anything else in life, set your mind to getting the job done and remove all distractions. Play a movie for the kids to watch, turn off the handphone and turn up the music. Get into your groove as you scrub and clean away, shedding some calories along the way! What’s not to like about that? It’s a win-win. Clean home and a fitter you!
