General Cleaning Tips

Here's some quick general cleaning tips to save you time and help you achieve the clean home of your dreams.

Think like a janitor and cleaning your home will be a breeze!

Always put extra garbage bags in all the trash bins and waste baskets in your home. This way, when you take out the garbage, there will be a bag waiting for you to put in the bin or basket.

Carry your cleaners or cleaning supplies with you from room to room in a bucket. Or, store and stash your cleaning supplies in each room. For instance, I keep cleaning supplies in each bathroom locked up. This way my supplies are readily available and I'm not running around trying to find them.

Remember the following process to save your valuable time and money on cleaning products!

Apply your cleaning product (spray, spread, or poor on) depending on the product and let it sit! It needs to work in and saturate to loosen dirt and grime.

Wipe or scrub off and that's it!

Say for example you need to clean the tub and or shower. What a dreaded job, but you can make much it easier by spraying on some cleaning product like Clorox Clean Up, let it sit for a few minute to loosen the dirt and grime, then wipe and rinse.

You only need to use a heavy duty cleaner like soft scrub or my favorite, Green Cream, a couple of times a year, depending on your level of usage. Again, remember to apply your product, give it a scrub or wipe and let sit. Scrub or wipe again, then rinse and you're done!

Run out of Soft Scrub or Comet? In a pinch you can use toilet bowl cleaner to clean out your sink. Just spread it on, let it sit a minute, wipe up and rinse. Be sure as with any cleanser to always wear protective cleaning gloves.

More Advice for General Cleaning Tips for the Yucky Stuff in Your Home

Under the refrigerator. You can either move it, vacuum, spray some 409 and wipe up, or don't move it and place a damp sock on a yardstick and slide under the refrigerator. Make sure to add a touch of vinegar when you dampen the sock to cut through the grime under the refrigerator. Move the yardstick back and forth, rinse the sock, and repeat until it comes clean.

Remember to vacuum the coils on your refrigerator regularly. This not only helps keep kitchen dust to a minimum, it helps your refrigerator run more efficiently which saves energy, saving you MONEY!

Extra hair on the bathroom floor? Just dampen some toilet paper and quickly wipe up between bathroom cleanings.

Another great general cleaning tip is to use both hands when you clean. Spray cleaner with one hand while wiping with the other.

Get That Chandelier Sparkling!

I use Hagerty Chandelier Cleaner, which can be found at Drugstore.com and I love it. Just follow these simple steps to a beautiful, bright, and shiny chandelier.

Make sure to turn off the chandelier before you begin.

Protect the area under the chandelier with either plastic or newspaper.

Spray Hagerty's cleaner on and just watch as the dirt and grime begin to drip off.

That's it! The chandelier will dry to a beautiful, bright and shiny clean.

Remember these precautions. Avoid spraying any open sockets or contact wires. If you do, then wipe carefully and allow to dry before turning the chandelier on, and make sure to test a hidden area to make sure there's no discoloration.

Hate dusting baseboards like I do? Hire your little ones to do it with old socks or Swiffer dusters. Better yet, make it a contest and see who can clean the baseboards the fastest. My kids love wearing old socks on their hands while racing each other dusting baseboards. Just don't forget to give the winner a prize at the end.

Use these general cleaning tips to help boost your cleaning efforts to get it done quickly and more efficiently.

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