Home Style - Collaborative Post
Now, more than ever, it's really important to keep our homes clean and free from germs where possible. Sometimes though, the thought of cleaning our homes can be pretty daunting, with kids spreading toys like wildfire and pets shedding fur like there's no tomorrow, it can be hard to keep on top of things. Getting into a good routine with cleaning makes things so much easier, so I thought I'd share a few tips that have helped me start to get to grips with our messy chaotic house, that still gets messy but is far easier to clean!
Get the right gadgets
A bit of elbow grease goes a long way, but sometimes you need a good deep clean and when it comes to things like soft furnishings, cleaning up spills and stains (especially with kids and pets at home!) can prove to be tricky. For fabrics and carpets in need of a spruce, I can highly recommend investing in something like the Carpet Doctor spot cleaner which is quick and easy to use and can make carpets and sofas look and smell good as new in minutes. Another must have for easy cleaning is a cordless vacuum, something that can be charged and at the ready for a quick whip around when needed. These are so easy to use, you can hoover the house top to bottom in no time! There are different attachments too for cleaning hard to reach areas and hard floors.
Install hard floors
Installing harder flooring options such as Laminate Flooring, floor tiles or something super hard wearing like vinyl can make the world of difference to your cleaning routine. Food and drink spillages are far easier to clean up with a simple wipe and and pet accidents can be cleaned and sterilised properly. A quick hoover or sweep and a weekly spray and mop is easy enough to keep on top off, with no nasty germs and smells lingering as you'd get with carpet fibres.
Have adequate storage solutions
A regular declutter will ensure your home doesn't become too overwhelmed with 'stuff', but for the things you do want to keep, just make sure everything has a place to go at the end of the day and that you have ample storage for things like toys so that everything can easily be tidied away without creating mess in other places when tidying. If space is limited, you may want to look at multi use furniture such as ottoman furniture and using the height of a room instead of the width to gain space for storing things.
Say goodbye to things you don't need
I mentioned decluttering above and this is always a great place to start for any home project. Having less belongings simply means less mess can be made over the house and although we can't all live in a show home (I certainly don't!), it easy to get a build up of clutter, shoving things away in drawers, keeping toys and clothes that kids have grown out of and maybe even just being a bit of a shopaholic like me. From time to time, just have a walk round with a box and anything that is no longer useful or loved, chuck it in the box for the charity shop or place outside for passers by with a 'free' sign if that's something people do in your area. Less stuff, less mess, less cleaning! As well as generally feeling less busy and more relaxing, having less items out on display means less places to dust and leaves surfaces clean for a quick wipe.
Clean less, more often
Cleaning less doesn't sound like a good tip, but hear me out. Planning a top to bottom house clean can feel very overwhelming and we often end up doing nothing as it seems just too big of a job. Instead, set yourself small daily tasks, so you're spending less time cleaning at any one time, making it feel far less of a chore. You may want to make some kind of cleaning schedule or rota if this is your thing, sometimes ticking boxes makes things seem a lot more encouraging! Make sure to get the family involved with age appropriate tasks and encourage good habits for things like putting toys away, using the bin and stacking plates in the dishwasher for example.
Use storage boxes in cupboards and drawers
I can't imagine kitchen cupboards without baskets in now and it makes such a difference day to day, with accessing things we need but also they can be taken out easily for a quick cupboard clean making what used to be a big task a super quick and simple job. The same goes for drawers with shallow baskets or containers that can be easily wiped down and removed for cleaning without having to take out individual items.
Cleaning our homes isn't the most fun, but it can be a lot easier by utilizing some of the above tips. what are you struggling with in the home right now cleaning wise?
