# please share your time saving cleaning tips



## justincase (Jul 16, 2011)

I pride myself on my clean home but it took YEARS to figure out fast ways to do things. I thought it would be fun and oh so beneficial to share even list this fast way that you figured out or read on cleaning. I do not think one person enjoys watching the day slip past us because we scrubbed all day. I will start with a few of mine. I put a cup of water with a lil vinegar in the microwave till it boils and i let it sit in there for a minute or two then just wip put the gross stuff. comes off fast without any scrubbing. i do this 1 time a week and maybe 2 if needed. the best thing i found to clean my shower and tub is dish soap (dawn) and baking soda, yeppers never came so clean so fast. I sprinkle some baking soda in a damp tub or shower spread some dawn and wipe a lil....no body oil no soap scum just sparkels without any elbow grease invovled! i mist with a lil bleach for germ killing and rinse. Rubbing alcahol is great on stainless and chrome. I use it on my shower door too and it removes hard water (it is bad here) without that horrible smell. I spray it on and wipe and woohoo fasst and clean. another thing i do once in awhile and i really need to do it more because it takes a lil extra time but saves soooo much in the long run. I use shaving cream on my bathroom mirror, helps repel toothpaaste splashes etc and i wax my sinks....yea ya heard me. do it one time a week and NOTHING sticks to it and looks freshly scrubbed for a week or more. I am looling for suggestions on easy fridge cleaning, and paperwork organiing. it seems paper is all consuming and i hate filing soooo many things. I hope this will be a helpful thread....my ulimate goal for cleaning is a maid service to come to my home but unless i hit the lotto it is unlikely so let us try to help eachother make it easier and faster, maybe we can fit a nap in LOL


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

It sounds like you have a handle on a lot. 

I use the mix as suggested here for the general cleaning (bathroom and kitchen). Dawn, vinegar and water. I simply can't believe how well it works. 

I use vinegar and water for my floor cleaner. I have tile in the entryway, bathrooms and kitchen. I understand it also works well on wood floors. 

I'm still looking for a good cleaner for the wood windowsills. The mold in the winter is horrendous.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

I use a shop vac in my house. The extra strong suction gets my floors really clean. I can remove the bottom sections of tubing and use a short section to reach up into corners, vacuum the top of the bottom section of my windows and the window sill. Remove the floor attachment and use the long tube to get under and behind everything. 

For the bathtub, use an artificial bristle broom! Wet the tub/shower and squirt a little dawn. Then use the broom to really scrub everything. This is wonderful if you have any back issues since you don't have to bend. This gets the tub cleaner than any other method I've tried, including hand scrubbing with cleanser. 

Cleaning glass. Get one rag well wrung out damp. Use the wet rag to scrub the glass or mirror. Then polish the glass with a dry terrycloth towel until there is no lint left on in. There is no residue left on the glass from a cleaning agent and it will really sparkle.

I change out the hand towel in the bathroom at least every other day. Before the old towel goes into the laundry I wipe down every surface except the toilet. I currently have my house for sale, and so I have to keep everything clean all the time. I wipe out the tub with my towel after I take a shower to keep it spotless.

I don't have any suggestions on the refrigerator. I find that since it is just me using it that I keep drips wiped up and rarely have to do a complete cleaning. LOL....maybe you just need to train the other people in your house better 

I am wrestling with the paperwork thing myself. I am working on scanning documents into the computer and putting them onto a memory stick and then backing it up onto an additional memory stick just in case. Some things you can't do that to, but a lot of things you can.


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## Leister Square (Feb 7, 2010)

This is a great thread. I also can't believe how well vinegar works on windows. I use one of those microfiber cloths rung out in water, then mist the door with vinegar and wipe. If it needs drying I use another cloth. I don't have any smears when the sun comes over them, which I detest! Windex got poured out and refilled with vinegar about a month ago. Works well on countertops as well. I have a bunch of blue ones from Sams Club and wanted to have dedicated ones for the kitchen, so I used red thread and put an inch or so line of zig zag stitching along one edge to identify them. 

I was going to start a thread on this topic. I need help with getting routines in place. I sort of followed flylady for a few years, but I NEVER could get stuff done as fast as she said I should. Is it OCD?!! For instance, my "morning routine" got out of hand fast: dress/hair;empty dishwasher;start laundry;meds and dog meds;feed chickens;check calendar;figure out dinner;make lunches;make breakfast;clean kitchen;make beds, swish and swipe baths. Well that takes a long time! Then I'm supposed to do daily work??? And Zone work??? PLEASE Tell me what works well for you!! I switched emptying the dishwasher to evenings before bed. I never did have a good evening routine in place and stay up way to late. Working on that. Also quit smoking so will have lots more time I think. Surprising how long it takes out of your day to smoke a cigarette...although I'm not there yet and am still sneaking them! :stars:


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## KyMama (Jun 15, 2011)

The one thing that has saved me time is to keep all my cleaning stuff together in a box. I make all of my cleaning sprays and just being able to find the stuff to whip up another batch has helped a lot. 

I can't help you on cleaning the fridge, but I don't file as much paper as I have in the past. I went to paperless billing and access everything online, most of my bills have it where you can download the statement as a pdf so I just save it in a folder in my documents. I have a bill schedule/budget in my planner too that I record all my confirmation numbers and check numbers on, but I've been thinking that I should use CutePDF to print the confirmation pages to a PDF that could be saved with the statements. Just in case they try to say I didn't pay it I would have the actual page as proof instead of just the number.

I wasn't able to follow FlyLady either, but that was mainly because of the shoe thing. But that's a different topic all together.  I've finally made my own schedule after trying so many different people's ideas. I don't always get everything done on my schedule, but at least I know it and can add it to tomorrow or Saturday. 

I have a 5.5" x 8.5" planner that I'm using so I made custom pages that have a weekly calendar and cleaning schedule on the same page. ( I'll post a pic so you can see what I mean.) At the top of the page is my daily upkeep, this is the bare minimum that I have to do. Next to each day of the week is a room for that day. This is what I call the weekly zone because things on it are only done once a week. And at the bottom you will see the monthly zones that I think are the same as FlyLady's. I just started using this at the beginning of the year, but so far it is helping me stay on task. (My new year's resolution was to get more organized around the house.)

I don't bother trying to schedule morning and evening because my day is just not that predictable. And quite honestly I don't want the pressure of having to get things done by a certain time. I'm sure that my monthly zones are not as long as Flylady's either, but in order to get them done in the scheduled week I try to do a couple of things a day. If all else fails I do them on Saturday, that's why I don't have anything on the calendar for that day. It's my catch-up day. There are plenty of times that I don't get everything done in the week, but I've learned not to stress over it. In the past if I couldn't get everything done then I would get discouraged and not do anything. I keep reminding myself that anything that isn't done today will still be on the list tomorrow, next week or next month. And then I start with that item to make sure it does get done the next time.

Hope that helps!


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## Leister Square (Feb 7, 2010)

Tat's awesome, Kymama. It's funny because taking out the trash is not a daily need at my house, yet other things you didn't mention are "must dos." Thanks for posting your schedule idea. I really like it. I just need to find one that works for me. Seems like I used to keep a cleaner house when all 4 were home and little. Do you suppose I'm imagining it? No--I know I'm not. We've moved to a bigger property-more dust to get kicked up, etc. Plus, 4 dogs whereas when the kids were little we had no animals. That must be it. Now the dogs are rolling in dead grass and coming to the door covered--I'm getting out the shop vac! What I want is one of those air chambers attached to a dog door which they must walk through to come in--it would suck all the dirt off of them!


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## KyMama (Jun 15, 2011)

Everyone has different cleaning tasks, it just took me awhile to figure that out and quit trying everyone else's schedules and make my own. I couldn't imagine a day without trash needing to go out from at least one room. LOL


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I downsized my refrigerator. This means there aren't surprises hiding in the back any more. When the frig looks a bit empty I just haul everything out, wash the racks and bin in the sink, then wash the inside box. The doors are a nightmare, but I haul it all out, soak the spills, clean it up. This is all much easier with a small frig. When I put stuff back it enables me to toss old leftovers and empty jars. I clean the freezer on a different day so I am not overwhelmed.

I hand wash dishes. After dishes, I wash the counters. If counter washing is light, I take the dish washing cloth and wipe down the bathroom. The toilet, I first do the tank, and then icky under the seat. The cloth goes into the towel bin. Even though the bathroom is not clean, the toilet is.


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## kaitala (Mar 24, 2011)

I'm a fluttering flybaby, too. I take what I like from her and use it to the best of my advantage, and leave the rest.

For anyone reading and not familiar with Flylady, her site is www.flylady.net

Some of the things that work for me:
The bathroom "Swish 'n' Swipe". I keep a toilet brush that came with a container. I put cleaning solution in the container, and brush the toilet (most days). I also keep clorox cleanup wipes (you could keep a bottle of spray and washcloths) under the bathroom sink. I wipe down the counters and toilet (most days). It seems so easy, and really only does take 5 minutes to have the bathroom at least quick cleaned.

Another tool I find amazing is the rubbermaid mop, forgot the name of it. It's like a swiffer but has a refillable bottle for cleaning fluid, and washable pads. Always ready, quick, no rinsing.

I took an old spray bottle, and fill it with diluted Clorox Cleanup. Keep that in the shower, and spray it down after I'm done. Keeps it cleaner and so much less "full on" scrubbing is required.

It does help to have the kitchen clean at the end ofthe day. I don't always "shine my sink" (kitchen is a nightmare now!) but I do feel better when I come into a clean kitchen in the morning.


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## notbutanapron (Jun 30, 2011)

If you want a book. *crouches down* Psst... this is one you must try:

The House That Cleans Itself - Mindy Clark

Trust me. Best secret ever. It's like Flylady on hard drugs with some Flylady thrown in. It uses logic to teach you how to make it so you have a house that barely needs cleaned to begin with. It mentions Flylady but Mindy thinks we all have our own 'kitchen sink'. Like mine is my closet. That 'thing' you must have clean. But also - tons of tips.

I read it about once every two years just to 'freshen' up my house but I find it's easier every time because my house is less messy and I SWEAR I spend two hours or so a day less cleaning my house. [Note: I have a commercial kitchen so, cleaning.]


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## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

The thing that has worked best for me is de-cluttering and staying that way. I try to have a place for everything. There are still some areas in the home lacking this, but it used to take me hours just to dust because of the moving stuff and trying to find someplace to put stuff. Now I don't have to do that and can dust the whole house in about 30 minutes without a swiffer, the old fashioned way. Since i didn't want to get rid of family heirlooms and collectibles, I packed them up in such a way that I can rotate them out with what I have in the house. So a couple times a year I unpack certain boxes, pack up what is on display and put the new stuff on display. I still get to enjoy my art and antiques but they don't control my life anymore. This was something that my great-grandmother did so I can't take credit for the idea. So far it is working well and has made life so much easier.


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## laurafergie (May 5, 2010)

The biggest tips I have all have to do with clutter. My German half comes out, and I am little OCD about it.

Everything has a place. Train your children, if you do it when they are little, it becomes second nature to them. 

If everything is in it's place, then your house is relatively presentable at all times. (Not counting dust, I hate to dust)

No junk drawers, see above.

Keep knick knacks to a minimum, or corral them in one area or shelf. It takes forever to dust the coffee table if there are things all over it. Did I mention, I hate to dust.

Nothing on the floor that does not belong. How can you sweep the floor if you have to pick up twenty things first? You just sweep around them...but then when the items are finally put away, there are big dust bunnies and who knows what else on the floor. That contributes to dust...I've established what I think about dusting.

But my number one tip of all time. Buy the "Awesome" cleaner with BLEACH at the Dollar Tree. Spray your shower down once a day, and spray the interior of your toilet once a day. You will never have to scrub either again!!!! (You do have to wipe the sink, vanity and outside of toilet) I moved in this house in 2007, and have never scrubbed the toilets or showers, EVER.


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## Lazydaisy67 (Jan 28, 2008)

I couldn't follow Flylady either. I pretty much only dream of a house as clean as hers. Mine is sanitary, but certainly not decluttered. I have two "purges" per year when I go crazy and get rid of all kinds of stuff. It's at daylight savings times (today). It seems like that keeps volume under control for the most part.


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## FarmChix (Mar 3, 2013)

I just tried this today, so I will share. I have a quilt top that became a UFO because of a stain. I was told to try this formula for home-made stain remover: 1 part blue Dawn dish soap to 2 parts Hydrogen Peroxide. The stain came out! It was a miracle. (If you are familiar with quilting, it was one of the blue marker stains that NEVER come out!) I'm so thrilled. I can go quilt it now.....yippy skippy!


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## mkakids (Apr 11, 2013)

I agree with the clutter....I try to keep just enough in our home to have what we need. No more. We have 3 adults and 3 young kids living in 900sqft. The 3 girls (5, 3 2yrs) share a 10x10 room. We have to be minimal to fit! 

I can clean my entire house from top to bottom, including washing walls, in 60 minutes.


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## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

We're in a tiny house (I'm talking 600 sq. ft) with three kids, too, mkakids. It has helped us think about what we really NEED, rather than what we think we do.

All of our kids 'stuff' resides in our bedroom. Their clothes, toys, and extra blankets are stored out of their 'play zone' so that they don't drag it all out. They get to come in, take one toy out of their designated tote, then exchange it for a different one when they want a new one out. It keeps their room, which had previously been the biggest problem in our house (I will NOT clean it for them), reasonable.

Vinegar and water is my go-to cleaner. I fill up one side of the sink, grab a rag, and scrub down whatever needs scrubbing throughout the entire house. Floors, walls, countertops, bathroom, microwave, windows can all get done from that one sinkful of solution. It also inspires me to just suck it up and do all of it since the solution is already in the sink.

I clean houses to make a little extra money for savings, and if I could get four hours alone in my house like I do my clients, my home would always be as sparkly as theirs are when I leave.


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

We have always lived in little apartments and houses and this was a great learning experience. The absolutely most important thing about house cleaning is organization. Everything in the house should have a place and be returned to that place. I can tidy any room in two minutes. I always start my cleaning by tidying everything away and then it is a snap to dust, vaccuum and wash. Laundry gets done and put away right away. Same with dishes.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I have to agree with the laundry thing. If you don't have time to fold it, hang it, etc., wait until you do. I pull out the wet clothes and put many of them on hangers right off. I handle that article _once._ Since I don't have a dryer, I've figured out proper ways to hang things. I fold as I take off the line. When I had a dryer, I folded and sorted as I took each item from the dryer.

Most ten year olds can do one load of laundry a week. This prepares them for living away from home and makes them feel grown up. At ten, they don't care if their clothes are wrinkled, and when they do care, they should be old enough to either get their stuff out of the dryer as soon as it's done, or learn to use an iron. I still did the towels and linens when I had the kids do their laundry. I did move their clothes from the washer to the dryer, where as they moved other people's laundry from the washer to a pile on top of the dryer. They do become more conscientious as they get older.


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## BKB HOMESTEAD (Mar 25, 2013)

I use the vinegar trick in the micro once a week, then take the hot vinegar and add dawn dish soap for cleaning the shower/tub and sink. I swear they stay clean longer. I use either vinegar or baking soda to clean almost everything. I make my own laundry soap, and also use vinegar and baking soda for the softener. I have a dryer, but don't use it-to dry clothes with anyway. I store my laundry soap and vinegar in the dryer! I hang all my clothes to dry, either on a drying rack or on the line outside if it's nice out.


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