10 CLEANING RULES

10 Cleaning Rules

1.Be realistic.
You’re not aiming for operating theatre hygiene or to create a show house – just a home that’s clean, tidy, works and you and makes you feel proud.

2.Tackle cleaning in bite-sized pieces.
Attacking all of your household cleaning like a domestic whirlwind at the weekend is not a good idea – you’ll be wiped out! If you go to work schedule small tasks for the evenings and tackle larger ones in the morning or at the weekend.

3.Make chores easier.
For example, put an extension lead on your vacuum cleaner so you won’t have to keep plugging and unplugging it, and carry your cleaning materials with you to avoid frequent trips to the utility cupboard.

4.Work out your own plan of action.
A daily timetable may work for you – allocating a different day of the week to clean each room. I tend to be a ‘lists’ person – making a list of jobs that need to be done that week and working my way through them.

5.Delegate.
Encourage everyone in the family to tidy up their own things as they go. And get the kids to clean too... give them clean white socks to put over their hands and tell them to see how dirty they can make them!

6.Create the perfect utility cupboard.
Make your utility cupboard a vision of organised bliss, where cleaning products are easily identifiable and accessible.

7.Listen to Grandma.
Many of Grandma’s traditional cleaning methods work just as well as pricey chemical products. See my Top Tips for some environmentally friendly solutions.

8.Do things in ‘bulk’.
Certain chores, like washing clothes and ironing are best done in bulk. Don’t keep lugging out the ironing board to iron just one or two items and don’t put a wash on for just a handful of grubby socks!

9.First impressions count.
Keep your front door clean as well as the front step and porch. A dirty front door doesn’t say much about what’s on the other side.

10.Protect Yourself
Always wear an apron, preferably with a pocket! In mine I keep my mobile phone, Post It Notes and a pen. Always wear gloves too to protect your hands and nails.