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Picture this: It has been a long day and you are heading home. As you get closer and closer you start to feel excited to finally be in the place that you want to be. You pull in the garage and open the door and there it is: Your house clean and calm, just the way you like it.
You might be saying to yourself “Yeah, that’s just a dream. When I walk in I am greeted by smells, clutter on the counters, dishes in the sink, and dirt on the floors.”
Well, as someone who is a homebody, I can tell you that there is nothing like walking into my house at the end of a long day and it being clean. Although it doesn’t always happen, I can say that over the years I have found some helpful ways to make it more the norm to walk into a clean house.
Even better than having a clean home is that it doesn’t take a ton of time to make it that way. The home cleaning essentials I found and use each day do the job effectively. Which in turn, leaves me more time to do what I want!
And who doesn’t want more time to do what you want??
Maybe you found your way here because you want to be able to it to walk in the door of your home and smile and feel glad to be there. Maybe you’re tired of spending hours cleaning and you want some practical help to stay ahead of the ever growing beast that can be house work.
If so, I want to share some helpful practices that I believe will make your dream of having a clean home become a reality. You will love your home more than you currently do and find joy in being there.
Making a schedule and sticking to it
Honestly, this was one of the hardest things for me to do at first because life happens and we get busy. What ends up suffering is our routine and then comes the snowball effect where we feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and even anxious.
For me, once I divided up the tasks around the house so that it wasn’t all in one day I felt the pressure fade. Here is why – When I tried to get it all done on the same day it meant that all week there was clutter, dirt, and dog hair gathering, so that when it came time to clean it would take hours!
What I figured out is if I get into a habit of doing specific cleaning tasks on certain days, it was much more manageable and it made keeping the house clean a whole lot easier.
Here is what I do:
By no means does your schedule have to look like mine. You are welcome to give it a try and see if you like it, or come up with your own schedule that fits your household and family.
The point is: get out of the habit of doing it all in one day and spread it out through the week. I think you will be amazed by how much you’ll enjoy the benefits of a schedule.
*** Side-note – Don’t feel like you have to do it all on your own! Get the family involved. Delegate certain tasks. Even if it is just a few things, figure out what your kids or spouse can help with and get them on board with the routine.
Home Cleaning essentials
As with any part of your home, having the right tools makes all the difference and cleaning is no exception.
When I bought my first home years ago I began to research and look for cleaning products and tools that would do the job the best way, for the best price, without all the junk.
It was really important to me to use products that were not full of chemicals, fragrances or toxins because what I found out was the cleaning industry is actually one of the least regulated in terms of safety. I know, go figure…
As I researched, I would pay careful attention to what ingredients were in cleaners. If I saw things I didn’t recognize, I looked them up. What I found is that a lot of the common “trusted cleaning essentials” that I had used for most of my life were actually doing more harm than good.
So, I said goodbye to a lot of the conventional cleaners and ways of cleaning and started fresh. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made because not only is my home cleaner, but I have had a huge decline in headaches and sinus issue. On top to that, I have peace of mind because I know what I am using works and is safe.
My Home cleaning essentials list
Force of nature cleaner (The all in one)
- This cleaner kills 99% of Viruses, germs, and bacteria: Force of nature uses electricity to convert tap water plus a capsule of salt, water & vinegar into an organic multi-purpose cleaner, deodorizer, and federal EPA registered disinfectant & sanitizer.
- It also replaces multiple cleaners: I use it in the kitchen, bathroom, on glass, rugs, as a disinfectant, sanitizer and deodorizer.
Learn more about Force of Nature
Tineco Wet-Dry Steam vacuum
- Cleans and steams in one step – This steam cleaner automatically adjusts suction power, brush roller speed, and water flow for efficient cleaning.
- Tackles Tough Messes – The high temperature steam melts away stuck-on grease and stains.
- Continuous clean water – The dual-tank system keeps clean and dirty water separate for continuous cleaning with fresh water. No more pushing around dirty water like with a traditional mop.
- Self cleans after you are done – High temperature steam cleans the brush head after use.
Learn more about Tineco
E-Cloth
- The E-Cloth Deep Clean Mop is great to spot clean and also for tough stuck on messes. It also eliminates 99% of bacteria from all types of hard flooring, including wood, tile, and laminate – with just the cleaning power of water.
- The E-Cloth Non-Scratch Scrubbing Pads take the hard work and the scratch out of scrubbing. They remove cooked-on food, grease, and over 99% of bacteria from cookware, cooktops, and counters without damaging finicky surfaces
**E-Cloth works with just water, but because Force of Nature is 100% Natural, I use it with my E-Cloth products as well.
Learn more about E-Cloth
Tinco Cordless Vacuum
- I love that this is a cordless vacuum that has a decent run time. Not only that, but it also does a great job with pet hair and the day to day junk that just appears on the floor.
- What makes this one of my cleaning essentials is that it comes with several different attachments that each make clean certain areas of the house so much easier.
Learn more about Tineco Pure ONE S11
4 Tips to keep your home clean all week
1. Lock in your cleaning schedule
I’ll admit this can be a challenge, but the reward is worth it! A routine becomes a habit and a habit leads to a good practice. Each day do something. Mark it off your list and enjoy your accomplishment. If you miss a day, it’s okay. That is the beauty of spreading it out, you can adapt and modify your schedule.
I came across something really interesting while researching this topic. There are several studies that show how doing certain tasks around the house are super beneficial for your mental and physical health and even have a lasting effect on your overall happiness.
I know you can do it! Lock it in and stick with it!
2. Deep clean once a week
Pick a day and go the extra mile. It won’t be as hard because you have kept up with it during the week, but there are just some places that need extra attention. Sinks and showers can get gross and need to be scrubbed a little more. The goal of spreading it out6 is maintaining the clean.
It goes a lot further if you deep clean once a week, or at least once a month!
3. Stop the source
The number one source of dirt being tracked into your home is shoes… Stop and think about all the places that you walk in your shoes and what they pick up. According to a recent study done by Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona, at 6any given time there are as many as 421,000 units of bacteria on the sole of our shoes.
That means each time we walk in the house our floors are subjected to a host of gross organisms, which is enough to make even a non-germaphobe concerned. With that in mind, what I do is slip my shoes off in the garage and I have a pair of Crocs that I wear inside. I can say that since doing that, it has cut down the amount of dirt on the floors in a big way.
4. Clean as you go
This one is huge especially when cooking! If you take the time as you cook to do the dishes and clean off the counters it make life so much easier. I do not like having a mess waiting after dinner because usually that time is my time to relax, so I have gotten in the habit of cleaning as I go.
It works with other things besides cooking as well. One thing that has become a bad habit in my house is using the kitchen table as a catch all. Well, if each time I walk in the kitchen I see something that doesn’t belong on the table or the counter I pick it up and put it up. That way there is not a pile of clutter that keeps growing.
For your Consideration
Ultimately cleaning your home comes down to what works for you. I know what a clean home means to me and how it makes the chaos of life a little more bearable. My hope is that you are able to enjoy and love your home a little more by some of the things I shared today.
I really believe that by implementing a schedule and using the right tools it will in turn become easier to keep your home just the way you like it!