06 May Housekeeping Tips
The housekeeping blues, we all get them or at least I think we do. I don’t know about you, but a clean and organized home puts me in a much better mood and reduces my anxiety.
As a mom and small business owner for the past 15 years trying to manage a family, work and my own housekeeping can be overwhelming some days and let’s not get started on the laundry that doesn’t end. Some days I feel like I should just sit at the washer because as soon as I turn my back it starts all over again. Why do kids think that wearing a hoodie once means it goes into the laundry and why is it that they can’t use a towel twice?
Being a working mom means some nights I don’t get home until late and for years I would literally walk in, drop my bag and start cleaning and that is no exaggeration. I just couldn’t let it go, but I have learned in the last year or so that I can’t do it all and for my sanity and my family’s sanity something must give.
I love a clean house and housekeeping is important to me, but I have learned to give myself a break and not be so hard on myself and we all need to do learn that. We don’t have to be supermom and asking for help or hiring someone to give us a hand is perfectly acceptable, and I must admit that McKayla comes to my home at least once a every second month and we do a full clean. It gets my housework done in half the time and I deserve it. So do you!
If I can’t get all of my housekeeping done during the week because it’s just too busy, then I stay on top of the kitchen, bathrooms, and floors. I focus on the visual and on the weekend do a top to bottom. I remember the kids show “The Big Comfy Couch” and instead of the 10 second tidy I do 15-30 minutes and if possible involve the kids. I know, easier said then done. Right?
Kitchen Cleaning
When cooking I clean as I go and that means wiping counters, loading, or unloading the dishwasher, cleaning splatters and trying to prevent them in the first place with a lid or splatter screen. I don’t let dishes sit overnight or leave the mess for later because later might not come and it’s double the mess the next day and that’s not fun.
Have you ever opened the microwave only to find an explosion of mess? I have and so I heat a bowl of water in the microwave and use oven mitts to remove and then it’s an easy wipe out because the steam will have worked its magic. I prefer to use microfiber cloths when cleaning and always dry after wiping something. I like the final finish it gives and removes anything that shouldn’t be there.
In regard to the fridge, my motto is I clean as I pull something out – like the ring from the bottom of a milk jug, or the syrup bottle or soya sauce or whatever it might be. If I see something spilled, I clean that right away and the best time to give a quick wipe out would be right before grocery shopping because I can see what I have and don’t end up coming home with something I don’t need. This method means I never have to do a large clean on my fridge and I would much rather do a wipe and clean then take all the shelving out. Saves me a lot of time and my fridge is always presentable.
Stove
I have seen so many stoves over the years and a lot of buildup in the drip pans or on glass cook tops. I get that it’s not always easy to just wipe out spills especially when we are juggling kids and a long day at work. We are tired I get it, but it saves a lot of time scrubbing if you can give it a quick go.
If you have an electric range with drip pans, then soak them weekly in the sink with some dawn dish soap and it should just wipe off with a light scrub. For bad spills we use oven cleaner or sos pads to remove the buildup especially at month end when we have multiple move out cleans. Saves time and whole lot of scrubbing.
My stove top is ceramic glass (flat cook top) and religiously wipe my stove top when it’s cooled because I have seen the cook top horrors. I like to use barkeepers’ friend cooktop cleaner for anything stubborn that my teens didn’t clean when I was at work and Weiman cook top daily cleaner for when I’m home and done cooking. If I really need to – I wet my cook top and use a fresh blade to scrape anything that might not want to come off. Make sure to angle your blade.
Bathroom
I check the main bathroom regularly and to me a clean toilet and sink and counter are the most important. God forbid someone need to use ours and it is not clean. When is someone really going to knock at your door to use your restroom especially during a pandemic and would you really let them anyways? No – but a unclean bathroom is something I can’t compromise on, so I ensure they get a wipe down or clean as soon as I see it needs anything that needs a sprucing up and the shower and tub get a full clean weekly because I just don’t have time for more.
This really cuts down on my time when I do a more of a thorough cleaning because I don’t have the layers of toothpaste in the sink or splatter on the mirrors or build up on the counters and because the toilet gets a regular swish with Lysol toilet bowl cleaner at least once or twice a week before my weekly clean.
Do what you can even if it’s just a few minutes and tackle the visual because it will save you a lot of time at the end of the week if that’s when you do your housekeeping. For my bathroom cleaning other than the Lysol for toilet bowl cleaner I prefer to use Myers or Sal’s Suds by Dr. Bronner’s. I prefer not to use chemicals when doing housekeeping for the obvious reasons and because we do a lot of move out cleaning and exposed to harsher cleaning products to sometimes to ensure removal of buildup and the goal of passing our clients move out inspection.
Floors
I used to vacuum daily and sometimes twice, and my husband would threaten to cut the cord, so I have learned to let go and vacuum as needed instead of vacuuming imaginary dirt as my youngest teen says. For mopping at home or work I love our microfiber mop by Rubbermaid. I can use any cleaner I prefer, and the mop pad is washable making it much more sanitary that the old school yacht mops.
Housekeeping
Don’t have a lot of time? That’s ok! Set a time for yourself like 30 minutes and do anything you can that will have the greatest impact or do one level at a time and alternate. Start upstairs and work one room top to bottom and then move to the next. Sometimes I’m just too tired when I come home and will alternate levels. Today I am home early and so my housekeeping on the main level will get done while I listen to the news. Saturday I will do the upstairs. Do what you can!
Need help? No problem! Calling in a cleaning service like Top Hat Cleaning will free up your time and give you that much needed break. There are no contracts to sign, and you can use us weekly-biweekly or once a month or occasionally for that catch up clean or Spring or Fall Cleaning.
Over the years I have had calls from moms living elsewhere needing help with their young adult’s apartment, clients that have experienced depression and needed help getting their home livable again, hoarding situations, clients returning from a hospital stay, clients that work too much and don’t have the time, cancer patients (we donate our time at no charge) and clients that need housecleaning just because their time is precious.
Whatever your reason is, know that we are here to help and care about our clients.
I enjoy doing what I do and take great satisfaction in helping clients achieve their housekeeping goals!
Conclusion
Are you looking for housekeeping services in Vancouver? Top Hat Cleaning Services specializes in move out cleaning services, open house cleaning, and more. We have affordable rates and a no-hassle guarantee. Our deep cleaning methods are optimized to take the least amount of time. Book a service today! Call 604-710-4488