(The following is a guest post from Adrienne Carlson; who regularly writes on the topic of criminal justice. See Adrienne’s related article on DIY ways to protect your home.)
Your home is probably the greatest asset you own, and when you let it run to ruin you are wasting your money in the worst way possible. A home that is clean and well maintained is worth more than one that is dirty and run down, even if the latter is bigger than the former. And when it is the place where you live on a regular basis with your family, your motto should be the clichéd proverb, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”
There are cheap and easy ways to clean your home, even if you’ve neglected cleanliness for some time now:
Be organized: Have a plan to clean your home. Don’t try to do it all in one day, because it is going to take forever. Start with one room at a time, and when you’re done, move on to the next one. Keep the bathrooms and kitchen for last, as they have the most stains and dirt.
Remove clutter: A place for everything and everything in its place is a wonderful and easy way to keep your home clean. If you avoid throwing things around the house, you don’t have to spend time picking them up later.
Don’t neglect the outside: Ensure that you keep your lawn and driveway neat and tidy at all times. The outside is what most people see, so make sure your paint is fresh and that your windows are washed and sparkling.
Rope the entire family in: If you make cleaning a family affair, it’s easier on all of you. It’s not an easy job to keep cleaning up after messy children and spouses, so enforce cleanliness as a rule in your family from the time your kids are very young. Hold them responsible for keeping their rooms clean and reward them for neat and tidy rooms.
Quick Tips:
– Use toothpaste to get your taps and other chrome fixtures shining.
– Use newspaper when cleaning mirrors, windows and other glass surfaces. It does not leave behind ugly streaks like cloth does.
– Do your laundry once or twice a week, but allocate storage space and enough baskets for your family’s dirty clothes. Train your kids and spouse to separate laundry before they put them in the baskets.
– Make your bed as soon as you get up. It’s a routine that saves a lot of time.
– Empty your garbage regularly; and invest in a garbage can with a closed lid so that the odor does not permeate your entire house.
– Keep your windows open to let in fresh air and remove the smell of staleness that hangs around closed homes.
– Never keep your dirty dishes for later. A sink full of stinky dishes can cause slime to build up and also create an unpleasant odor in your kitchen.
– Keep an eye out for cobwebs and dust bunnies – they can crop up at any time, so get rid of them instantly.
Cleaning your home should be an everyday process, not one that you adopt once a year or when the mood strikes. When you do a little each day, the entire process is more manageable and seems like less of a chore. So get into the habit of cleaning everyday as part of your routine, and you can save yourself a huge amount of time, effort and money in the process.
For more in depth tips on cleaning your home see the following Scordo.com articles:
– Kitchen
(The following is a guest post from Adrienne Carlson; who regularly writes on the topic of criminal justice. See Adrienne’s related article on DIY ways to protect your home.)
I enjoyed reading this article. Particularly the part about getting the whole family involved. I have sons and a husband and I feel it is their right to be actively involved in the care and upkeep of our home.
Wow ! Thanks a lot for some great tips on cleaning It really is quick cleaning in 30 minutes.
Hey, what an awesome space makeover. you guys have real talent. All the kids from neighbourhood must be barging in to hanging out in the backyard. Great work. My only concern is the Air duct cleaning . please make necessary arrangements.