“Keep you home looking clean with these simple steps.iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Keeping every corner of your home clean can be a struggle, but if you keep just a few areas tidy most of the time, it will make your whole home shine. You’ll never be caught off guard by drop-in guests, neighbors or family with these super-simple tricks that will make your home the envy of the block.
Contents
- Kitchen, Dining Room and Coffee Tables
- Countertops and sinks
- Toilets
- Stovetop
- Kitchen Sink
Kitchen, Dining Room and Coffee Tables
Clutter (and of course, dust) can pile up so easily on the tables where we plan to socialize with friends and family. Schoolwork, craft projects, magazines or just catalogs and bills, the next thing you know, there are towers of paper everywhere. If you have a home office or desk, designate baskets or boxes and file the important papers first thing when they come in the door. Catalogs and papers you won’t ever use or need – if you haven’t ordered from them in a year – should get filed in the recycling bin.
Countertops and sinks
Kitchen and bathroom counters can be the dirtiest looking places in your home – jam smears, toothpaste smudges and who knows what else – but they are also the easiest to clean. Always keep a rag under the counter and a spray cleaner (or a spray bottle filled with white vinegar, which works well, too). Spray, wipe down with a wet rag, and scrub those sticky spots out.
Toilets
Sorry to go there, but even if your house is immaculate, a dirty bowl tells tales. It’s all about keeping tools handy and staying on schedule. Once a week, right before you jump in the shower, spray cleanser into the bowl and give it a scrub. Let it sit while you take a shower and flush everything down afterwards. The toilet is clean and so are you!
Stovetop
Grease splatters, sauce spills and more can add up fast and make your whole kitchen look grimy. And if you let those spills sit, they will cook on to the surface and be even harder to take care of. When you’re done cooking for the day, wipe everything down with a wet sponge or rag. The key is to wipe it up before it dries and hardens. You don’t want to be chipping off old food a week later.
Kitchen Sink
The so-called dirtiest place in the house can easily accumulate grime when you let dirty dishes, pots and pans pile up. Left over scraps of food can start to smell fast. Just like the stovetop, the key here is to clean everything while it’s still fresh. Scrubbing three day old tomato sauce is a chore no one wants to tackle, so rinse it off and put it in the dishwasher or scrub by hand as soon as dinner is done.
Lots More Information
More Great Links
- Guidelines for Cleaning Your Bathroom
- Uses for Baking Soda: Cleaning Your House
- How to Caulk Bathroom Fixtures
