Clever Ways to Streamline Cleaning

Streamlining is the process of making things more efficient and effective by employing faster or simpler work methods. This is not only useful in business, but streamlining can be done around the house – particularly when it comes to cleaning!

Incorporating streamlining in cleaning routines

If you’re anything like me, you enjoy a clean home but dislike the time-consuming process it takes to get there. But, with a few swift tips from the pros, cleaning can become easier and faster, enabling you to discover more time to do what you love, such as watching a favorite television series or curling up with a good book!  Here are some clever ways to streamline cleaning:

• Create a sensible plan. Keeping a checklist of chores is helpful for recognizing and dividing tasks and for creating a room-by-room plan to competently get jobs done. Plans should also be established within rooms, such as cleaning from top to bottom. Having plans helps to avoid issues like trekking dirt through areas you just cleaned, getting in each other’s way, performing duties out of sequence such as mopping ahead of vacuuming, and wasting time cleaning things that can wait for another day.
• Declutter first. Before you begin cleaning, decluttering can get you off to a great start. This entails going room by room to remove and/or relocate unwanted or unessential items that are in the way. It’s so much easier and faster to dust open spaces rather than clean around delicate items or bric-a-brac. Thus, decluttering ahead of cleaning is a valuable timesaver.
• Have helpers. In homes with multiple household members, the job of cleaning should not fall upon one person’s shoulders. Everyone needs to pitch in. Make a list of all the jobs that need to be done. Then, have a family meeting and allow people to pick several jobs from the list. Note that even kids can get involved in cleaning by handling age-appropriate jobs. Play upbeat music to create motivation or set a timer to turn cleaning into a beat the clock challenge.
• Take shortcuts. Think of all the brilliant things you can do to save time cleaning. This includes shortcuts like misting the shower with a daily shower spray designed to prevent soap scum buildup, using streak-free microfiber cloths to clean glass easily, steaming the microwave to loosen stuck-on gunk in the microwave, and using crockpot liners for easy cleanup from sticky meals.
• Research and do it right! Use the safest and most effective products. A friend grew tired of smudges on his computer screen. He hastily doused his device with window cleaner. However, the liquid saturated and ultimately compromised his device. With expensive electronic devices and household appliances, skip shortcuts. Always follow manufacturer directions for cleaning and stick to recommended products.
• Clean small messes immediately. Wiping up spilled milk and picking up cookie crumbs as soon as possible can help keep a home fresh and attractive. Quite simply, little messes left unattended can snowball into big projects. For instance, milk can dry and harden on the counter and cookie crumbs can get dragged into another room thereby spreading the mess. So, when these little things occur, it’s best to be right on top of them. Have ready-to-use rags available for cleaning spills, and a mini vac handy for quick vacuum jobs.

Reap the benefits today! 

Streamlining is not a term solely associated with business. With a little ingenuity, there are many great ways to streamline the cleaning process – increasing both efficiency and effectiveness in and around the house. Start the streamlining process today to appreciate more fun time for yourself!