Despite the days of quarantine and mandatory face coverings seemingly behind us now, studies have shown that Americans are spending more time than ever cleaning their homes; perhaps still trying to eliminate all traces of bacteria and germs, to keep the inhabitants of their homes safe and protected. And while worries about the dangers of viruses and how easily they can spread may still be very present in our minds, cleanliness overall has become a priority for more of us.
Is it possible, however, that many of us are spending too long cleaning our homes?
A clean home is one thing, but hours of free time spent scrubbing, sanitizing and vacuuming leaves precious little time for other, equally important things, hence the need for balance becomes increasingly urgent.
If you’re feeling swamped by a cleaning regime that takes up all of your free time, here’s how to keep a clean home with less of the hassle, and perhaps more importantly, less time.
Keeping a clean kitchen
Kitchens can be breeding grounds for germs, but with surfaces kept sanitized and a sink that’s wiped down and cleared of dirty dishes every day, appliances that are deep cleaned every fortnight (or weekly depending on how grubby they are), and a floor that’s vacuumed and mopped twice a week, you should be able to keep it clean and healthy, without too much time and effort.
Keeping a clean bathroom
Sinks, showers, tubs and toilets can be cleaned quickly once a day with a solution of water and vinegar, which will prevent hard water stains from accumulating and make deep, monthly cleaning much quicker. The more often you do this, the quicker it will become, and if you don’t have time to do it once day, you can easily skip it for a day or two. In fact, with regular cleaning, you may even be able to skip deep cleaning, and with towels and bath mats that are washed, dried and changed weekly, the entire space should be looking and smelling hygienically clean in next to no time.
Keeping clean living spaces
Whether you have one large family living space, or a couple of smaller rooms, vacuuming, dusting and tidying up these spaces can soon become quick and easy if you do it on a regular basis. Having said that, doing it daily might be a bit like overkill, so judge it on how grubby and untidy it looks, and base your cleaning routine around that.
Keeping clean bedrooms
Weekly cleaning is usually enough to keep a bedroom looking clean and tidy, and if you make the bed every day and pick clothes up off of the floor, it should be even easier to keep it looking and feeling healthy and livable. Do change your bedsheets weekly if possible, though, and every couple of months, deep clean the mattress by vacuuming and spraying it with an anti-bacterial solution to kill off any microscopic bugs that might have set up home there.
Ultimately, how often you need to clean your home will depend on who you share the spaces with (we all know that pets and kids sometimes make more mess), but by doing a little bit in as many spaces within your home as possible on a daily basis, you shouldn’t feel obliged to spend your entire weekend cleaning, or be forced to give up any aspect of your daily life because your home has simply become too grubby. And, if it all gets too much at any time, simply call in the professionals and have your home cleaned by a crew who will get the place shipshape and sanitary in next to no time.