Wondering how to keep your home clean? Need some tips to get your home clean and tidy fast?
Read our ultimate guide to how to keep your kitchen and bathroom clean so you are always company ready.
Keeping your home clean can seem completely overwhelming, particularly when you are already trying to juggle childcare, a job and everything else.
But realistically, most areas of your home don't get too dirty. Keep things tidy, change your bedding once a week, vaccuum a couple of times and dust once a month or so and most rooms can be kept reasonably 'company ready'.
Except, that is, for your kitchen and bathroom. They definitely need to be done more often and ideally cleaned every day.
Here's how to make that daily clean happen so you are always 'company ready'.
How to Keep Your Kitchen Spotless
The kitchen is the hub of the home for most of us, which is why it can seem like it constantly needs our attention to keep it clean and tidy.
With food around for those 257 snacks kids need every day, piles of post, lists and paperwork, plus a stove top and surfaces to keep clean, it can seem like an overwhelming task just to make sure the kitchen remains hygienic, never mind the rest of your home.
This is why we thought it would be a good idea to share with you some of the top tips you can use to keep your kitchen looking spotless.
1. Avoid Pesky Bug Issues
The kitchen is supposed to be a hygienic place to be as this is where you will prepare and cook food, but some food requires to be stored not in a fridge or freezer, such as fresh fruit and vegetables.
However, when these begin to spoil, they may begin to attract fruit flies.
These sorts of bugs are drawn to warm, moist, and damp environments, a bit like how a kitchen area can be at times, especially with spoiled foods.
However, there are plenty of things you can do within your home to avoid getting a problem:
- Buy just enough at a time.
- Wash produce when you get home to remove eggs and larvae.
- Store fruit and vegetables in the fridge if you can.
- Compost ripe fruit and leftovers immediately, or throw away.
- Clean surfaces and fruit bowls regularly.
- Clean up any spills immediately.
- Take out rubbish every day and clean bins.
- Rinse and remove your recycling at least once a day.
- Keep lavender, rosemary, basil or mint nearby as fruit flies hate the smell.
- Clean cupboard interiors regularly.
Larder beetles and other tiny critters will also be kept at bay with these simple tips.
2. Have a Cleaning Schedule
Cleaning can easily feel like an overwhelming task, especially a room like the kitchen which necessitates different chores to be done to make sure the room is clean and tidy.
Having a cleaning schedule to follow can make this easier, and ensures that everything gets done regularly.
There will be daily jobs such as cleaning down the sink and work surfaces, but then other jobs like cleaning the floors may only need to be done every few days.
A cleaning schedule is a great way to keep yourself accountable for some of the chores we can often forget to do but go a long way to keeping the kitchen area clean and hygienic.
Grab our readymade cleaning schedule here:
3. Get Into the Habit of Cleaning Up After Mealtimes
Once you have had your dinner and settled into the evening, it can be hard to motivate yourself to clean up again when really all you may want to do is head to bed.
However, getting into the habit of loading up the dishwasher in the evening, or cleaning down the work surfaces not only means you wake up to a tidy kitchen but avoids any bacteria or germs developing overnight.
Rope in the help of your partner and family if it makes the job quicker. try to clear up after every meal and snack prep and eating to always keep the kitchen clean and tidy.
How to Keep Your Bathroom Spotless
Of course, life is too short to spend a ton of your time cleaning the bathroom, but equally nobody wants to live with a filthy bathroom.
Fortunately, there are ways to get through this chore quickly but still do a great job.
Here's how to keep your bathroom spotless and clean every day.
1. Declutter
Start by removing anything that doesn’t belong.
For some reason, bathrooms seem to collect everything from shoes to children’s toys.
A general hosuse declutter will always make things tidier and make itt easier to keep clean.
Not sure where to start? Grab our 30 bags decluttering guide here:
Next, remove everything from the bathroom counters and store it under the sink or some other out of the way place. If necessary, install some bathroom furniture such as a cupboard or shelves.
Finally, pick up all towels and washcloths and put them in the laundry hamper.
2. Spray Clean
Once this is done, use a multi-purpose bathroom spray on the tub, shower, sink/wash basin and countertops.
Spray then wait a few minutes for the solution to work, then start scrubbing the tub and shower with a damp rag or washcloth.
Focus on removing any dirt, do not worry about hard water deposits.
Once you are done, use a fresh cloth to wipe down the countertops.
3. Clean the Toilet
Next, squirt loo cleaner around the toilet bowl. Use a toilet brush to clean the toilet, but do not flush it.
Next, squirt loo cleaner around the toilet bowl. Use a toilet brush to clean the toilet, but do not flush it.
Then, use the all-purpose spray to clean the seat and outside of the bowl and tank. Once you’re finished, do not flush the toilet.
Letting the cleaner sit in the bowl for as long as possible will allow it to kill germs and get rid of stains.
Use regular toilet cleaner every day, but once a week bail out the water and put undiluted white vinegar into the bowl.
Leave overnight for a sparkling and limescale free toilet bowl.
4. Shine the Mirrors
After cleaning the toilet, it’s time to clean the mirrors and windows.
Use a spray formulated for mirrors, windows, or glass as other cleaners can leave streaks on bathroom mirrors.
Wipe the spray off of the glass surfaces with old newspaper or paper towels rather than a cloth that is likely to cause streaks.
As your last step, clean the floor. Mopping a floor can take a lot of time, so do a quick job by spraying your multi-purpose solution onto the floor and wiping it over.
For small bathrooms, wipe the floor with a cloth or rag. In larger bathrooms, you may want to get out the mop.
Finally, you might like to add a beautifully scented reed diffuser or light a scented candle to mask the scent of any cleaners or vinegar, especially if you're expecting company.
Put out fresh towels and a new soap or give your handwash bottle a wipe over and you're done.
It may not seem like much, but a fresh and clean kitchen and bathroom will make your whole house seem bright and shiny and smell nice.
More cleaning tips:
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