Unconventional Shortcuts For Cleaning The House

Shortcuts for cleaning the house. Some of them are hardly conventional, but sometimes you just have to get creative, especially when you’re in a hurry.

Fast Window Cleaning
Got a big window that needs to be cleaned super quick? Try only pulling the blinds up halfway, and only cleaning the bottom half of the window. Vinegar and newspaper work well in a pinch.

Carpet Sweeping

It helps to have a carpet sweeper or a cordless hand vacuum handy. This way you don’t need to drag the big vacuum out every time your floor needs a quick clean-up.

Pet Hair

Pet hair can be hard to control, especially on furniture. Here are a couple of ideas for fast clean up:

Ball up an old pair of pantyhose and rub them all over your furniture - they’re really great at picking up pet hair.

Buy a cheap lint roller (the kind with sticky tape) and roll it over the furniture.

Do the Towel Shuffle

Who would have thought a house-cleaning tip would mean doing a dance? If your floor needs a good mopping but you don’t have time, simply wet two towels, put one under each foot, and shuffle them across the room. You’ll find this quite effective as well as fun.

Cleaner Alternatives

Out of cleaners? Here are some things that you can use to clean instead of store bought cleaners:

Vinegar
Baking soda
Lemon juice

Laundry Baskets

Laundry baskets aren’t just for laundry anymore. You can get them at almost any dollar store, and they can really speed up housework. Here are some ideas:

When cleaning a room, put all the things that don’t belong in that room in a basket. Then put the baskets in the rooms that they go in.

Use a basket to carry dishes from the dining area to the sink.

Use baskets to separate magazines.

Give each household member a basket. When cleaning, line up the basket in the room you’re cleaning and put belongings in corresponding baskets. Have each family member put away the things in their basket.

Decorative Baskets

Decorative baskets are a great way to hide clutter. Take a trip to your local dollar store and invest in some fancy baskets of all sizes. Use them to organize. Here are some things you can use them for:

Mail
Magazines
Couch pillows
Remotes

Go Paper

Don’t be afraid to use paper plates and plastic utensils. This reduces the clean-up time to almost nothing. You can even dress up paper plates with wicker holders, and utensils with colorful ribbon.

Spray Dust Mop

No time for a full mopping? Try giving your floor a good spraying with your favorite cleaner, then go over it with a mop. Depending on the cleaner, you may need to then spray your floor again with just water, and mop again to remove any residue.

Music

Every grueling task is easier when music is involved. Find yourself some good music to clean to, and you’ll find that time goes by much faster. In no time, the CD is over, and your house is clean.

Good Smells

A clean house may be the first thing people see as they come to visit, but what are they smelling? An inviting smell in your home is just as important as keeping it clean. Here are some things you can use:

Spray air fresheners
Candles
Plug-in air fresheners
Scented pine cones
Scented oil lamps
Potpourri

Make a Plan

Housework is a lot less overwhelming if you have a plan. If you divide chores up into specific time blocks, or even days, they will be a lot easier to tackle. Don’t forget to make fun chore charts for the kids.

Know When to Quit

With housework, there will always be something else to clean and organize. It’s important to know when to quit. When wiping down a cupboard door, resist the temptation to pull everything out of that cupboard and reorganize; save that for another day.

Allan Wilson
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/unconventional-shortcuts-for-cleaning-the-house-95448.html

Cleaning Tips for your Precious Window

House cleaning is a daily routine that many housewives are used to and this includes window cleaning. As easy as it may sound, cleaning your windows requires good cleaning skills so that you can get better results every time you clean them.

So why is window cleaning needed? The answers are quite simple; one is to get a better view, another is for heat efficiency, and if you want, you can even become a professional window cleaner and earn income.

To clean your window screens, you can use hand-held vacuum. This gadget can easily remove all the dirt contained on the window tracks and frames.

When cleaning your glass window, wash panes from left and then to the right (outside portion) and for the inside, wash it from top to the bottom.

Make sure that you clean the top most window and work your way down to avoid drips or streaks.

You can use your old newspapers by scrunching them up although it can turn your hands into a dirty black color. Other people use cotton rags, cloth diaper, coffee filter, or percale pillowcase to clean their glass windows. What’s good about these items is that you can also use them to clean your mirrors.

Your window screens also should be kept clean. Simply lay the window screen over a fence or wall and rinse it using a hose. The dirt can be removed easily. Mix water and dish detergent and use this solution to scrub the remaining dirt off the window screen. Use a brush for this task.

Don’t rush your window cleaning task. Take your time and don’t just clean the glass; the entire window should be cleaned. If you notice that your window locks are stuck, remove them first and prepare warm water where you can soak the locks. Clean the locks thoroughly.

Some homes have tall windows making it hard to clean. You can also make use of certain handy devices which are designed to clean the portions of the window which you can’t reach. Cleaning solutions can also help in making the task easier and faster.

Your window needs gentle care so make sure that you clean them regularly.

Anthony Lee
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/cleaning-tips-for-your-precious-window-116318.html

How to paint your house the FAST way! (part 1)

Learn how to paint your house twice as fast and get very clean lines with this simple trick. Fast way to paint around doors, windows, ceilings, baseboards, crown moulding, cathedral ceilings, vaulted ceilings, and chair rail. If you’re tired of getting up and down a ladder all day, you need to watch this video.

Duration : 0:4:53

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Technorati Tags: baseboards, cathedral ceiling, ceilings, chair rail, crown, crown molding, crown moulding, doors, house painting, ladder, paint edger, painter, painting, picture rail, secret, techniques, tips, tricks, vaulted ceiling, wall painting, windows

House Cleaning & Stain Removal Tips : Best Way to Clean Ceramic Tile

The best way to clean ceramic tile is to use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to scrub the floor, sweep up the dust left after scrubbing, and mop the floor with water and a splash of vinegar. Use natural products to clean a ceramic tile floor that will not be harmful to kids or pets with help from a professional house cleaner in this free video on cleaning.

Expert: Rachel Yatuzis
Contact: www.greenkleeninc.com
Bio: Rachel Yatuzis is a professional house cleaner in Nashville, Tenn., specializing in using everyday household items for cleaning purposes.
Filmmaker: Tim Brown

Duration : 0:2:11

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Technorati Tags: cleaning, home, house, keeping, natural, products, removal, stain, stains