SAVE TIME BY STOPPING SMALL MESSES FROM BECOMING BIG ONES:
Not everyone likes to clean, but everyone loves a clean house. “The key is maintenance so things don’t get out of control,” says Diana Henley, owner of Naturalcare Cleaning Service in Houston. “Tackling little messes right away prevents them from becoming big messes later on.” Here are nine simple habits the pros recommend to help you keep your home cleaner, longer.
1. Take off your shoes. “Have your family members remove their shoes as soon as they come in the house,” says Maria Skokan, co-owner of Nature’s Essence Green Cleaning, LLC in Aurora, Illinois. “It’s better to prevent dirt from getting in the house in the first place.” At the very least, keep machine washable throw rugs at every entrance to your home—both inside and outside—to capture grit, salt and grass clippings.
2. Do mini-vacuum sessions. Vacuum high-traffic patterns in carpeted areas and shake out entryway rugs a couple of times a week to stop soil from being ground in. Zip around the kitchen floor, too, to collect crumbs and pet hair. “Keep a lightweight stick vacuum handy so you won’t have to haul out the full-sized vacuum,” says Skokan. “You’ll be more likely to do it if you make it easier on yourself.”
3. Squeegee down walls after a shower. “Hang a squeegee inside the shower and get everyone in the habit of quickly wiping down the walls after each use,” says Alison Palmer, past president of the Association of Residential Cleaning Services International, and owner of Custom Maid in Virginia Beach. “It prevents soap scum from building up and mold from getting a foothold.” And while you’re at it, switch to body wash, which goes right down the drain, instead of bar soap, which resolidifies and builds up on tub and shower walls.
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