Cleaning our house is always a daunting task. May it be during every weekend or once in a month, it requires a lot of time and energy. Lack of time is what makes most of us, the working group, rely on paid services like having a live-in maid, hiring professional cleaning services and the like. But, have you ever realized that keeping a home clean starts with our very own living habits.
Well, it’s we who create the mess. So, why not look at our own habits and adjust them a little for a cleaner house.
Enable Air Exchange
To make our HVAC systems energy efficient, we tend to seal-up our homes – keep doors and windows closed most of the time. This habit may significantly affect the indoor air quality as it prevents the air exchange trapping the indoor pollutants for longer periods of time. Smoke from fire places, wood-burning stoves, chemical-based air fresheners and cleaning products are major sources of indoor air pollution.
As we spend most of our time indoors, maintaining good air quality inside the house is vital for our well being, especially if we are living with kids and elder parents.
Allowing proper exchange of air by keeping the doors and windows open, especially during mornings, enables better air quality inside the house. Also, install exhaust fans wherever necessary, like in your kitchens and bathrooms to remove odors.
Declutter Your Home
Fighting dust is an everyday challenge, as it keeps coming back. Besides dusting regularly, you also need to keep a check on the things that collect dust. For instance, a pile of old newspapers, magazines and old clothes accumulate dust more easily, as we use them less frequently. Clear such clutter and make it a habit not to pile up things. Also, make it a habit to mop the floor after dusting, as a wet mop captures the dust which otherwise gets collected and spreads across the floor.
Use Mild Cleaning Products
As mentioned earlier, cleaning products such as glass cleaners, drain cleaners, oven cleaners, detergents, contain chemicals and may release toxic gases into the air and may also contribute to respiratory problems, allergic reactions and headaches.
Before purchasing cleaning supplies make it a habit to read the labels. Choose the products that do not contain ammonia, chlorine and petrol-based chemicals.
You can also use natural cleaning alternatives made with easily available ingredients in your kitchen like lemon, baking soda, vinegar, salt and warm water.
Clean Cleaning Supplies
One common mistake most of us do is to give least importance to the maintenance of our cleaning supplies. It could be as small as a cleaning sponge, a floor mop or as big as a vacuum cleaner, every cleaning appliance needs a proper maintenance, failing which makes the things worse.
Good thing about most cleaning tools is they are washable. Simple things like kitchen towels, floor mops, cleaning sponges need to be washed and dried regularly. Make it a habit to wash them, ideally in hot water, after using them so that they will be ready for the next use.
Routine Cleaning Schedule
Here’s the last, yet important habit for a clean home. A good house cleaning schedule is as important as any scheduled maintenance for your vehicle. Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. You have to define your cleaning schedule based on your needs and the time available. Also, don’t wait too long to clean. The shorter you plan your schedules the easier it becomes for you to clean things.
You can divide it into daily, weekly and monthly cleaning activities. Daily activities may include making the bed, doing the laundry, washing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen surfaces, sweeping the floor and a quick vacuum. Weekly cleaning tasks may include cleaning the cooking tops, cleaning the trash bins, bathrooms, reorganizing your closets and vacuum cleaning thoroughly. Monthly activities may include things that really do not need to be done more frequently, such as cleaning the windows, furniture, throwing the old stuff, cleaning the carpets, gardening, etc.
I know it’s little overwhelming, but once you pick these things, they slowly become your habits and you can finally see your home cleaning itself.
