Cleaning - quality cleaning - takes time.

Another truth - cleaning is not a one-time job. We must continually put our energy into cleaning our homes. And, depending on how you were raised or what your own definition of clean is, the actual task of cleaning can weigh heavily on your mind until you actually do it.

This combined with the fact that house cleaning is a constant chore to be done (much like weeding), it’s no wonder why we feel a huge sense of relief after we’ve cleaned, sinking into the couch and relaxing in our freshly cleaned home.

Years before I founded my own professional cleaning company, I worked as an Executive Assistant, Monday - Friday, 8 - 5. Every Thursday, I would rush home from work to clean my apartment so I could have my Friday - Sunday completely to myself without having to worry about cleaning during my weekend off.

It was when I started to implement “cleaning hacks” that my Thursday cleaning was completed more quickly...and I could relax into the weekend without any guilt or dirty dust.

What’s more, is that these hacks work for all homes and residences, whether you’re in a multi-story house or a small studio apartment. A bathroom is still a bathroom and takes the same amount of time (size considered and features depending). It’s the effort, time, and consistency that brings the sparkle back into your home.

So, how can you do this and keep your home clean while experiencing that “ahhhhhhh” of freshly cleaned more often?

CREATE HOME-SPECIFIC CLEANING CHECKLISTS

Every home is different and has different definitions of “clean.” Jot dot all the items you like to clean and are important for you and your family to have shine. Build out a checklist to help you tackle each of these with ease.

Unsure of where to start? Check out our internal checklist to give you a better idea of what some of our clients find important. Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Are you someone who loves organizing your schedule with apps? Check out Spotless: A Simply Clean Home.

IDENTIFY WHAT YOU ARE OKAY CLEANING YOURSELF

Once you’ve identified what you are okay with cleaning, you can build out a “who does what” list. For instance, if toilet cleaning is not your forte, involve either professional cleaners or delegate it to your family members. You never know who loves doing what.

HAVE - AND THEN USE - THE PROPER CLEANING SUPPLIES 

One thing that will cause you more stress while cleaning is using the wrong product on the wrong surface. Always read the labels of your cleaning products and start with the least abrasive products, moving upwards as needed.

One small cleaning tip? Dish soap and water can do amazing things for cleaning. However, if you are looking to sanitize or disinfect, you will need to use a stronger product of sorts.

SET REALISTIC TIME TO CLEAN ASIDE

Some homes are very easy to clean, so cleaning goes quite quickly. Other homes are larger and need a solid 5-6 hours for a simple cleaning. If you break down what you want to be cleaned, involve your family, and set out a checklist schedule, you are reducing the stress in your mind and always providing a realistic timeline for when and what you and your family can clean. For the team at Clean Club Calgary, we break our cleaning times out as follows:

• Dusting

  Depending on the size of your home and the details you would like to get into it could take 10 minutes to a few hours. A light removal of dust versus removing layers of thick dust from vents and high up walls require different amounts of time.

• Bathrooms
  One bathroom can take from 10 minutes to an hour depending on how detailed you need to go. If you squeegee your shower every day, then a good wipe down once a week will do. If you have hard water and no water softener, your shower can take up to 30 minutes alone to remove the water stains.

• Kitchen
  Kitchens are the most deceiving room of them all as there is a lot of work that needs to be done with splashes, food stains, and all the fun that comes with kitchen life. If you choose to go all out and wash all cupboards, surfaces, outside of the appliances, backsplash, and so forth, we are talking anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour plus. Again, depending on the size of your kitchen and number of appliances, this could be more or less.

• Vacuuming
  If you only vacuum high traffic areas it can be 10 minutes. But... if you have kids, pets or lots of traffic in your home this could take up to an hour or more. 

• Mopping the floors
  If you mop your floors “old-style” using a mop, bucket of water and consistent rinsing, your floors add another 30 minutes to your cleaning. 
  
  To help your floor cleaning efficiency, we recommend doing the vacuuming and mopping all at once.

GET INTO THE CLEANING MOOD

There are a few people in this world who get excited about cleaning in and of itself. However, most of us find that good music, an eBook or podcast is a must in the background to keep our minds AND bodies motivated and inspired while cleaning. The following are a couple of my personal favourites:

• Podcast: Imagined Life

• Music: Songs to Listen to while Cleaning

There is nothing as rewarding as breathing in the smell of “freshly cleaned.” It is something that can immediately impact our mind and quality of life. It’s important that we know what’s important to clean in our homes, along with how long the cleaning itself takes.

Of course, if you’re ready to enjoy the freshly cleaned without your personal cleaning effort (you may have noted this when you identified what you are not okay with cleaning), then connect and share with me what you’re looking to add to your life by removing cleaning.