Organisation

• Recruit your children to help with a basic cleaning routine. Regularly following a routine will develop good organisational habits in your children and will reduce the stress caused by reminding your children to tidy their room.
• A toy chest kept at the end of your child's bed is an ideal place to store toys and games. Plastic bins or baskets that can be stored in a closet or underneath the bed are a perfect way to eliminate clutter.
• Always tidy first. Take any dirty dishes to the kitchen. Pick up loose toys. Collect newspapers and place in the recycle bin.
• Make a cleaning kit that has all the essential supplies and materials needed to clean each room. Store in a brightly coloured plastic bucket or basket that can be carried from room to room.
• Make up a separate bathroom cleaning kit that will keep all the cleaners and equipment together in one place. Store in a plastic bucket or basket. Be sure to keep it out of reach of small children.
• Instead of many small perfume and personal care items sitting individually on the dressing table, place them in a decorative basket or on a tray.
• If you find it difficult to clean because of the large amount of time spent picking up and putting things away, establish a house rule that if you take something out then you put it away.
• Items that have not been used in a long time may be just taking up space and can be donated to charity or sold at a car boot sale.
• Apply the Clean & Discreet System of cleaning from top to bottom and left to right in whatever room you are cleaning. This is the quickest and most efficient way to clean.
• Magazines, newspapers, or other subscriptions piling up? Re-evaluate your subscriptions and cancel those you no longer read. This is an easy way to save money and time by decluttering your home on a long-term basis.

Dusting

• Dust first and vacuum second. Any bits of dust and dirt will fall to the floor where they will be collected in the vacuum cleaner.
• The best dust cloth is a damp, clean, cotton cloth. To dampen, hold the cloth by a corner and lightly mist with clean water from a spray bottle. The cloth should be just damp enough to pick up dust without leaving moisture streaks on the furniture.
• When dusting wall units follow this procedure: first lift and dust each object, then dust the shelf both underneath and behind. Start from the top of the unit and move down to the bottom.
• Never dust a warm or hot light bulb with a damp cloth, as the bulb will shatter.
• Dampen a clean, soft paintbrush to remove dust from louvered doors, telephone keys, carved furniture, etc.
• Clean mini blinds can be maintained with minimum effort. Close the slants, dust, close the slants the opposite way and dust again.
• Wipe wood surfaces with the grain to avoid streaks.

Pet Hair

• A damp cloth or rubber glove will remove pet hair from the upholstery of the furniture.

Floors

• Sweep or vacuum floors first to collect crumbs and dirt before damp mopping. Start washing the floor in the farthest corner of the room and work your way towards the door.
• Use a cloth on the end of a mop handle to reach the narrow space between appliances.
• A plastic hair brush or hair pick will straighten the fringe on area carpets. Comb the carpet fringe in a direction away from the centre of the carpet.
• Vacuum or sweep the bathroom floor to collect any loose hair, dust and dirt prior to washing the floor. Remove mats, wastebaskets and any other items sitting on the floor that may get in the way.
• Ensure that the correct vacuum attachment is used for the specific floor surface you are cleaning.
• To reduce the risk of slip and fall accidents, place anti-slip backing under rugs.
• Place a mat inside and outside each entrance to your home to reduce the dirt that is brought in on shoes and boots.
• Protect your floors and furniture by preventing surface damage. Never set wet cloths, bottles, buckets, or damp mops on furniture, hardwood floors, carpet or marble.
• Look underneath the furniture before vacuuming so the vacuum does not pick small items such as toys, jewellery, coins, etc.

Kitchen Appliances

• Appliances that hang under cabinets save both space and time, as cleaning under them is no longer an issue.
• To soften splatters inside the microwave, fill a cup with water and microwave on high for a few minutes. The steam will loosen any baked on food so you can easily wipe it clean.
• Allow burner rings and drip pans from the stove to soak in a sink full of hot, soapy water. This will loosen the dirt and make them easier to clean.
• Spray oven racks in a plastic rubbish bag for easier cleaning.
• Dish cloths and sponges can be incubators for germs. Launder dish cloths regularly, and microwave damp sponges in the microwave on high for several minutes to kill bacteria.

Spills

• Make it a habit to wipe up all spills immediately when they are much easier to clean. Once the spill has dried and hardened, it will be more difficult to remove.

Vacuum

• Change the vacuum bag as recommended by the manufacturer to maintain maximum suction.
• If your vacuum has poor suction it might be the result of a blocked hose. To check for a blockage, disconnect the hose and then drop a penny down the hose. If the penny falls out, your hose is likely not the problem.
• A small hand vacuum with a beater bar is useful for vacuuming upholstery and carpeted stair steps.

Picture Frames

• To clean a picture, wipe the top of the frame first, down the sides and across the bottom. Always spray glass cleaner on your cloth and never directly on the glass to prevent seepage under the glass that could damage the picture.

Chrome

• A dry clean cloth will polish chrome to an eye-catching gleam.

Bathroom

• Use a toothbrush for hard to reach areas around the soap holder, taps and drain.
• Add a fabric softener sheet to the wastebasket to avoid odours.
• Foggy mirrors can be easily remedied by rubbing a small amount of glycerin onto the surface.
• A small window squeegee used on the tile walls after each shower will slow the formation of water spots on the surface.
• To unclog shower heads, remove and soak the head in boiling water and vinegar.
• It will be much easier and less time consuming to clean the bathroom if it is done on a regular basis. Then you will be maintaining the room instead of letting mildew and soap scum build up over time.

Electronics

• Remove dust from the front of stereo speakers with the vacuum hose and flat attachment.
• Always check the owner's manual for instructions regarding the care and cleaning of your electronic equipment.

Cleaning Supplies

• Limit your cleaning products to a quality window/glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, tile/grout cleaner and a toilet bowl cleaner.
• For your personal safety, never mix two cleaning products together.

Cobwebs

• A clean lightly dampened cloth tied around the working end of your dust mop or broom will take care of cobwebs.

Windows

• Streaks on windows are unsightly and tricky to eliminate. When cleaning windows, wipe one side of the glass horizontally and the other side vertically. This way, when polishing out streaks, it will be easy to determine which side they are on.

Clean by a Schedule

• Create a long-term cleaning schedule that lists tasks often left out of regular cleans, such as ovens, light fixtures and fridge interiors. By knowing what you plan on cleaning, and how often, you can develop a strategy that ensures nothing is overlooked.