What are your game changers?

[NutsOhHazelnuts]

I was thinking about what I use or do that makes it easier to cope with house cleaning and tidying that made a big difference and was wondering if you have products or methods that made a big deal of difference to you? The difference can be around actual work, routines or how it makes you feel.

Products:
Robot hoover (Eufy) - predictable but true
Ceramic scraper - great for the hob but amazing for getting soap scum off the shower door and grease splatters off the tiles, above the hob. Made a massive difference. So easy.

Practice:

Making the bed, every single day. I feel in control.

2 minute jobs. Just doing it.

Putting a timer on for 10 mins (sometimes 20 mins) cleaning/tidying and stopping when timer goes off. A couple of times a day max.

@NutsOhHazelnuts

I was thinking about what I use or do that makes it easier to cope with house cleaning and tidying that made a big difference and was wondering if you have products or methods that made a big deal of difference to you? The difference can be around actual work, routines or how it makes you feel.

Products:
Robot hoover (Eufy) - predictable but true
Ceramic scraper - great for the hob but amazing for getting soap scum off the shower door and grease splatters off the tiles, above the hob. Made a massive difference. So easy.

Practice:

Making the bed, every single day. I feel in control.

2 minute jobs. Just doing it.

Putting a timer on for 10 mins (sometimes 20 mins) cleaning/tidying and stopping when timer goes off. A couple of times a day max.

Tidying up before bed so the living room and kitchen are tidy in the morning - no dishes lying, no recycling on the worktops etc and nice clean surfaces

One touch- if you pick it up, put it away instead of putting it down

Having a basket for gathering odd bits up and then putting them away properly- much easier than multiple trips to and from rooms

I do the ten minute thing too.

I live alone now, so it is slightly different, but I do 'must do' jobs as soon as I get in the house.

Every item having a home. It means ‘dumping grounds’ aren’t created as it’s just as easy to put the thing in it’s ‘home’ , rather than on the kitchen bench etc. It took a lot of decluttering to reach the point where everything had a home and there was no extra stuff around.

Make my bed straight away.

Have a great vacuum.

Beds are made every morning.

Kitchen is spotlessly clean before bedtime, no exceptions.

Ruthless about getting rid of useless tat and clutter.

My eufy.

When something is used, it's always put away when no longer needed.

Everything has a "home."

"A place for everything and everything in its place."

Took a while to get everything where it needed to be but absolutely lifechanging

Plus - Robovac

Great thread.

Use wire wool to clean the oven. Takes minutes, just use normal kitchen cleaner or washing up liquid. Oven sparkling clean in less than 10 minutes - seriously!!

A huge family declutter and then not allowing the amount of stuff to increase again. It has been a game changer in terms of keeping the house clean and tidy. And actually being able to comfortably fit into our house.

Don't move things twice. So I'll pack washing away straight away not move it from the airer to the bedrooms then pack away later. I try to do the same when I'm tidying/cleaning too so I don't just move the problem!

Kitchen and lounge are clean and tidy every night ready to come down to in the morning.

Small basket on the stairs for bits and pieces that need taking up.

No ornaments

Throw things away you don't use

Just don’t fucking bother. My partner does the bare minimum so now so do I. Liberating in many ways but sometimes I just have to pretend not to see it. Separate rooms though so I’m going to do a massive declutter in mine when new wardrobes fitted. One day, when I can afford one, a robot vacuum will change my life.

Using my dinner prep time to do jobs. Like cleaning out the fridge, the toaster, wiping down the cupboards while I am waiting for veges to cook.

Amazing what I can get done in short little bursts. Not housework but I also text while stirring stuff

I have a few gadgets that make cleaning so much easier -
The Flatmate duster - goes under, down the side of and above everything fridge, washing machine, Sky boxes, radiators - then I just remove the sleeve and wash in the machine
The sonic scrubber - great for taps and little spaces around the hob, fridge door rubber creases etc
Microfibre dusting gloves

My top cleaning products:-

Ovenmate Oven Cleaner
Mr Muscle window cleaner
Method Granite cleaner
Pledge multi surface polish

My top tip would be just do it, it takes less time than you think.

Put things where they belong now. No piles to deal with later, no baskets to sort out, no laying things to one side.

It makes it obvious when things don’t have a proper home (so it gets one or leaves my home)

It takes more effort than making a pile for later, so I’m permanently motivated to just have less stuff.

Later me, who is less energetic hates former-me less.

My other game changer was accepting that the shelves and table in the dc’ playroom are messy 90% of the time and just moving them so I’m not looking at them all the time. You can see the playroom from the kitchen and sitting area but now it looks presentable from those view points unless you’re actually in it.

On the theme of everything in its place, I keep a small A4 folder magnetically attached to the fridge for all those bits of paper that don't need to be filed but are needed short term, for example post office proof of posting, insurance renewal reminders, brochures i want to look through etc. I go through it once a week and deal with or ditch stuff. We always used to have these things drifting around the kitchen or on the dining table, but no more.

Shortcuts -

I don't iron
I don't sort laundry into colours
I don't buy stuff that needs handwashing/dry cleaning
I re use towels more than once (looking at you Mum)
I have The Box that all paperwork goes into if it needs keeping. I don't sort it or file it, just shove it all in the one box. Once a year l skim the bottom layer off (checking its not needed)
School letters, birthday invites etc are put on my work desk (wfh) and I sort while at my desk the next day (I also use my work outlook for kids stuff on the calendar as it's the one I check daily)
Anything that can be done via direct debit is
If I feel the tidy urge, I massively capitalise on the feeling and blast through the whole house thinking "make hay while the sun shines" on repeat.

@NameChangeCity123 I must remember to do the one touch thing, I used to do it but have gotten out of the habit. Thanks for reminding me.

Yes, to ruthless declutter. It has made a huge difference to tidiness levels.

@mowly77 I have a friend who leaves the house (when she hasn't dusted for a good while) for the day when the sun highlights the dust bunnies - works for her.