Tell me your best cleaning hacks / tips!

[FrenesiGates]

We're about to move house and are going from a small apartment that we've been in for 10+ years to a much larger house – and I'm slightly terrified of the housekeeping and keeping everything clean and tidy! We will have a cleaner once a week and I'm going to work out a 'schedule' so she will do some areas every week and then rotate through areas in less use. I've also just bought a robot vacuum and mop that I'm planning to run every day or two; and a new handheld for any quick clean ups.

What are your best tips / hacks for saving time on cleaning and keeping the house tidy day to day??

to add: I don't really have any tips of my own as we have a cleaner currently and she does such a wonderful job once a week that I don't have to think about it too much! She's going to do our new place too but won't be able to get through everything in the same time so I'll need to do a lot more and be more on top of things!

Hoover every day, takes 10 mins but keeps the dog hair/dust at bay

A window rubber squeedgy thing works wonders on the stairs carpet!

Get her to do more hours is the best hack!

There isn't a hack though is there. Things need cleaning. Depends on your available time and standards of cleanliness. Robot hoover is a good step. Get loads of cloths (the non shedding kind), a good squeegee, loads of good products, a big basket to carry them round in and away you go. Oh and don't have any pets.

Never leave a room without taking something with you. Not always possible but something I try to do. Tidying as you go helps a lot.
cleaning products/cloths/hoover on each floor, means small messes do not become a large mess.
do things when they need doing eg take the bin bag out, don’t try and cram just one more thing in! It will split.
little and often is easier than ignoring it for me.

Wipe down a shelf in the fridge while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil.
Five minutes spare? Clean out a drawer, wipe over kitchen sink, clean bathroom sink, clean a toilet, water plants.

Don't put it down, put it away. Wipe as you go. Don't have gratuitous ornaments or bits of tat. In a house with a small hall, I had the understairs cupboard sectioned and drawered. Dealt with coats, shoes, rucksacks, book bags.

@omgsally haha I wish! New house & year-long renovations have been much more expensive than anticipated... even just having her the one day is a bit of a luxury! (hopefully once we're settled in and have worked out actual running costs etc we'll be able to have her for a few more hours!)

@RosesAndHellebores thankfully I did insist on a lot of storage (which DP thought we wouldn't need but was non-negotiable for me!) We are going for a minimalist / Scandi style so hopefully not a lot of tat to get dusty

@Theoldwoman I like this one! breaking it down into smaller tasks that fit in around everything else should make things more manageable!

I've just stocked up on some new cleaning supplies (dusters, spray mop, cloths, etc...) I've also bought kitchen and bathroom wipes that I will keep in those rooms so I can regularly and easily give them a once over!

Do not buy stuff. Keep it empty. It is much easier and quicker to clean a minimalist house.

@Possiblynotever that's the plan! I do seem to have accumulated an enormous amount of stuff in the past 10+ years in the apartment (I was a bit shocked when it came to packing!) I've done a large cull and will do another when I'm unpacking. Most of it is stuff that will go in cupboards when not in use (rather than knick knacks) and thankfully insisted on a lot of storage when planning renovation!

Bigger houses are easier to keep clean and tidy. The dust spreads out! And so does the mess!

They just need a regular deeper clean every few months to blitz skirting boards, cobwebs, windows etc

And a hoover/cleaning kit for upstairs

@nodogz this reply has actually made my evening! 🌟I really hope this is the case! It would make sense – the apartment can be a nightmare to keep clean as it's just too small for us now.

Small basket under the sink to throw dirty rags and cloths in, once full I boil wash them all and dry

Wipe the loo , sinks anything ceramic with dry toilet roll before wiping down, stops wet dust sliding around everywhere

Vileda spray mop is fab

Set a timer and blast music and surprising how much can get done in an hour

@chunkychunks these are great! I especially love the under counter basket for cloths – I'm terrible at doing this.

Agreed

A cleaner once a week will really help them it just means you have to keep on top of kitchen , dirty dishes , laundry etc. ours comes once a fortnight we go through and declutter everywhere and once she’s been the cycle starts again. Not sure how big your house is but in 3 hours ours cleans a 4 bed , 3 bathroom house , kitchen and utility to a good standard

My top tip is that I have a little basket of cleaning products/tools in each room that are specific to that room, Bleach for the bathroom basket, furniture polish for the living room, magic sponges, cloths and feather dusters for all the rooms
They are hidden away in cupboards.

That way if I'm in the bathroom and have a spare 5 mins (usually when I'm doing a face or hair mask) I can do a quick clean.

Every morning I usually give the living room furniture a quick dust and polish, wipe the TV screen if it needs it (those green minky cloths are fab for that) then set the robot hoover on. It makes me happy to come home to a clean house.

After dinner, stack the dishwasher, spray and wipe the sides and set the robot hoover on. I really want to upgrade to the mopping one though.

I've really been able to keep on top of the house since starting keeping cleaning baskets in each room.

Yep bigger houses look cleaner, probs because any bits on the floors are spread out more
Wrt cleaner - some rooms only cleaned occasionally as they are lightly used - if DH and I use the lounge for 2 hours a night with a glass of wine and a book, they barely need doing tbh.

I also have small container for damp used cloths, but keep it in the utility room. I feel it might be a bit pongy in an enclosed cupboard.

Try not to fill the space with unnecessary stuff. 5-10 min hoover every day.

Get everyone involved and little and often. I’ve given up attempting to get to the point where the house is clean and sparkly and ‘done’ in one massive tidy up but I do something most days on top of the daily laundry/dishes etc so it might be cleaning the bins, cleaning out the dishwasher or hoovering around the living room. It stops me feeling overwhelmed by the scale of the tasks ahead and it means that I keep on top of the occasional jobs like descaling the kettle.

Also, if I see something needs doing I try and do it immediately such as today DD had somehow smeared some peanut butter down a cupboard door so I wiped it up immediately rather than letting it bug me and glare at me