Here’s a rare post for the boys!
We don’t mean to discriminate, but generally, we know that cleaning is not up there on your list of topics to seek out.
That said, if you’ve recently ventured out of the family home to live on your own, or with friends, you might be needing a little help.
Depending how well your mother taught you to clean and actively got you involved in the household chores, your ability to maintain a sparkling clean home when you get your own place can be quite the challenge. In fact, it come as quite a shock, when after a few weeks of cooking, take-aways, daily bathroom abuse, and the general wear and tear of life, your swanky apartment is starting to look like a war zone.
Aside from the unpleasantness of living in these conditions, your less than pristine pad will have any dates or potential partners running for the hills.
We thought it might be helpful to throw a few simple, time-saving tips together to help you guys out. We enlisted the support of a few single males we know to get a more accurate perspective.
The guys seem to all concur that they like to keep things simple, easy and trouble-free, so and any quick cleaning hacks are always a winner.
These tips should help you breeze through your cleaning routine. Some degree of effort will still be required, but these hacks might just save a little bit of elbow grease.
1) We’re taking a guess here, that your microwave might get quite a bit of use, and it can get pretty grimy very quickly. Paper towels are your best friend when it comes to keeping this item clean, therefore avoiding baked-on build-up of food spills. Just place one or two sheets on the turntable before you cook to capture the spills. You’re still going to get splashes on the internal surfaces, so give them a wipe with a cloth soaked in warm soapy water after each use (before the food splashes dry), then use your paper towel sheets to wipe them dry.
2) If you’re showering once or twice a day, bathroom mould can build up quite quickly, which is a real pain to get rid of. Take preventative measures by always maintaining good airflow to keep moisture to a minimum. Always use your extractor fan and open a window. You might even want to invest in a de-humidifier, which is a brilliant appliance for keeping your bathroom nice and dry. This will save you hours of scrubbing and expensive (and highly toxic) mould removers. Finally, be sure to avoid leaving any wet towels on the floor. Use the towel rail or even hang your towel outside to freshen it up.
3) Now to the inevitable topic of your toilet. If you’re not practised in the art of toilet cleaning, again maintenance is going to be the way to go. Wipe up splashes from the seat, bowl surround and seat/lid hinges as you go. Otherwise, the room is going start smelling very quickly. Then, to avoid stains in the bowl, through generous slug of white cleaning vinegar (you can get this at Bunnings) in there once a month before bedtime. Leave it overnight and flush away in the morning. This should help you avoid having to get your hands in there and scrub the bowl too often.
4) Let’s talk about bins. If you don’t keep on top of the cleanliness of your kitchen bin, the build-up of spills and stains will make emptying it a thankless and disgusting task. First, empty the bin regularly to avoid making the kitchen smell like the local landfill. Don’t overfill the bin, which is when food starts to escape, and get onto the insides of the bin and lid. Always pour any excess liquid off your food waste before tipping it into the bin. A handy tip is to grab yourself a box of tumble dryer sheets and place a couple in the bottom of the bin liner when you put a fresh one in. They will soak up any moisture and nasty smells to keep things smelling fresh between changes.
5) Keep on top of your vacuuming. It really doesn’t take long if you vacuum high-touch areas daily, such as your kitchen after cooking, and the entryway. Then a quick weekly vacuum will suffice. A cordless vac is best and easiest, and always at hand, with no pesky cables to deal with. If you only have a plug-in vacuum, use an extension cable so you don’t have to keep unplugging and plugging in as you move rooms. For your daily vacuums you can get yourself an inexpensive dustbuster, which is also great for cleaning your car interior.
6) Decide how long you are going to spend on a full clean and divide your time into chunks for each task. Having a timed target, will motivate you to work that bit harder to hit your goal. Turn up your sounds and treat your clean like a workout and you’ll blast thought it in no time.
Who knows, you might even start to enjoy it!