5 ways to keep on top of cleaning

Post in association with Vileda

At any one moment, how many thoughts about ‘stuff’ are going through your head? How often do you find yourself trying to remember to buy toothpaste and get the wine out of the garage for your mum at the same time as making a child’s packed lunch and putting on a pair of tights?

(Me this morning.)

The fact is that we have a lot of things to do, and sometimes it’s hard to actually do them all.

JK Rowling sums it up pretty well. ‘People very often say to me,’ she says’ ”How did you do it, how did you raise a baby and write a book?’ And the answer is – I didn’t do housework for four years. I am not Superwoman.’

She had the magical wizarding kingdom at her disposal, so what chance for us mere muggles to keep on top of cleaning?

To try to help me stay on top of my own housework juggling act, which mainly involves me balancing cleaning tasks with important things like making my own party rings, and in lieu of being able to afford to get around a company like fastendoftenancycleaning.co.uk, Vileda recently sent me an EasyWring & Clean Turbo – a mop and bucket set that is designed to make cleaning floors a veritable breeze. Vileda’s plan is that by equipping me with one of their labour saving devices that I will be more inclined to keep my house clean.

So high fives to Vileda.

Who could fail to be inspired by a mop and bucket with an integrated wringing system and a triangular head for easy corner access?? Not me that’s for sure, especially when it matches my slippers.

To try to help you stay on top of your cleaning, I’ve come up with my five top tips.

Get kids involved in chores

I’m always harping on about how when Bee went to university she was the only person in her flat of EIGHT who had ever used a washing machine, but it feels like it’s important. You might think that you’re being kind to your kids by letting them off the housework but long term you aren’t doing them any favours.

Things like mopping a floor and cleaning windows are LIFE SKILLS. It’s your duty to teach them.

Invest in the right equipment

I spent a lot of time in my teens and 20s doing DIY with a table knife and I once cut my front lawn with a pair of scissors.

That is NOT EVEN A LIE.

(It was a small patch of grass but even so.)

How much easier could my life have been over the years if I’d just bought the right equipment?? This totally applies to cleaning and even a decent sponge or microfibre cloth can make all the difference. Vileda don’t know this, but as well as now having the EasyWring & Clean Turbo I actually already have one of their gadgets – the Windomatic vacuum cleaner.

Yep, it’s a vacuum cleaner for your windows!

I absolutely love it. After 38 years of smeary windows, lines left from trying to scrape off excess water, and dirty drips all over the window sills, I can now have perfectly clean windows in a jiffy. So clever.

Don’t over-complicate things

While good equipment can be invaluable, sometimes keeping it simple works too.

Despite what an ex-boyfriend of mine would have you believe, it IS okay to clean a sink just by swishing your hand around it with some hot soapy water at the same time as having a wash. If anything it’s BETTER than using a cloth because your hand is totally natural and recyclable.

Look after the environment kids!

Get a cleaner

Okay, so this might sound a bit like the OPPOSITE of keeping on top of your own cleaning, but bear with me. When I say ‘get a cleaner’ I’m not talking about someone coming for hours every week and doing absolutely everything. I have a cleaner for just an hour and a half a week, but in that time she does all those core jobs that I know I’d otherwise let slide, like cleaning the bathroom and hoovering the stairs.

The impact is twofold.

Firstly of course the house is cleaner. Dur. But there’s a psychological impact too. Because I know the key jobs are done and a basic level of cleanliness is manintined, I feel much more motivated to keep the house clean between visits and I have time free to do those more adhoc jobs like cleaning the oven that might otherwise get neglected.

It’s some of the best money I spend, and because it’s only a few hours a month it’s affordable too. Plus my cleaner is going to love me now I can leave out my new Vileda mop for her to use.

Give yourself a break

You know what? Sometimes you just won’t have the time or the inclination to clean the floor and THAT’S OKAY.

There are plenty of more important and enjoyable things than a spotless house, like spending time with your family or reading books or sitting with a cat on your lap. If your carpets tend to look a little more ‘crumby’ than you’d like, but you and your family are happy, then don’t beat yourself up about it.

If it’s good enough for JK Rowling then it’s good enough for me.

Find out more about Vileda’s innovative home cleaning products now.