BEST CLEANING/ HOUSEKEEPING TRICKS TO FOLLOW IN 2021:
Are you tired of doing housekeeping? Do you face trouble in balancing your family and work? Do you need time to relax? Hire a housekeeper. Make sure your housekeeper is insured or bonded which is very important. Let us see some best cleaning/ housekeeping tricks to follow for good housekeeping in 2021.
WHAT IS HOUSEKEEPING?
Housekeeping is the maintenance of the household work either by the members of the family or by a housekeeper, the person hired by them.
WHO IS A HOUSEKEEPER?
A housekeeper is a person hired to manage the household chores like cleaning, laundry, dish washing, floor cleaning and gardening. Sometimes a housekeeper helps in cooking. A housekeeper is paid for the work done by him/her.
WHAT IS THE KEY TASK OF A HOUSEKEEPER?
A Housekeeper is responsible for cleaning the floors, taking care of pets, laundry, and other household chores.
WHAT CONTRIBUTES TO GOOD HOUSEKEEPING?
It includes keeping work areas neat and clean, arranging orderly, maintaining free of slip and trip hazards, and removing waste materials and fire hazards from work areas. Good housekeeping is also a part of incident and fire prevention.
WHAT DOES GOOD HOUSEKEEPING PROMOTE?
Some benefits of good housekeeping practices of a housekeeper are
Decrease in fire hazards.
Reduction in handling to ease the flow of materials.
lower housekeeper exposures to hazardous products (e.g. dust, vapors, chemicals)
lesser tripping and slipping incidents in clutter-free and spill-free work areas.
HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR WORKPLACE SAFE AND CLEAN?
Make sure housekeepers are properly trained.
Providing safety aids and messages
Ensure housekeepers have the proper equipment.
Eliminating potential hazards
Create a safety committee – and hold monthly safety meetings.
TIME-SAVING CLEANING TRICKS:
1. Cut the clutter
Anytime the housekeeper cleans, organizes, or re-organizes our kitchens or desks, the housekeeper removes the obvious first, like the biggest messes. This removes the temptation of just picking them up or wiping around these items and immediately placing them back down on a wet surface, which can leave ring marks.
2. Bring a toothbrush for cleaning, Of course
A cloth or sponge or other cleaning instruments cannot reach little areas a housekeeper needs to get clean, so a toothbrush is a handy and inexpensive cleaning tool.
3. Use microfiber cloths
The housekeeper can use microfiber cloths for best results. Something 100 percent cotton will work or an old pillowcase or tee-shirt but not the polyester or terry cloth.
4. Do the bathrooms last?
The housekeeper can clean the bathroom first to avoid cross-contamination. Although, if you use different rags in the bathroom this may be irrelevant, and opt to do it first!
5. Use cleaners… They work!
Some love using lemon juice and/or vinegar to clean, some may like a store-bought solution. No matter what you prefer, good housekeeping says to spray for better results so ask your housekeeper to go with the spray set. The housekeeper can go clean something else in the meantime – and I’m sure there are other things to be done. It should be easier to clean the surface letting the spray soak in it.
6. Clean the drapes… But not the way you think
Have you ever heard of vacuuming drapes? A housekeeper can make it far easier to vacuum the dust from the floor if the housekeeper hits them with a towel.
7. Vacuum, then mop
Just like we sweep before we mop, vacuuming before mopping is a key to good housekeeping.
8. Vacuum against the regular way you do.
Do you start in the furthest part or corners of the room? Emma Anderson, Best Western’s 2014 Housekeeper of the Year said, “Vacuum over the high-traffic areas and then vacuum yourself out, so you hit the most walked-on spots twice”.
9. Don’t forget the electronics
The housekeepers should turn off the TV or monitor, then use a dry microfiber cloth to wipe the screen gently. If necessary, the housekeeper can dampen the cloth with distilled water or with an equal ratio of distilled water to white vinegar. Make sure that your housekeeper may already know this, not to spray the screen directly.
10. Remember the showerhead
The housekeeper can wash the showerhead with shampoo, but there is another idea. To get the built-up residue off a showerhead, tie a small bag of vinegar around it and leave it to dissolve overnight. In the morning, the housekeeper can rinse the showerhead. I tried this trick and the result was amazing!
11. Be organized
A caddie keeps everything together, cutting down the amount of time it takes to get the job done. Just like the pencil holder on your desk, it’s important to have a cleaning caddie, too.
12. Get that new house smell
When we get our cars washed, some places add an air freshener or at least give our cars back to us smelling wonderful?
If your housekeeper uses all the natural organic cleaning products, your place shouldn’t smell like chemicals post cleaning. The housekeeper can make their cleaning agents using Borax, washing soda, vinegar, and baking soda, and then they can add a few drops of essential oils(which are also therapeutic!) such as lemon, grapefruit, and lavender. It is an easy idea too!
13. Learn to Multitask
There are many tasks, you or your housekeeper can do at the same time:
While waiting for the tub to fill, the housekeeper can use that time to wipe down the sink, clean the countertops, sort through bathroom drawers, or even scrub the toilet.
While the oven preheats, the housekeeper can load or unload the dishwasher, wipe down the counters, sweep the kitchen floor, and toss out leftovers in the refrigerator.
As you place dinner on the table, you can also take some time to mix a solution of warm water and dishwashing liquid to soak pans for easier cleaning later.
If it is a two-story home, the housekeeper is advised never to go up or down the stairs without something in their hands that belongs in another spot so that it can save energy and time.
HOUSEKEEPING TRICKS TO KEEP THE HOUSE CLEAN:
1. Make your bed
Making your bed at the beginning of the day is the oldest trick for a successful day. But, this trick isn’t just great for those who want to lead a successful life, it’s also great for those who want to keep a neat and looking home!
A made-up bed makes a huge difference when it comes to the overall tidiness of your room. To make the bed-making process easier, we suggest you simplify your bedding as much as possible. The housekeeper may cut out the top sheets and just use a duvet and washable cover.
If you cannot stand parting ways with your top sheets, then try to minimize the number of pillows on your bed or use a comforter or duvet cover that is large enough that you don’t need to tuck in your sheets.
2. Empty the dishwasher every morning
Dishes piling up in the sink, counters, or in various spots throughout your home can make your place look way messier than it is.
To prevent dirty dishes from taking over your home, emptying your dishwasher every morning is suggested. While it can sometimes feel like a huge task, emptying a dishwasher only takes five minutes. Make sure your housekeeper uses good quality dishwashing soaps or liquid. You can do it while you’re brewing your morning coffee or while you’re waiting for your kids to get ready for school.
3. Always clean up after cooking
Cooking can also lead to a huge mess in the kitchen. The dirty countertops make the whole kitchen look like a mess and they can attract household pests and insects. This is why we have to do a quick clean-up every time after you cook. The housekeeper has to clean the kitchen with a disinfectant solution to control pests and insects.
This doesn’t mean the housekeeper needs to scrub down your oven or clean out your microwave. But, the housekeeper should wipe down the counters, put the dirty dishes away for washing, and store all of the ingredients used after cooking.
4. Do a load of laundry each day
Many households wait until the weekend to take care of all the laundry which will have a load to do.
If you’re living alone or with just one or two other persons, then doing laundry every day probably is not necessary. But, if you are living in a family with or more, you are advised to do laundry daily. If you are going through 7 or more loads of laundry per week, we recommend doing it on a daily basis instead of waiting for the weekend.
Get in the habit of popping in a load of laundry every morning. Choose a professional housekeeper or a housekeeping service and make sure they help in the laundry as some housekeepers are not involved in some activities like laundry. If you work outside the home and won’t have a chance to do laundry daily, you can hire a professional housekeeper or approach a housekeeping service. Please visit https://childcarehelp.co.uk/ to know the locations where our service is available.
5. Use doormats
Keep soil and debris out of your home by placing doormats at the exterior of your door. The less soil and debris you take indoors, the less often you will need to clean your floors and house. Your housekeeper should also shake out or vacuum your doormats every few days.
6. Wipe down sinks and faucets
Some things can make your bathrooms look nasty such as hair, toothpaste splatters, soap scum, and other messes. The housekeeper is suggested to keep a container of disinfecting wipes under the sinks in all of your bathrooms. After getting ready for the day, the housekeeper has to grab a disinfecting wipe and give your sink a quick once-over. This simple task will make a lot of a difference when it comes to keeping your bathroom looking tidy and clean. Also, make sure that your housekeeper uses good quality chemicals and is non-allergic to such chemicals.
7. Wipe down your windows
Windows are another area of your home where dust can easily accumulate and when they are dirty, they can make your whole house look messier. You may also hire a professional window cleaning company to help you clean your windows. Give your housekeeper a window spray handy and make sure that your housekeeper gives your windows a quick clean every few days.
8. Sort and recycle paper right away
We receive mail, bills, store flyers, and school papers daily. Setting them aside to deal with at a later point can quickly lead to huge piles of paper on your dining room table or in your kitchen.
To avoid papers from piling up, you can through your mail daily basis. Place bills you need to pay in a sorter, and then toss flyers and other marketing mail materials in the recycling bin. Move unnecessary papers to the dustbin every day. The housekeeper has to clean the bins daily and keep them clean.
9. Clean up as you go
Cleaning up as you go is one of the easiest ways to make sure your home doesn’t get out into a controlling mess. You can bring bowls and cups back to the kitchen and rinse them out and place them in the dishwasher instead of letting them pile up in the sink or pile up in the sink so that your housekeeper doesn’t need to search everything for washing. The housekeeper has to use a good quality dishwashing soap or liquid.
10. Create a household cleaning schedule
Remember that keeping your home tidy is a team effort! Getting your kids involved in the cleaning won’t just take some of your workloads, will also teach them about responsibility and when they are responsible for cleaning, they’ll be less likely to make a mess in the first place.
Create a schedule of household works to be done by your housekeeper based on daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonally and it is important to discuss it with your housekeeper or the housekeeping service provider before hiring.
