Heaven Cakes!

The #1 Online Baking Resource

Housecleaning Tips For The Kitchen And Bathroom

Your kitchen gets used every day. Without maintaining small messes, you can have a big cleaning job every day. This next set of tips will help you keep your kitchen clean and manageable.

Microwave

Here's a good shortcut to cleaning your microwave: Fill up a cup of water and put it in there on high for a few minutes. The steam from the cup will loosen any stuck-on food, and then you can just wipe it away.

Baking Soda

Baking soda has many practical uses, especially in the kitchen. Here are a few ideas:

Put an open box in your fridge and freezer to eliminate odors and bad tastes.
Sprinkle some in the bottom of your trashcans.
Sprinkle some down your drain and garbage disposal to eliminate odors.

Fridge

Cleaning your fridge can be a big job, but here are a few tips to make it a bit easier:

Toss out any bad food.
Start with wiping down the top shelves and work down.
Baking soda and water make a great cleaner and wont leave your fridge smelling like harsh cleanser.
After you wipe out the crispers, line them with paper towels for easier cleaning next time.

Washing Dishes

Washing dishes can really be overwhelming. Here are some tips to make this grueling task a bit easier:

Invest in a scrubber that you can put soap in the handle. This way you can wash as you go, eliminating huge piles of dirty dishes.
Soak all dishes that have dried on food. This lets you use less elbow grease.
Wash in groups: silverware, glasses, bowls, plates, pots and pans.

Wipe Down

After the dishes are done and put away, don't forget the wipe-down. This makes your kitchen have that extra clean look. When you're wiping down, don't forget:

Counter tops
Stove
Sink
Faucets
Cupboard doors
Table
Chairs

Sweep and Mop

The very last thing you need to clean in your kitchen is the floor. There are lots of brooms and mops on the market these days. Make sure to use a broom and mop that best fit the needs of your floor.

Cleaning the bathroom is something that nobody likes to do. Unfortunately, it needs to be done, not only to make it look better, but to eliminate germs that can cause illness. Below you'll find a few tips to make cleaning your bathroom more effective and easy.

Toilet

Cleaning the toilet is a grueling job, but fortunately, it can be done fast. Here are a few steps to follow to get it done quickly:

1st-Pour some cleaner in the bowl to soak.
2nd-Wipe down the seat and outside of the bowl with an antibacterial wipe or spray cleaner.
3rd-Scrub the bowl with a toilet brush.
4th-Wipe down everything again with a dry cloth to make it shine.

Mirrors

Mirrors can be very tricky to clean because if you don't have the right tools, they can look worse than before you started. Make sure you use glass cleaner (usually blue) or vinegar, and use paper towels or newspaper to wipe them (not cloth as it will leave residue).

Bathtub

Bathtubs can be awkward to clean, because there are many hard-to-reach places. Here are a few things that may help:

Use a cleanser that will foam or bubble. This allows you to soak your tub or shower, even if it's a vertical wall.

Shop around for a tub scrubber that fits your needs. Whether it's a long-handled one or an extra firm one, pick a scrubber that will be easiest for you to use.
As mentioned earlier, spraying the tub or shower down after each use can make deep cleaning easier.

Wipe Down the Bathroom Sink

Wiping down the sink and counter is easier if you first fill the sink with hot soapy water. Keep dipping your washcloth or sponge into it until everything is clean. Don't forget to dry everything so it'll really sparkle.

Allan Wilson
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/housecleaning-tips-for-the-kitchen-and-bathroom-95447.html

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Categories: Baking Tips
♥♥ShiningStar♥♥
What are the quick housecleaning tips for busy people?
-Bathroom Cleaning
-Kitchen Cleaning
-Hardwood Floors Cleaning
-Bedrooms
Also, which chores I can do for daily ,biweekly, monthly,etc.

Need to know the start and the end areas to clean.
8 February 10 at 17:41
retmil
SWEEP THE ROOM WITH A GLANCE!
References :
8 February 10 at 23:43
Shamud
This sort of depends on how messy your home is, how quickly it becomes messy, and how busy you are.

First, prevent further clutter/disorganization.
- After you cook dinner, put the dishes in the dishwasher. Do this while you cook or immediately afterward.
- When you use the bathroom for any reason, pick up or clean one thing. Take out the trash in the morning as you leave the house.
- When you come home from work, before you take off your coat and shoes, take out the trash (and recycling or cat litter, etc).
- If you are watching TV, sweep/vacuum the floors during the commercials.

Then set up regular chores for the rest of it. If you see it in your schedule, then it won’t become as overwhelming. This of course still depends on how busy you are and how messy your house becomes, as well as if you have help from your family.

I clean my bedroom as needed, but never more than 30 minutes at a time.

We clean the bathroom thoroughly every weekend since we have 4 people in my house. This is just a toilet scrub, lysol surfaces, tub scrub and floor sweep. Takes about 15 minutes.

With any major chore, I don’t do more than 30 minutes at a time with a 30 minute break between. That’s because I don’t want to think of it as a meaningless task, but more like something I’m doing for my benefit.
References :
Busy but clean
8 February 10 at 23:45
Liz
Well I always deep clean my house once a week and do daily quick cleanups once a day. So it sounds like you need the basics of everything.
I deep clean my house every Saturday morning :)

Quick Bathroom cleaning(do these things throughout the week):

Wipe down and sanitize sink, counters, and faucets, pick 2 days a week to do it, such as Mondays and Thursdays, that way it will be a little easier when you deep clean it. You can use those quick sanitizing wipes that you can throwaway or a paper towel and a spray cleaner such as 409.

Wipe down and sanitize everywhere around the toilet bowl, (rim, lid, seat, tank)

Quickly put some disinfecting cleanser in the toilet bowl and scrub for about 15 seconds, do this throughout the week depending on how dirty it is.

Quick Kitchen Cleaning(throughout the week):

Wipe down and sanitize counters, sink, and dining table before and after dinner and breakfast and lunch, especially if you actually sit down and make a meal or if you have pets.

Clean stove after every time you use it

Quick Hardwood floors cleaning: sweep throughout the week twice a week.

Quick Bedroom cleaning:

make beds after you get up(daily)
Throw out trash when needed
Pick up stuff off the floor(daily)

Weekly Chores

Bathrooms:
Scrub and sanitize tubs/showers
Scrub and sanitize toilets
Scrub and Sanitize sinks, counters, faucets
Shine mirrors and faucets
Sweep and mop

Bedrooms and house:
Vacuuming
Freshening the house
throw away clutter
make beds
fix pillows
dust and polish furniture
clean tvs and mirrors/decorations

Kitchen:
Scrub and sanitize the sinks, counters, dining table, stove, outside of fridge
Sweep and mop

Hardwood floors:
Sweep and mop

Monthly:

Clean all windows
dust and clean ceiling fans

Supplies that really help me (just a suggestion):

409
Clorox disinfecting bathroom cleaner
Lysol power toilet bowl cleaner
ajax dishsoap lemon or orange
powdered comet
powdered ajax
soft scrub with bleach
pledge furniture polish
windex
latex gloves
mop and bucket
broom and dustpan
abrasive sponges, scrubbers, toothbrushes
paper towels, rags
disinfecting spray
fevreze air effects and fabric spray
pine sol original or lemon fresh
quality toilet brush

And as for the girl below me, it would not take you a whole day to clean your house, if you follow my daily quick cleanups

Good luck :)
References :
Me
8 February 10 at 23:47
Conde P
For one, I would NOT recomend for you to take a day to clean. Do the cleaning as you go, and maybe set a room a day so it is varied. Also, to put things away, just think of throwing/putting away i dk, 5, 10, 15 things a day (and/or per room). So it isnt that much, but everyday, at the end of the week, it adds up.

Depending on how messy it is, you need to keep in mind that unless you have a place assigned for each thing, it will be very messy especially with big and bulky things that although they may be few, they take a lot of visual space.

Bathroom
Keep a sponge by your sink, a squeegee by your shower and some cleaning product (your choice) for the toilet as well as its brush. When getting out of the shower squeege the walls so no water residue stays and no buildup forms. When you brush your teeth or wash your face at night, use the sponge or scrub to clean the sink. For the toillet, pour some of the liquid (gel or liquid) in the bowl while you take your shower so when you come out it will already be easy to scrub and clean, then just flush. The best is to have lots of storage there so you dont have a mess with the lotions, the brushes, toothpaste etc, and it would be easy to clean and mantain. Clean as you go.

Kitchen
Dishes, pots, pans, put them in the washer or in the sink asa you are done with them and soak them, just pass water on them or fill the sink with warm soapy water. When you are done eating and it is time to wash them the food will come off easier and faster. Blenders and food processors you can use also the soap and hot watter and just run them so the food will come off. If you use sponges to clean, microwave them for 15-20 seconds in a glass bowl with water so you dont spread the bacteria that is in them. For the counters it depends what material you have, but if you spray them with soapy water while you are washing the dishes, it will be easier also to clean. Stove, ovens, counters clean them daily. A lot of bacteria can grow otherwise.

Hardwood
I recomend you sweep, then if you have a sweefer or something like that use it. One picks up all the dirt, and the other the minor dust. Then, for wood you dont want to use a lot of water, so a dry mop is good. Sweeping i do daily specially if you like to have the windos open, there is a lot of people, live in a city, or go in and out a lot. You can do it during a comercial break, one room per break. The swiffer, i dk, once, twice a week, specially before moping, that way the water and mop stay cleaner. They sell many oils for wood, which are really good. You can also use some pledge on the broom or on the dry dust mop to pick it up and prevent it from sticking to the wood, just not too much and not directly otherwise it will be VERY slippery and you can fall.

Bedrooms
I dk, laundry i guess depends on the weather and how much one sweats and if you go to bed after taking a shower or not. Dusting you can do also once a week or byweekly depending on how dirty it gets. But make sure you dust everything, dust is dirt, small bugs and dead skin cells… you dont want that on your pillow do you?

Just remember that it is easier if you have less clutter, or less things that you dont use that often. For that, keep them in a closet or in a box, and just have out whatever you use so it wont be such a chore.

I hope this helps!
References :
8 February 10 at 23:49
keri
Go to fly lady

http://www.flylady.net/index.asp

Siriously I was in the same place as you. I divided my house into the five zones mentioned and it’s been much more manageable since.
References :
8 February 10 at 23:51
Very informative article. I just wanted to add a little secret to bathroom cleaning. This is especially useful to those who have glass shower doors. While they can be very nice I’m sure we all can agree that they’re a real pain to clean.

The secret is rubbing alcohol! Simply place a spry nozzle inside a bottle of rubbing alcohol, spray the doors, let sit, wipe with scrubby, and whola!

Seems a little ridiculous with all the expensive products on the market but it works wonders. I run a professional maid service and that’s what we use. It works better than anything else and the price is definitely right.
11 February 10 at 08:43