Any shortcut tips on household chores?
By SusanLee
@SusanLee (1920)
United States
March 1, 2009 2:46pm CST
Do any of you have shortcuts for making some chores around the house a bit easier?
A few things do are as follows.
I keep a toilet brush, toilet cleaner, sanitizing spray and a roll of paper towels in the corner, next to and behind each toilet. I am more likely to stay on top of it if everything I need is right there when the notion strikes me. Many times I needed to clean the nasty thing but didn't because I was just to sorry to go gather up my supplies.
Next thing I do that has really helped with my shower is I keep my Comet, and a scrubber in the shower on the top shelf.
After I take a shower, if I and feel like it, I'll just stay in there and scrub the thing down. Doesn't matter if I get wet cause I'm already wet, and no kneeling and leaning over trying to keep my clothes dry. This way I actually clean it real good once or twice a week where before I might let it go by for months because I just didn't want to do all the kneeling, bending and leaning over.
I also keep a fiber cleaning cloth on one of those stick on wash rag things that sticks on the mirror. I'm a sink slob, after I have brush my teeth and washed my face, the mirror is streaked with toothpaste and water drops. I just grab the rag and wipe the mirror down. (for years I thought my kids were the ones making the mirror nasty, imagine my surprise when we bought a new home and my husband and I had our own bathroom and our own sink. I couldn't believe that all those years I was the culprit lol)
So, do you have anything that could help me out?
1 person likes this
5 responses
@mommamusic (882)
• United States
2 Mar 09
We have well water and i am sure most people knows it stains,i hate it.I keep a spray bottle in the shower so after each shower spray the shower down good along with the glass doors,this really cuts down on the scrubbing time whenit is time for that weekly clening.
@SusanLee (1920)
• United States
2 Mar 09
I have been living with well water for the last 31 years and I have lived with all those dratted mineral deposits on my sinks and stuff.
Do you buy water in jugs for your spray bottle? That is an amazing tip.
We could get a water softener, but who can afford the upkeep? We can't.
Again, that is an ingenious tip.
@mommamusic (882)
• United States
3 Mar 09
WEll at one point we were buying the water for kinds of things and still do.But now every being so high,i either have my son bring water from town or i will boil a soup pot full with some salt in it then add a drop of vingar in it,let it cool and fill my bottles.
1 person likes this
@sysdexlicwriter (1619)
• United States
1 Mar 09
I got the biggest kick out of your statement about you and the mirror.
The shower thing sounds like a great idea.
I like to use the vacuum cleaner for cleaning up hair dropped in the bathroom on counters and floors before hitting the area with a wet rag or mop.
In the kitchen, I like to stack the dirty dishes neatly so that the job doesn't look too big. Then I'm happier to tackle it. First I put the eating dishes in to soak in the sink and then spray the counters with a good all purpose cleaner and let it soak for a few minutes. Before long the dishes are done. A couple minutes of soaking makes the job go fast and in the middle of that the counters are wiped down with a paper towel. Everything starts to sparkle. Oh, don't forget the pans. I soak them in a little water and soap as long as they are not cast iron and off we go with the cleaning of the pans. A few swipes with the broom on the floor or a rag and the kitchen is at least presentable.
I like to make a note of all those jobs that take less than a few minutes. For some reason I forget those on a whole. Those are the jobs of wiping the door knobs, the phone, dusting an item here or there, polishing the outside of the refrigerator and stove, watering plants, etc. Those are fun to do while talking on the cordless phone with a friend. Before you know it you were able to enjoy a good talk and the house is much cleaner.
1 person likes this
@SusanLee (1920)
• United States
2 Mar 09
Come live with me! lol
I pretty much do my dishes the same way you do. For the most part I'm organized when I clean my kitchen (at least I use to be). I always clean-up behind myself when I cook too.
It's getting all the other stuff done that has started to drag me down. I looked at your profile and you are only a few years older than me.
My one passion in life when I was first married, and pretty well through the years, was housekeeping. I loved to clean my house. Just putting everything in order and making sure everything was clean like it should be gave me a lot of joy.
Well something has definitely changed over the last few years or so. Now I resent cleaning up after people. I feel like they are inconsiderate and take to much for granted.
It's the little things they do that frosts my butt. Like after they see me clean-up the kitchen, instead of taking a second to open the dishwasher and put their dirty glass in it, they just throw it in the sink. I now make a point to let them know what I expect and why.
I don't want to spend my time cleaning when I could be doing other things, and when I do other things, I don't want these messes waiting on me.
Another thing I have done is get a dust mop, it has really helped in the place of sweeping the kitchen and bathrooms. I have a good vacuum, I just don't want to put all the attachments together.
Oh well, one day I can go live in the Old Folks Home and they can do all the cleaning up after me lolololol.
@sysdexlicwriter (1619)
• United States
2 Mar 09
I figure it's a trade off. No people, no mess. I would rather have the people, but they better leave those filthy shoes at the door and why couldn't they just wiped them before they got in the house, I have two mats, or better yet go through the garage and take those dirty things off out there. Oh does it ever end.
The other day when I was soaking dishes and everyone was home, I get so tired of them adding dishes on top of the water just there floating around with no water in them. I came up with a great idea. I took all the dirty pans and piled them up another foot over the rim of the sink. I finally won, they didn't mess up my fresh dish water. Isn't that funny that I should care. I think it's time for the snow to melt and me to go for a walk. I did get a lot of puzzled looks as they passed by the sink. LOL
1 person likes this
@melissapalardy (213)
• United States
1 Mar 09
i find that if i play the radio when i am cleaning then i will get the whole house done very quickly. i am so busy listening to the radio that before i know it the house is done and it really didn't take that long.
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
1 Mar 09
My fiance and I don't yet have a house so we don't have very much cleaning responsibilities. I wanted to stop by and say that those are some very good suggestions as to ways to clean, and not get lazy about it. Right now my fiance and I dust our room and we clean the kitchen. The only tip I can give you there is to sweep several times a week instead of just once a week. My fiance and I sweep and clean the kitchen on trash night, but there will be times that I sweep the kitchen on other days so it's not so much on Wednesday.
Great Discussion! I am sure there are lots of tips out there just waiting to be mentioned! Have a wonderful day!
1 person likes this
@kquiming (2997)
• Philippines
2 Mar 09
Lol. pretty useful advice. i don't have much to share, haha, except this one, for those who are really busy to cook a decent meal (and pls don't take this too seriously) ---- fried eggs in the morning, ommelettes for lunch, and boiled eggs for dinner in the evening. HAHA. Sometimes I have to bear with that..
1 person likes this
That's good, and we could do it too because my husbands hobby at the moment is chickens, we have so many eggs that we share them with family and friends.