Time-Saving Cleaning Tips

by (StatePoint) ◊ Aug 19, 2011

Household chores are nobody’s idea of a good time. But, the more time your family spends enjoying your home, the dirtier it seems to get – with all those muddy footprints, spilled drinks and stains clinging to your carpets, wood floors, upholstery, and even your garage floor.

Here are some shortcuts to make tough household chores easier:

Do Double Duty
Time is precious, so start multitasking! Do the laundry while simultaneously cleaning the bathroom and vacuuming your living room. 

Start by tossing a load into the washing machine. While it cleans, spray your bathroom tub, sink, tiles, and toilet with a multipurpose cleaner. Don’t start scrubbing, yet. Instead, let the cleaner start working on the dirt while you vacuum the living room. Then wipe down your bathroom surfaces and move your laundry from the washer to the dryer. 

Another way to save time and money is by using a cleaning product that also can multitask. Instead of having different cleaners, use one powerful mess remover, such as Goof Off Heavy Duty Spot Remover & Degreaser, which works both inside and outside your house on many surfaces. This way you can use the same cleaner to remove spots, stains, spills, and greasy messes on wood, tile floors, linoleum, walls, upholstery, and even clothing. 

Dust Smarter
Dusting shouldn’t be about pushing debris from one surface to another and wasting time in the process. Move faster by trying a favorite trick of many time-pressed homemakers: use a lint roller to remove dust on drapes and cloth lampshades. 

And, to quickly keep drapes and upholstery fabrics fresh, try using your iron’s steam setting and gently hover over the fabric. 

Attack the Garage
Lawn furniture, tools, and sporting equipment are magnets for dust and grime. And, it sometimes seems every greasy mess imaginable has taken over your garage floor. The trick to attacking your garage is to get things off the floor and use powerful cleaners that minimize scrubbing time. 

Start by using hooks to hang ladders, tools, and bicycles. Once you can see the floor, it’s time to hit the floor. Car oil is one of the most difficult stains, owing to its makeup. Use a heavy duty cleaner and degreaser with a micro-emulsion formula that penetrates deep into grease. Just apply, agitate it a bit with a stiff brush, and wipe away those stains without using too much of your own elbow grease.

“A comfortable, lived-in home is going to get dirty, but you can attack tough household messes with the right cleaner that will clean mistakes both inside and outside your home‚” says Tim Whelan, Sr. Brand Manager at W.M. Barr, the only national manufacturer of specialty solvents, removers, cleaning, and surface prep products.

For more tips on cleaning, visit www.goof-off.com. 

Cleaning your home may not be fun, but it needn’t be the most time-consuming chore.

Photo: Save time with multi-tasking solutions. ©Monkey Business - Fotolia.com