Keeping your home clean and healthy can sometimes feel like an uphill battle – dust just seems to reappear the moment you put all your cleaning bits and pieces away, and stains and other muck turn up all over the place. But although it might feel impossible to keep your home clean, especially when you’ve got children, it’s also an important thing to do, especially if you have children – a clean home tends to be a healthy one, so it’s vital for everyone’s wellbeing.
The good news is there are some useful hacks you can use to give you the cleaner, healthier household you’ve been wanting, and all without too much extra effort from you and the others in your home. With that in mind, keep reading to find out what some of these tips are so you can put them into practice sooner rather than later.
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Upgrade Your Water Quality
The water running through your home does a lot more than just keep you all hydrated (which is important, of course) – it also affects your cleaning routine. Hard water, which contains minerals like calcium, can leave stubborn stains and streaks behind on glass, taps, sinks, counters… you name it. So although you’re cleaning, it doesn’t ever look clean. And it’s also notorious for making soap less effective, which means you end up scrubbing harder and using more cleaning products.
One solution is to install a salt-free water conditioner, which reduces the effects of hard water without adding any sodium to your water supply – that’s perfect when it comes to health and cleanliness. Not only does this help to keep surfaces clean and it stops appliances getting mineral buildup, but it’s also better for the environment and your health, and your skin and hair will look and feel better as well, so it’s a win-win (win) no matter how you look at it.
Declutter
Clutter is definitely not a good thing to have in your home because it makes it look messy and it makes cleaning much harder – you’ll either have to move a load of things around to clean under them, or you’ll leave them in place and that way not everything gets cleaned. But that’s not the only reason you should have a regular declutter a few times a year – as well as the dust and allergens that can build up, there’s a psychological impact as well, and clutter has been proven to cause stress.
The good thing is that decluttering doesn’t have to be an overwhelming job, even if that’s how it feels when you first get started. If you start small and focus on just one room at a time (or even one drawer at a time if it’s really hard to feel the motivation), you’ll find you can get more done. It’s also wise to try the ‘one in, one out rule’, which means that for every new item you bring into your home, you have to donate or throw out an old one. That way, you’ll really think before you buy anything new and you’ll only make purchases you actually need (which not only reduces clutter, but also saves you money).
Use Natural Cleaning Methods
Natural cleaning products aren’t just better for the planet – they’re also safer and healthier for your family, but they’ll do a great job when it comes to cleaning up, so it’s well worth trying them out. You can buy them ready-made, but that could be costly, especially when they’re easy to make at home – and it could become a family activity that helps to teach your kids about saving money and taking care of a home, and those are definitely useful skills for the future.
For example, if you want to make an all-purpose cleaner, you’ll need to mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle, and perhaps add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to make it smell nice. And baking soda is always a good thing to have in your cupboard because it’s fantastic for stains and burnt-on grime on your hob, as well as being a good natural deodorizer for your carpets and soft furnishings.
Control Dust
Dust can feel like an endless problem, but you can fight back and win! First, you’ll need a high-quality air purifier because that’s going to catch the airborne dust and allergens that could be causing you problems with health and keeping your home clean.
And when you’re dusting, work from the top to the bottom – start with ceiling fans and light fixtures before moving to shelves and furniture. Plus, use a microfiber cloth instead of the traditional feather duster because that’ll catch the dust rather than spread it around.
