Best cleaning tips: how to keep your home clean and tidy

This blog post is sponsored by Mr. Muscle.

Call me weird, but I’ve always enjoyed cleaning house. I think there is something so therapeutic about being able to organize, throw out, and clean out your living space, that I try to do it as often as I can. It is one of those things that gives me such a great sense of satisfaction. I think the fact that it involves a lot of my time, energy and thought (especially when I’m re-organizing a room) makes it all the more satisfying for me. I mean, I am the happiest when I see our bathroom nice and gleaming (especially when our toilet bowls are super clean, thanks to Mr. Muscle). Seriously, I am completely at peace when I see that everything is in its proper place, organized and absolutely clean.

Because I love cleaning and organizing so much, I’ve decided to write a blog post about it. This is long overdue, as I’ve barely touched on the subject in my past blog posts. And come to think of it, I never really got to share any useful cleaning advice! I thought, while I purge my closet of dresses, tops, bottoms, makeup, perfume, shoes, and accessories, I might as well share my thoughts about cleaning and organizing (these two go hand in hand). Especially now that we don’t have any household help or yaya for Tristan, well, I am more hands on with my son and my home more than ever before. I’ve become more mindful of my time, because I don’t really have enough to do everything in one day. So, I make sure to do things efficiently, which brings me to my first tip.

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Invest on effective cleaning products.

One thing I’ve learned through all these years of cleaning is that you finish the job much quicker and easier when you’re using great, truly effective products. I’ve tried it all and more, and yes, there is a reason why I stay loyal to certain products. It’s because I know they help me clean faster, because they work so well! For instance, I keep my toilets super clean, white and shiny by using MrMuscle®Foaming Bleach Gel (a new discovery I am so happy about)! I’ve tried other brands before just to see the difference, and I really come back to this brand: MrMuscle®because its range of products clean so well. What makes Mr. Muscle Foaming Bleach Gel different from your regular bleach is that it foams and freshens the surface area for a more powerful cleaning (I swear, its amazing). I mean, cleaning toilet bowls may be the least favorite thing for me to clean, but it just makes the task so much faster because it works so well. When I’m done, my toilet is gleaming and shiny and most importantly, clean. Tip: leave Mr. Muscle Foaming Bleach Gel to sit for 5 minutes before brushing the toilet bowl and flushing. This cuts cleaning time, and allows the product to do all the hard work. Apart from this, beefing up your cleaning tools like sponges, scrubs, cleaning cloths, a good broom set, vacuum cleaner, etc will help you do things faster and better.

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Create a cleaning schedule that works for you.

This idea will save you from breaking down and accepting defeat when all your tasks seem to pile up. You know how they say we women are great at multitasking? Well, some of us (raising my hand) are not, and for me, what keeps me from getting stressed and overwhelmed is to make a checklist or a schedule and tick smaller tasks off one by one. No doing things at the same time–I really have to advise against it, because you need to concentrate on one thing so you can do it well. And then tick it off the list to get that satisfaction (works for me).

What I mean by a cleaning schedule is spreading out household chores and organizing throughout the week so you don’t just do it one time, big time. When this happens, you usually drown in the amount of things you need to do, create more mess and end up not finishing the tasks. This has happened to me many times before, which is why I only do things one at a time (it helps if you can concentrate on one room at a time, one section, or one drawer). And when you’re done, you can rest. We mommas have to understand that we can’t do it all in one day!

Spreading out tasks throughout the week will lighten your workload significantly (and you won’t get overwhelmed): for example, Mondays are for cleaning the kitchen (empty refrigerator and wipe down, clean out microwave/stove, straighten drawers/cupboards, scrub cabinet fronts, etc); Tuesdays are for straightening out your bedroom (change bedsheets, put away stray items, clean fans and aircon filters, vacuum floor/rugs); Wednesdays are for cleaning the bathroom (wash rugs, straighten drawers/cabinets, clean toilets with Mr. Muscle as well as the shower enclosure); Thursdays can be for the living room (wipe down furniture and mirrors, clean/vacuum the rugs, clean/vacuum the couch, put away stray items); Fridays can be for fixing the kids’ room/s (organizing the toys, throwing out broken toys or donating to charity, change bedsheets, put away stray items, clean fans and aircon filters, vacuum floor/rugs); Saturdays can be dedicated to laundry (spend the day washing and drying clothes, bedsheets), and maybe having the car cleaned/washed; and Sundays are for creating the meal guide for the week and doing the groceries.

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If you’re too busy, delegate.

If you have household help, then great, you can make them follow your cleaning schedule. Being this organized helps you manage your expectations, and if you feel like you can double their work load and make them do more tasks, then by all means do it. This should work to how you want things and with the number of helping hands you have. I am coming from a no household help situation here, so adjust accordingly. Another ideal scenario is having your husband and kids help you with the process. Including them in the cleaning process will make them think twice of messing any room up, because they will have to do it all over again. This might take time to implement, but I know some mommas who do it and it works for the whole family. I’ve been teaching my toddler to clean up after his mess, and most of the time it works when I make a game of it.

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Declutter and purge things you don’t use.

This is the hardest part for me, because I have emotional attachment to certain things in the house. But I’ve learned that cleaning out your home of unnecessary things allows you to breathe better and ultimately makes cleaning easier. Having to constantly create organized piles is time-consuming and taxing. What you really want is to have a place for all of your things, so its easier to wipe down, sweep, dust and vacuum the general area.

I’ve learned that if you cant find a space for your things, it means two things: (1) you need a bigger house haha (not all of us can afford to level up our homes unfortunately), or (2) you have too many things and you need to purge/sell/get rid of/donate some items. I’ve always gotten rid of my clothes, shoes, bags, accessories thru garage sales, and for my pricier items, I’ve created an Instagram account for this (follow @shop_kellymisa). I admit, this can be quite a difficult task, especially if you’re the type who gets attached to her items. But if it is just there, collecting dust for more than two years, it has to go. Unless, of course, it truly makes you happy. Then keep it. I have to say though, there’s something great about having a clean, neat and tidy home. It gives you a sense of peace and relaxation, and makes it easier for you to find all the other things you actually use.

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Clean less, live more.

Being efficient with your time by planning ahead, getting the help you need and equipping yourself with hardworking cleaning arsenal make all the difference when it comes to cleaning your home. I love the fact that I only need to clean for a short amount of time (thanks to great products like Mr. Muscle), so I can spend more time with my family, and sneak in other work that make me happy. Being able to do things like play with my son Tristan, shop online on my favorite sites, edit my vlog posts, write more on my blog, and spend time with my girlfriends are things I like to do when all the house cleaning is done. And I love that I can do more of these things rather than spend the whole day cleaning.