Sunday, February 19, 2006

Things to clean in 15 minutes.

If you don't have clutter under control these 15 minute exercises will take an hour or longer. Follow this one rule: Never leave a room empty handed – never. When you leave a room, look around for items that have not been used for three or four weeks. Either toss them, give them away, recycle or put them in their proper place.

Keep current magazines in a rack by the side of a chair. Do not keep an entire magazine for one or two articles. (there are exceptions) Purchase a two to three inch 3 ring binder and tabs. Remove any article you wish to keep punching holes in it with a three hole punch. Label a tab for the appropriate title adding the article. Not only does it get rid of the magazine but you can actually find the article when you need it.

Immediately refill your bottles when you finish cleaning. That way they are ready to tackle those unexpected spills. Keep everything stored in one place. Use a tote tray and not an apron for holding your cleaners and brushes. Aprons are a hazard waiting to happen let alone the weight hanging around your neck.

For the quick fifteen minute cleanups keep a spray bottle of our diluted Bi-O-Kleen or Ion-A-Clean, (the best stain remover I've ever used and the reason I carry it) in the kitchen along with a towel or two. For those of you with chemical allergies, Ion-A-Clean is a must. It contains no chemicals, surfactants or cleaning agents of any kind. It's so safe a fish will live in it yet it is a remarkable cleaner. You will love what it does and how easily it removes nearly all carpet stains including magic marker. Click on Ion-A-Kleen to read more.

The secret to speed cleaning no matter how much or how little time you have is to keep focused and work up a sweat. Put on some fast paced music and move quickly. Get your heartbeat raised and a sweat on your brow. Your body will love you and you will love the additional time you have.

Homework: Grab a clipboard and piece of paper. Walk through each room of your home as if for the first time. Using a critical eye, list everything that needs cleaning both quick and long job like pulling out cabinets and cleaning inside under and around them and the wall behind them. Include cleaning walls, windows to easier chores like dusting cobwebs or removing clutter or perhaps decorating changes you want to make. By each chore, mark how long you think it will take. ie: 15 minutes 30 minutes and hour half a day or maybe a whole day.

Here is a sample for what you want to achieve for a 15 minute cleaning job. You don't need this much detail but it gives you an idea of my concept behind "giving your product time to work." Soak one surface while you clean another. You use your time efficiently which is the essence of speed cleaning. Now apply this concept to everything you do.  

15 minute cleaning suggestions:

Kitchen: Begin filling the sink with hot sudsy water. Place a coffee cup half filled with water in the microwave - if it's dirty - and turn it on high for 3 minutes. Remove the drip pans from the stove putting them in the sink to soak. Spray the stove top with the Bi-O-Kleen or Ion-A-Clean. Time: 3 minutes.

Grab an SOS pad and scrub the drip pans then the grates. Wipe down the microwave with a towel then clean the front of the stove, spray the hood and under the hood and clean them. Then wipe the stove top. Time: 7 minutes.

Remove the bins from the refrigerator and spritz down the bottom of the refrigerator. Dump the contents of the bins on the counter and toss old fruits and veggies. Run hot sudsy water in the bins. Then wipe down the bottom of the refrigerator, clean and dry the bins and return the fruits and veggies. Spray down the top and exterior of the refrigerator and wipe it clean. Time: 5 minutes.

Here are a few other ideas for 15 minute cleaning jobs:
1)Dust cobwebs
2)Declutter one room
3)Clean lampshades or ceiling fans
4)Clean sliding glass doors (apply just a bit of our Advantage Waterless Wash and Protectant to your sliding glass doors and fingerprints will have a difficult time sticking if they stick at all.
5)Dust miniblinds
6) Wipe down the fronts of kitchen cabinets or the bathroom cabinets – our diluted Wood Care is excellent for this
7)Dust baseboards in one section of your home
8)Clean the inside of a cabinet and toss anything that is over a year old
8)enjoy a cup of tea!

This article may only be reprinted giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at http://www.goclean.com. Copyright @2005 All rights reserved worldwide.