~10 Step Speed Cleaning ~ Day 11 Cleaning & Organizing Your Home and Your Life

10 Step Speed Cleaning

Okay! We should be just about through cleaning out and organizing our homes. The piles have been gone through and all put away, thrown away or given away.  But if you're not there yet, that's okay.  Just stay with it until it's done.  Because the weight that will be lifted from you is going to be soooo worth the effort you are putting into your home right now! 

As I promised you on Friday, we are going to start tackling the daily or weekly cleaning tasks. Using the tips I'm going to be giving you will help you cut your cleaning time way down!! 

I'm not going to overwhelm you today with how to clean your whole home.
What I'm going to tell you today is the correct supplies you will need to get the jobs done right and with as little effort as possible.
If you use the right products they will do most of the work for you!  Now isn't that what we want our money going too?

When I started cleaning homes many years ago I came across the book SPEED CLEANING written by Jeff Campbell  that was worth its weight in gold.
I do most of the things suggested and have tweaked a few that work better for me since I work alone.

I have also tried many, many products along the way and the ones listed here are what I have found to work the best for me and also aren't too expensive.

I'm also going to give you a condensed version of the strategies I use in cleaning. 

So Let's Get Started!!

Cleaning Supplies:

• Carry-All Caddy
• permanent storage for all your supplies
• Plastic Bucket
• for mop water
• when you are finished you can put your wet cloths inside
• Cleaning Apron   (picture coming soon)
• 7 pockets to hold all your cleaning supplies while you are cleaning

Inside the Carry-All Caddy place these:

• 409 Spray Cleaner 
• All-Purpose Cleaner

• Dollar Store Window Cleaner
• clean mirrors & windows
• Bleach
• removes mold & mildew 
• pour 1 T. bleach to 1 c. water
• "The Works" Shower Cleaner (Dollar General & Walmart)
• removes soap scum, rust stains, mineral deposits, hard water spots
• low cost works great 
• "The Works" Toilet Bowl Cleaner (Dollar General & Walmart)
• it disinfects and dissolves rust, lime and mineral deposits
• great for well water dark stains and also for septic tanks
• low cost works great
• 2 Plastic Spray Bottles
1. for Bleach Solution
2. "The Works" Shower Cleaner (it comes in a squirt bottle)
• Duster
• I use Swiffer 360 º dusters 
• ostrich feather duster are great too
• Cleaning Cloths (pure white cotton)
• white "flour sack" towels (Walmart) are best &  baby diapers also work great
• for wiping and cleaning 
• Pledge Furniture Spray
• Cleans fingerprints off furniture and  polishes at the same time
• Furniture Dusting Cloths
• micro-fiber (don't use with furniture spray) & those felt type dusting cloths (use these w/ furniture polish)
• Bar Keepers Friend or Bon Ami
• they're  fine grit and good to use on tough stains in sinks & tub 
• 2 qt. Plastic Pitcher with a handle only connected at the top of the pitcher so it stays in place in caddy
• this has a 1 fold purpose
1. holds your brushes and sponges
2. use to rinse shower and tub
• Rubber Gloves
• keep the germs and yuck away from your hands
• Toilet Bowl Brush
• get one that has stiff bristles. You DO NOT want one with the twisted wire that holds the bristles. The wire can leave scratches that WILL NOT come off
• Tile Brush
• this is a wide brush with synthetic bristles and a handle (guys use these for their tires)
• Use for tub, shower wall, shower floor 
• 2 Scotch-Brite Blue Scrub Sponges
• soft enough to not damage your appliances and tough enough to do the job well
• 1 for kitchen and 1 for bathrooms
• Plastic Zip Bags & 4 clips to hold bag in place on apron
• To line the lower pockets of the apron
1. is for debris 
2. is for your wet sponge
• Stiff Tooth Brush or Grout Brush
• Not for your teeth! This is great to use around faucet handles, grout, drains 
• Plastic Scraper (plastic putty knife works great)
• this is to scrap tough globs of stuff
• Razor Blade Scraper (I found mine in the paint department at Home Depot)
• this is great to get that brown yuck off the top of your pop-up toaster

Extra items you will need

• Mop (I like Libman Wonder Mop)
•  the mop head comes off and you throw it into the washer after each use and this give you a CLEAN Mop each and every time!) Also gets into tight spots and is great to run over the tops of the baseboards too.
• Vacuum Cleaner w/attachments
• To clean carpets, blinds,mattress, drapes, etc. 
• Broom & Dust Pan
• hard surface floors and to sweep between baseboards & carpets edge 
• Dust Mop 
• To clean debris from hard surface floors

I know this seem like a lot of things, but trust me you will or should be using them all every time you clean.

Okay Here We Go!!!!

Strategy!

1.  Work around the room once. Not back and forth! Carry your equipment with you.  Don't leave the vacuum in the room you just left only to have to go back and get it for this room. Walk around the room one time. Leaving the floor for last!
2. Use the correct tools for the job. Don't try and scrap a glop that is so stuck on that the scrapper won't move it, spray cleaner and let it sit while you wipe the rest of that counter then it will be ready to go!  
3. Put on some fast music. This will help make your movements faster and also help take your mind off the mess at hand
4. Always work in a clockwise direction in each room. Work from Top to Bottom
5. If it isn't dirty don't waste your time cleaning it.  Vertical surfaces and high up places collect little dust. So save them for that deep Spring Cleaning Time. 
6. Spray once wipe once. Stop spraying and wiping a surface before it's clean. Feel with your fingers (yes even through the gloves you can do this) to "see" if the stuck on stuff is dissolved and released before you try to wipe it dry. 
7. Stop working on an area after it's clean. Rinse or wipe and move on!
8. Change what your doing when the tool or solution you are using isn't working. 
9. Replace your equipment as needed. They can only work as good as they are.  You will work less!
10. Remember to make every movement count. Always use both of your hands.  While one sprays let the other wipe. Or as you wipe let the other pick up items to clean under.

Tomorrow I'm going to go more in-depth in cleaning the Kitchen. So please come back. I'm full of tricks that will cut your cleaning time in half! 

♥Please if you have any questions about anything I've shared with you or you have ideas that you would like to share leave a note below by clicking on the "Comment" link at the bottom of this post and I will do my best to get you a quick answer. Also I have mentioned many items and locations to purchase them. I do not get any money or kick back for doing so. I am merely trying to make it easier for you to locate the items. Thank you so much for your visit here today and I hope you were able to glean something from it.

Encouragement For The Spirit: Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should. Psalm 90:12

Blessings  ♥

Betsy