It's not that I hate cleaning, I don't, but I do hate cleaning with a toddler! Finding time to vacuum between naps and meal times is hard enough, but when you clean something and then seconds later it's covered in partially chewed biscuit or squashed cheese it's just a tiny bit annoying!
I'm always on the look out for things that can help me save time and effort during my cleaning routine. Whether it's a quick and easy hack or a fantastic new product to make your house super clean at the push of a button ( just like my rather fancy Vax Dual Power Pro carpet cleaner) I'm keen to try it out.Some of my favorite cleaning hacks are simply but very effective, especially if you're a parent with very little time.
Baby wipes are your friend
Find me a parent who says they don't use baby wipes for EVERYTHING, and I'll tell you they're lying! As a parent I've found out how amazing baby wipes actually are, not only do they help keep little bums nice and clean they're perfect for removing any remaining make up you may have left at the end of the day, removing sticky finger marks on any surface, creating a nice shine on a tiled floor and even removing soap gunk from taps. They're so handy and easy to use. They might have anti bacterial properties but for simple cleaning tasks, they're ideal.
The best cleaning product that's not really a cleaning product
Bicarbonate of Soda is one of the most helpful, multi tasking, cupboard essentials you'll ever need. Forget using it in cakes, you need to use it to clean. It does so many things, amazingly well and technically it's not even a cleaning product!
Anyone with a child will know they love to share their bodily fluids. Whether it's the awful stench of projectile vomit or the explosive nappy that finds it was down chubby thighs and then trodden into your once gleaming cream carpet, there's always something smelly coming from your child. Whilst you may be able to clean up the mess quite easily, the smell often lingers, particularly on carpets or sofas. That is, until you use Bicarb. Sprinkle it over the dirty patch and leave for as long as physically possible (overnight if you can) it neutralises and gets rid of the smell and is easily vacuumed up leaving no trace. It is probably one of my favorite cleaning hacks, it works, it's simple and costs pennies to do.
Bicarb can be used for some many things, some of my favorite uses are : -
- Create a paste and use it to clean the grouting between your bathroom tiles. It cleans better than any cleaning product I've ever found and l has no headache inducing aroma.
- Soak your kitchen sponges and cloths in bicarb and water, it gets rid of nasty smells and makes them look like new.
- It's great for getting burnt bits off your pans. I always soak the Yorkshire pudding tin in a mixture if bicarb and water, it gets rid of that nasty greasy feeling and burnt pudding mix.
Get your kids to help
I try and encourage the little man to help me clean, now this doesn't always work I'll admit BUT I do feel it might help in years to come. When I get the vacuum cleaner out, the little man drags his own out (which looks very similar to mine and actually picks up small bits from the carpet) and pushes it round the room like me. He also has a little sweeping brush which he sweeps the kitchen floor with. I try to explain what I'm doing when he's watching me clean in the hope that when he's about 7 he might clean the entire house for me while I sit with my feet up - here's hoping!
With my growing list of cleaning hacks I think we might have cracked the cleaning inside, my next challenge is the garden. I think I might need the Vax PowerWash 2500w, it looks like it would make cleaning the patio and bricks into a complete hack too!
