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If you’re anything like me, you love the idea of having a home that doesn’t give you anxiety because everywhere you turn there’s a chore vying for your time and attention. You want a home that is clean. Peaceful. Relaxed. A home that, while not always perfect, doesn’t cause embarrassment when an unexpected guest drops by.
As with almost everything else in life, it’s the little consistent habits we form that help curate the life we want. This holds true for our health. Our finances. Our relationships. And even the cleanliness of our home. I love having a weekly cleaning day. For me, it’s Friday. I purposefully schedule a very light work load (read about my work from home job HERE) with the goal of cleaning away the busyness of the week so I can enjoy the weekend ahead. I have the things that I clean weekly, but there are always other things that, before I know it, are accumulating dust and grime and need to be addressed. These are things I like to address once a month, once a quarter, or even once a year.
5 things you should add into your monthly cleaning schedule…
1. Floorboards
Materials:
Bucket
Duster (THESE are made for baseboards)
Floorboards are something that can easily get missed in the cleaning schedule. Especially if you’re pressed for time. But leave these alone for too long, and they’ll accumulate dust, dirt and grime like nobody’s business. The method for cleaning them depends largely on what type of floorboards you have and how dirty they’ve become. A cloth and light cleaning solution might be sufficient, but you might also need a brush and a stronger commercial-grade solution.
2. Vent Covers
Materials:
Vent covers are really easy to remove and clean and doing so will make a world of difference in appearance. My preferred method is to remove the covers and wash them with a little bit of simple dish soap. If removing them is a harder task for you, whether due to location (vents are up high) or because they are difficult to remove then you could try using a microfiber duster. For me, these don’t get them as clean as I would like, so I only use a duster between deep cleaning if I want a quick little “sprucing up”.
3. Lamp Shades
Materials:
Easiest way to clean a dusty lamp shade? Lint roll those babies. Seriously, so easy. I don’t even have anything else to say as this keeps my lamp shades looking beautiful.
4. Shower Heads
Materials:
Vinegar
My preferred method to clean shower heads is using a water and vinegar cleaning solution with a 1:1 ratio. My shower heads screw right off so I simply place them in a bucket with the vinegar solution and allow them to soak for about 15 minutes. Then, I do little scrubbing, rinse, and voila, I’m done. If your shower heads don’t come off or are just too difficult to get off, then you can put the vinegar solution in a Ziploc bag and tie the bag to the spout so the shower head is immersed in the solution. I’ve tried this once, and while doable, it was easier for me to just take the shower heads off.
5. Dishwasher
Materials:
Ew, the dishwasher. This is one of my least favorite things to deep clean, but it’s also one of those things that everyone SHOULD deep clean. And regularly. First thing you want to do is take out the filter and clean that baby. If you’re one of those people who didn’t even know this needs to be done…trust me, it’ll be nasty. I do it regularly, and while we rinse our dishes well before putting them in the dishwasher, it’s still gross. So, take it out and get it nice and clean. Then make sure you clean out the area where the door meets the dishwasher, as this part never gets clean from the inside, but you also don’t see it from the outside. Lastly, use dishwasher cleaning tablets. I, personally, have used and liked these. Follow the instructions and boom, clean dishwasher!
If you make and follow a cleaning list, you’ll be surprised at 1.) how much easier cleaning days are and 2.) how much more relaxing your home will be in between cleaning days.
If you have any other cleaning tips, tricks, comments, or questions, please join the conversation!
Life is short, let’s live it mindfully.
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