For most people, house cleaning is a bore and a bother. They grit their teeth and power through it – and while there’s no magic potion for getting your living space sparkling clean in minutes, Melissa Homer, chief cleaning officer for MaidPro, provides a few time-saving tips for tackling dirt, dust and grime:

Assemble a kit – Cleaning can be overwhelming when you’re running back and forth looking for what you need. Put all your go-to supplies in a handled plastic carry-all – cleansers, vinegar, rags, sponges, etc. It will save time and effort.

Use double-duty items – Edit the stuff you carry with you. Most  items should serve multiple purposes – like dryer sheets. You can use them to clean shower doors, to dust baseboards and moldings, and as deodorizers at the bottom of trash bins. Other good must-haves are an all-purpose cleaner for hard surfaces, a scrubbing cream cleanser for bathrooms, and white vinegar for glass.

Let cleansers do the heavy lifting – Cleansers need to soak before you scrub. Most need a minimum of 60 seconds, but almost any cleanser becomes more effective if you leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes.

Don't confuse organizing with cleaning – It’s easy to get overwhelmed or distracted trying to put everything back in its rightful place. Try putting a laundry basket in the corner of the room and fill it with objects that don't belong where you find them. Then when it's time for a break, you can pick up the basket and put everything back where it belongs. 

Have a system - MaidPro follows what the firm calls a cleaning spiral. Start with your dominant hand and pick a corner of the room. Work your way around the room, starting at the ceiling, then moving down to cabinets or hutches, then counters or tables, before ending at the floor. That way, not only do you ensure that you're hitting every spot, you're also guaranteeing that as you hit high surfaces, dust and grime won't fall onto the areas you've already cleaned.

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