Everything on my Pinterest and Facebook feeds say it’s time for deep cleaning. But everything in my life–work deadlines, kids to run every which way, time-sensitive errands, and three meals a day to make–every single thing in my life tells me it’s NOT the time for deep cleaning.
If you’re busy, busy, busy too, and don’t have hours to spend in deep-cleaning mode, try the busy girl’s guide to deep cleaning. These are five hacks that you’ll actually use to hopefully cut your deep cleaning time in half!
The Busy Girl’s Guide to Deep Cleaning
I’m basing these five hacks on the biggest trouble areas I have in my house; areas that I never seem to get to from lack of time.
Trouble Area 1: Hard Water Stains on Fixtures
All cleaning should be like this–just treat and leave. Intended to get hard water stains off of shower heads, this method rocks for busy girls like you and me. Simply fill a zip top bag with vinegar, immerse your shower head, tie the bag, and wait an hour. No scrubbing needed! Now that’s my kind of deep cleaning!
Do the same to other fixtures. Lemon juice works similarly on hard water stains. When the tray on my fridge (where the water and ice come out) gets disgusting, I pour half a bottle of lemon juice in a bowl and soak it for an hour. Hard water stains gone!
Trouble Area 2: Dusty Baseboards
Once every blood moon I have time to get to my baseboards. Poor things must feel so neglected…and dusty too. Here’s a genius hack! Hire your kids (or the neighbor trying to earn money for camp) to clean the surface of your baseboards with dryer sheets. Not only does this cool method clean the dust and smell wonderful, but prevents future dust from building up!
Trouble Area 3: the Crusty Oven
Does anyone love cleaning their oven? Besides Martha Stewart? I certainly don’t…don’t love it and don’t clean my oven. Ugh. But the crusties from oozing sweet potatoes, melting cheese, and dripping syrups do tend to build up. So, want the coolest quick hack for deep cleaning your oven? If you’ve been on your hands and knees scouring, then sister you’ve been doing it wrong!
Try this apply-and-go trick:
- Remove your oven racks, mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda with enough water to make a paste. Spread the paste on all inner oven surfaces and let it sit overnight (12 hours).
- The next day, wipe out the majority of the baking soda with a wet rag and then spritz all surfaces with vinegar (from a spray bottle).
- Turn the oven on the lowest temperature for 20 minutes to let dry.
To clean your dirty oven window, apply another baking soda paste and let sit for 30 minutes, then wipe clean.
Gotta love apply-and-go cleaning!
Trouble Area 4: Scratches on Wood Floors and Tables
If you’ve got animals with claws, or children with toys, you’ve probably got scratches on your wood floors and tables. Don’t consider them goners yet! Try this busy girl hack to quickly fix scratches in wood yourself:
Mix 1/2 cup vinegar with 1/2 cup of olive oil and apply to scratched wood.
Trouble Area 5: Grout
In the five years I’ve lived in my house, I don’t recall ever deep cleaning the grout. How can you when there’s all that grout and so little time? Well, that’s because you (and I) have never tried this brilliant trick before!
Learn how to attach a scrub brush to a power drill and make deep cleaning that grout a bazillion times easier!
Well busy lady, hopefully, these are some cool deep cleaning hacks you can actually use to shave off time and save your manicure!
The best hack for a busy mom is to get the kids involved in the cleaning! Here are a few of our favorite tips for getting the family involved in the housework so you can get back to those fun together times you love:
Household Chore Ideas for Kids – 9 Creative Ways to Put Your Kids to Work
How to Teach Your Child to Clean ANY Bedroom in Ten Minutes (Without Using a Blowtorch)
Spring Cleaning? 6 Tips on Encouraging your Child to Help
Karl Airey says
Great article..as usual. But PLEASE don’t use dryer sheets. They are toxic and dangerous, and contribute to dysfunction and disease of the nervous system. If a child gets a dryer sheet and places in the mouth, it will seriously burn said little mouth, and if they breath the fragrance in or swallow badly and choke saliva in, it will burn those precious lungs!
The smell alone is enough to make people who no longer use them, noxious. There is a reason they clean so well (not just dirty floor boards). It has everything to do with their chemically laden make-up.
But there are great natural alternatives to dryer sheets, that aren’t dangerously carcinogenic. These wonderful hacks can be found easily enough under Searches for ‘safe dryer sheets’ ‘safe fabric softener’ ‘non-toxic dryer’
Hope this is useful to you too!
Nicolette says
Interesting! I wasn’t aware. Thanks so much.