5 Ways to Make the Tough Cleaning Jobs Easier

Cleaning. It’s something we’ve all got to do whether you love it, prefer to avoid it or hire someone else to do it. While some people live for the buzz and satisfaction they get out of cleaning, like us, others survive in the hope their homes will suddenly disappear into thin air so they can live the life of a minimalist on the run (tempting isn’t it?). If you happen to fall into the grey area in between like the majority of people do, you know there are times when you need to roll up your sleeves to get the job done.

In this blog we aim to ease the pain of scrubbing the oven, cleaning the toilet or rinsing the drain with our 5 top tips and tricks to make even the toughest jobs simpler and easier for you to get through.

1. Skirting Boards – The Devil’s Dust-Catchers

Do you hope for the best when friends come to visit, praying they won’t notice the gathering of dust stuck to your skirting boards? They can be a tedious and boring task that can take hours – that’s if you even do them right (cue buckets, rags, cleaning products). Who’s got time for that?

Our Tip: Take a microfibre cloth and wipe down the skirting boards to remove any dust, pet hair or lint. The microfibres electrostatic properties gives it a high dust-attracting power which easily picks up dust because it banishes static and can cut down the time it takes to complete the task. Alternatively, attach it to the end of a mop and drag it along the skirting boards. All done!

2. Bin Cleaning – Tackling the Germs

No one gets away with not cleaning their bins, and whether we’re talking wheelie bins, general bins, bench top bins or kitchen disposal units we can all agree this is the place where every germ heads to hang out and make friends. The moist, nutrient rich conditions of your bin make it the perfect place for germs to multiply, especially once food is thrown away.

Our Tip: For the wheelie bin try to reduce odours and germs by washing it down after each collection. This involves a simple hose with a little cleaning liquid on the inside of the bin. Don’t forget to wipe the lid over too!

For the inside bin, be sure to wrap up food waste before throwing it away to try and contain the germs to the one place. Better yet, when it comes to fish or meat products, our tip is to wrap them up and leave in the freezer until bin day. Keep your bin lid closed to avoid flies and odours and make sure you separate your recycling pieces too.

3. Microwave Oven Cleaning – No Oven Cleaning Products Required

The good ole’ microwave was the best invention since sliced bread, making it quicker and easier for those mid week dinners. However, it can also be a place no one ever wants to venture after the rice has overflowed or that delicious soup has splatted on the roof of the microwave.

Our Tip: All you need is water and some white distilled vinegar, which will help cut grease. Here’s what you do next: mix one-half cup of water with one-half cup of white distilled vinegar in a microwave-safe bowl (use at least a four-cup bowl, otherwise you risk your water boiling over.) Microwave on high for several minutes, until the water comes to a rolling boil and the microwave window steams up. Let it cool for a few minutes before opening the door, then wipe the loosened food debris with a damp sponge and you’re done.

For a more pleasant scent, instead of using vinegar add a few slices of orange, lemon or lime to one cup of water and microwave until boiling.

4. The Underworld – What’s your Couch Hiding?

Peeling back the façade of musty cushions armed only with the vacuum cleaner as protection to reveal families of hidden dust-bunnies, hairballs and other unidentified objects – who wants to clean under the couch?

Cleaning the fabric behemoth is rarely a rewarding activity – for example, while some who dared venture have even unearthed a rogue $2 coin from the darkest reaches, for the most part, cleaning under the couch cushion is extremely low on returns. Unless you’re partial to dusty sultanas, ancient biscuit crumbs and bent up hair pins… for the love of dust free living – can’t someone else do it?

Our Tip: Brush the timber or metal surfaces with a dry cloth to remove an excess dust or dirt. Avoid using a wet cloth as this will only make the dust harder to clean away. Remove couch cushions and vacuum the base fabric and sofa arms – use the extra extensions to get into the crevices of the couch too.

5. Brushing Beelzebub’s Teeth (or Toilet Cleaning)

Nothing throws your face into an involuntarily twisted expression of disgust like scrubbing down the outhouse. Those who live in homes where many people dwell have lived to tell tales of true horror.

Even if your cleaning is thorough in between the more major clean-ups, toilet scrubbing tends to make the toughest of men and women recoil in terror.

Our Tip: Using a little bit of dishwashing liquid mixed with water, spray the whole toilet including the base and wipe it down with a Chux cloth. Next use any brand of toilet bowl cleaner and let sit before flushing. Stubborn stains can be removed from the toilet by spraying them with vinegar and brushing vigorously. The bowl may be deodorised by adding 3 cups of distilled vinegar. Allow it to remain for half an hour, then flush.

For many people, the worst thing about cleaning is there’s only momentary reward for effort. In a world where our lifestyles are usually jam packed with day to day responsibilities, work and other commitments, and even the guilt of spending more time cleaning up after the kids than you do spending quality time with them, there has to be a better way, doesn’t there?

Absolute Domestics are your first choice for reliable, affordable and professional cleaners across Australia. We simply get the job done – making it easier for you to get on with enjoying your life and allowing yourself freedom from the horrors of cleaning, once and for all.