The simple cleaning habits people say have saved them precious time

Cleaning the home often feels like something that is supposed to be done in big, long sessions, but it’s the little things that make the most difference not just to the home, but our precious time.

One Reddit user has shared their success with doing a 10-minute reset each night before they sit down to relax: “I put dishes away, wipe the kitchen counters, return items to their proper places and do a fast sweep of any visible clutter.”

“I did not expect such a small routine to make much of a difference, but it completely changed how my home feels during the week. Before this, I would wait until the weekend and then spend a large chunk of time catching up on messes that had slowly built up. Now everything feels much more manageable and deep cleaning sessions seem less overwhelming.

“One unexpected benefit is that I notice areas that need attention much sooner. Instead of discovering a problem after it has become a bigger cleaning project I can usually handle it right away.”

It prompted others to share the small habits that keep their houses clean and tidy for longer.

A common favourite is “clean as you go”, which seems to be particularly useful in the kitchen.

“I used to be the one with wrappers and dirty dishes everywhere after cooking; which made it that much more dreadful. Now I make sure I have an empty sink/dishwasher before I start and load as I go. Trash goes as soon as I’m done with it,” one said.

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The sayings ‘don’t put it down, put it away’ and ‘only handle it once’ – which is often shortened to the acronym OHIO, are helping people keep on top of clutter with one calling it “life changing”.

“This! My grandson asked me why my house is always clean (neat). I told him “Don’t put it down, put it away”. He uses that in his home life now 

Using the dishwasher to clean more than just dishes is also a popular tip. Intrigued by the idea, people were asked what things other than dishes they put in there.

“Soap dishes, brushes, metal utensil holders. I even did my Crocs once without the heat setting. Nice thing is you can do something else while it’s on versus washing by hand,” they said.

Another wrote, “I do that too and it’s great. Soap dishes, the wire rack in our shower that holds the shampoo bottles, flower vase, the thing that holds the Scrub Daddy and the actual Scrub Daddy, parts of the Nespresso machine, the detergent shelf from the washing machine. 

Other top tips include filling a bag with items to declutter each week and separating clothes by person or category when doing laundry.

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“My two kids one day, my laundry (plus husband’s loungewear) the next, husbands work clothes the next, towels the next day, then bedding, then anything that’s washable from the living areas (throw blankets etc). By the time the weekend comes around everything has been washed and I don’t have to do laundry all darn weekend,” one said.

To make the bathroom easier to clean, one person swears by wiping the shower down with a towel after using it, others use a squeegee on the tiles and another squeegees everything.

“I squeegee the tiles and wipe the taps, shower head and controls - the chrome looks brand new all the time and never needs descaling,” they said.

Summing up the impact these habits have on our homes, this person said it best, “Remembering that if I go a little every day I don’t dread the weekend overhaul. So yeah, the kitchen is a big one for me too, bathrooms, floors. ”