No one in the history of the world ever said ‘I wish I’d spent more time cleaning’…

If you’d like to spend less time cleaning and more time doing the things you actually enjoy, these tips are for you. We chatted to the cleaning gurus at Domestos to get their best advice on a few things everyone can do to shave some time off their cleaning routine.

Tidy first and as you go

There’s absolutely no point trying to clean a house that isn’t tidy. If you’re shifting papers from place to place and wiping around stuff that’s been left lying around, not only will it take you longer to clean up, you’ll also do a worse job. Before you start cleaning, spend some time putting clothes away, packing up random items on the counters and dealing with any laundry or dishes in your way.

This will be even easier if you make a point of keeping everything tidy and putting away as much as possible every day, instead of trying to tackle it all in one go when you clean.

Designed by Leigh Cattell, Photo by Karl Rogers

Get everyone involved

Of course, keeping the house clean and tidy is much, much easier if everyone isn’t actively working against you. Sit your family or housemates down and explain that everyone needs to help out around the house. Work out who will be in charge of which tasks and what the consequences will be if they don’t pull their weight. A cleaning schedule will also help everyone stay on top of what needs to happen when.

Use products designed for the task

Manufacturers spend loads of time and money developing great products that are specially designed to tackle specific tasks. Don’t waste your time with products that aren’t up to the task; save time by getting supplies that you know will do the job in the least amount of time.

Order matters

The order in which you clean your house is almost as important as how you clean it. Our two golden rules of cleaning are:

  • Clean from top to bottom
  • Dust first, wipe last

If you follow those rules, you won’t waste any time double cleaning things you’ve essentially already spent time cleaning. Imagine vacuuming your lounge, and then dusting. All that dust will fall onto your clean floor and you’ll have to vacuum again. Instead, move from the top of the room to the bottom, dust, then wipe, then vacuum.

Get a supply carrier

Don’t waste time walking back and forth looking for cleaning products and supplies. Get a bucket with a handle, put everything you need in there and carry it with you from room to room. It might not seem like much, but all those trips to and from your cleaning cupboard add up.

Designed by Dear Zania Interiors, Photo by Henrique Wilding

Let time put in the effort

Some products work better if you give them time to activate and work on dirt. Why put unnecessary effort into rubbing and scrubbing if you can just wait 10 minutes for your supplies to do the heavy lifting? We’re all about working smart and not hard.

Did you know, Domestos is waging a war against poor sanitation by building toilets in local schools? And it’s REALLY easy for you to get involved. All you have to do is to keep choosing Domestos as your toilet germ-killing weapon of choice, and you’ll automatically be helping make the lives of millions of people around the world cleaner, safer and better. Click here to find out more about Domestos’ “Cleaner Toilets Brighter Future Programme”.