Woman's Day, June 2006

The Lazy Person's Guide to Housekeeping

by Teri Cettina

When friends visit our home, they often tease my husband and me about being compulsive housecleaners. While it's true that we like having a tidy home, we probably spend less time cleaning our house than do most of our pals.

Our secret? We're a little lazy. We're just not interested in spending hours dusting, vacuuming, mopping and putting things away. Over time, we've collected tips on how to keep a house looking good in practically no time.

Clean Only What You Have To
Most of us don't have time for the elaborate deep-cleanings our grandmothers used to do. Fortunately, you don't need to work that hard to keep your house clean if you tackle the job strategically.

Be your own boss. "If it isn't dirty, don't clean it!" says Don Aslett, author of No Time to Clean! Instead, clean according to your own standards. For instance, if your standard is, "I clean windows when they have lots of visible fingerprints," then you'll only have to clean windows when they get to that point. That could be once a week or once a year, depending on your household.

Don't fuss over furniture. You don't need to vacuum upholstery too often to keep crumbs off your couch and chairs. Instead, remove crumbs and dust regularly with a plastic, handheld whisk broom and a dustpan, says Jeff Campbell, author of Speed Cleaning. “It's faster than vacuuming and does a great job.”

Dust on the horizontal. Flat surfaces are where dust falls and spills occur, says Campbell, so focus your efforts there. That means dusting tabletops but not legs, window ledges but not walls.

Spot-clean cabinets. For routine cleaning, wipe cabinet doors and entry doors just around the knobs and handles, where dirt collects. Spot-clean marks, spills or dirt. You need only wipe down the entire door or cabinet once a month.

Full article text available upon request.

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