This post was sponsored on behalf of RAYCOP. All opinions stated are my own.
I just moved into a new house, and at 2,300+ square feet, it’s way bigger than the places I’m used to living in. And that means it’s way bigger than the places I’m used to cleaning. Just yesterday, I was talking with my boyfriend about how all I do now is chores. Waaah!
But since I can’t relax in a messy house, I do keep up with the chores. In my opinion, it’s better to clean up as you go than to spend an entire day trying to clean up a week’s worth of messes. That’s stressful, and who wants to spend a precious weekend day doing that anyway?
So I wanted to share some of my favorite tips for keeping the house (or apartment, or wherever!) clean. I used to have a really hard time with this, but I’ve picked up some tips over the years that take the stress out of cleaning so I can enjoy a clean house all the time.
My Best House Cleaning Tips!
- Put together cleaning caddies. I showed what’s in mine in this Facebook post. Get shower caddies at the dollar store and fill them with cleaning essentials like window cleaner, surface cleaner, paper towels, dusters, etc. I like to keep one under the kitchen sink and one under the guest bathroom sink. When you’re cleaning a room, pick up the caddy nearest that room and go to town!
- Never leave the room emptyhanded. If I have something that needs to be put away, say in the guest bedroom, and I’m heading that way to go to the bathroom, I take the item with me. That way, the item makes it back to its spot and I don’t waste time walking back and forth since I was going that way anyway. I love being efficient, and I LOVE not having piles of crap around that need to be put away.
- Clean the sink when you wash the dishes. After every single time I wash a dish by hand, I take a minute to wipe the sink with the dish sponge. It takes barely any time at all and my sink is ALWAYS CLEAN!
- Clean the shower while you’re in the shower. I hate trying to clean the shower with clothes on because the water drips down my arms when I’m trying to clean up high. Instead I just take the cleaning supplies in the shower with me, clean it, and then finish my regular shower.
Photobomb while unboxing the RAYCOP
- Stay on top of pet hair. Even if your house is otherwise clean, pet hair collecting on upholstery makes it look like it isn’t. You can of course keep furniture covered (this blanket is like a magnet for my cat), but that can sometimes look messy too. I just take a few minutes every week to vacuum up the kitty hair from my couch and ottoman. I used to use my regular vacuum, but I had the opportunity to review the RAYCOP RS2 sanitizing device and I’ll be using it for this from now on! Unlike a regular vacuum cleaner, the RAYCOP RS2 purifier is much more effective at picking up pet hair, dust, and other microorganisms that our pets drag into our houses.
The first place I tried the RAYCOP RS2 was on my couch and upholstered ottoman. It has three settings – heavy, normal, and delicate – and I used heavy since that’s the recommended setting for upholstery.
Turning the RAYCOP RS2 on
Once you turn the RAYCOP on by holding the power button for three seconds, you press the button to advance through the setting options. Then you lay it flat against the surface you’re working on, and drag to sanitize. Laying the RAYCOP flat creates a powerful suction and it really does feel like you’re thoroughly cleaning. You should have seen all the dust that got captured in the filter! Pretty gross and satisfying.
After I cleaned the couch and ottoman, I moved on to the bedding in the guest room. With the large surface area of the RAYCOP, it took me no time at all to clean the quilt and only about 2 passes to clean each decorative pillowcase.
All in all, I had a great first experience using the RAYCOP RS2. I love that it has a retractable cord and comes with a cradle to set it in for storage. I could NOT believe how much dust it sucked up just from a few passes across my couch and ottoman.
Since RAYCOP purifiers have a dual filtration system (a dust box filter and a HEPA filter) as well as the ultraviolet light technology, which is proven to capture 99.9% of common allergens, I felt like I was being extremely thorough when I used mine. The less pet dander and dust floating around my house, the better!
If you have pets or household members with allergies, a RAYCOP would be great for you! You can purchase one like mine on the RAYCOP website here, or enter our giveaway below to win a RAYCOP LITE, the company’s lightest and most portable purifier. Even though it’s lightweight, it’s powerful enough for most sanitizing jobs and ideal for delicate surfaces like clothes and yoga mats.
GIVEAWAY
One (1) reader will win a RAYCOP LITE UV purifier!
Wendy R. says
My best tip would be to have a schedule with one room (or room type) to clean per day. For example, bathroom on Monday, kitchen on Tuesday, laundry on Wednesday, etc. And I have to remind myself that doing just a little cleaning is better than doing no cleaning!!
lea c. says
I clean one room a day so it’s not so overwhelming.
Lisa L says
I clean early in the morning so I can relax for the rest of the day when I’m done. Otherwise I’ll procrastinate & it’ll take forever.
Laurie Emerson says
My best tip is to have everyone pitch in when it comes to keeping the house clean.
Kerri Olkjer says
This looks so cool! I’ve never seen something like this. I always feel after cleaning that my furniture isn’t really clean.
Shannon says
I don’t have any tips other than just focusing on one thing at a time instead of worrying about getting everything done.
Rajean says
Clean your mirrors and windows with a coffee filter rather than paper towels or rags.
Brittney House says
I like to clean my rooms with natural products as often as possible.
carol clark says
use fresh dryer sheets to dust with and i use them in my panty draw and sock draw and change them out monthly
Scott Markman says
Get rid of odious odors: Feed ice cubes made of vinegar down your disposal. Flip the switch to grind the cubes, then flush with cold water.
Christine says
my best tip is use vinegar everywhere. Use it in a spray bottle with dish soap and water to clean up. Use it in the dishwasher as a pre-rinse and a drying agent. Use to to soak off dirty fruit. Saves money and is totally non-toxic.
Mary Beth Elderton says
My favorite home cleaning tip is Throw. Things. Away. This is most difficult for me, and something I am in the midst of right now. We have accumulated so much *stuff* that it is overwhelming.
Wendy @ ABCGP says
My best tip lately is to let the kids think it’s fun and teach them how to do it! I got a floor steamer and my son is fascinated, so I’m holding out and only letting him do it when he really earns it. 😉 It’s such a treat for him to clean now, and I hope it stays that way!
joe gersch says
my home cleaning tip is to clean with vinegar and baking soda. You can also use a dryer sheet to dust
Annette says
To clean a shower curtain liner, put on the gentle cycle of the washer and add a cup of bleach.
Mita says
My tip is to clean a little bit everyday.
susan smoaks says
I like to do all my cleaning on the weekends so I do not get overwhelmed.
Alissa Apel says
I steep orange or lemon peels in apple cider vinegar, dump the peels after a few weeks, and add water. It’s a great cleaner. Sometimes I add drops of lemon essential oils in there too.
Edye says
My best tip is to make a list of your chores to keep organized.
carol johnson says
Don’t make empty trips, if heading to the kitchen take that emply glass with you, Other words, pick up as you go.
Carolsue says
My tip is to clean up messes immediately. If you put it off, you’ll end up with more than you want to do all at once!
Ali says
My favorite home cleaning tip is to clean up right after the mess, once we have ate we load the dishwasher, I try doing laundry every other day to stay on top of it an put it away as soon as it comes out of the dryer. I think once you create a routine and clean up after messes it helps the house stay tidy and not getting overwhelmed.
Mendy Dinsmore says
I change my air filters monthly. It helps keep the dust and dander down.
Tabathia B says
I like using a swiffer duster to dust faster and a swiffer mop to clean the floor faster and daily
Heather D says
I use a lot of vinegar to clean. I also discovered that drawing a line in chalk on my patio deters ants.
Sonya Morris says
My favorite home cleaning tip is “touch it once!” meaning when you pick it up put it back in the correct spot. For example, I will will pick up a toy in the living room and instead of tossing it on the playroom floor I will put it in the right box. After years of trying to get this drilled into the heads of my family, they still struggle with this but they are doing better!
Elena says
My tip is to clean a little bit every day to keep the dust and dirt under control. I would love to win this vacuum
Terry Stevens says
I clean my glass shower doors with a dryer sheet to remove all of the hard water stains.
kesha says
I always keep clorox wipes on hand for fast clean up
Michelle Hill says
After cleaning or just before guests arrive I place dryer sheets under my furniture cushions for a fresh scent in the air.
Christina Foley says
My favorite home cleaning tip – stay on top of it, it may seem like a lot of work but it is really less stressful. I do certain chores like sweeping, vacuuming, mopping at least once a day – more often than not its twice a day in the family room and kitchen. Its just a must to stay on top of it and so much easier to clean it up than let it get tracked to other rooms. We have 2 dogs and foster (dogs & cats) so dirt and fur gets tracked through our house easily.
Noreen says
Clean shower while in the shower is my favorite tip
Wanda McHenry says
I keep to a daily general house cleaning and it works. I don’t do the “weekly cleaning” anymore, it’s too much work. BTW Liz, good to see you! 😉
Connie l says
Set a groovy 10 minute playlist & pick a room to tidy up. Start from top to bottom.
KV says
I do a couple of chores a day to decrease the amount that needs to be done at the end of the week.
Annamarie V says
I don’t really have any great tips on cleaning I just go from room to room starting with countertops then ending with the floors. I have a Golden Retriever so the Raycop looks wonderful to me, this is the first time I have ever heard of it and I could really use this around my house.
elizabeth p says
I use natural products like vinegar and baking soda. Thanks for the chance.
kathy says
I start at one end of the house work all the way around and then start over. Never try to do it all in one day~
Dana Rodriguez says
I do a different household task each day that way I can take it easy on the weekend and am never overwhelmed. I need one of these in my life. My cat and chinchilla both shed!