7 cleaning hacks to get your house holiday ready in a hurry!

I think we have established by now that I am super efficient (lazy) when it comes to domestic duties but I lack the financial ability to hire someone to do it for me.  Plus they wouldn’t do it the way I Iike it done.  So, here are some of my favourite cleaning short cuts to help you get and keep your house Christmas/Holiday/Visitor ready this summer!

Fridge and Pantry

Use old tea towels and pillow cases to line shelves in your fridge or pantry.  If something spills, you can just throw the pillow case or tea towel in the wash instead of going through the trauma of cleaning the shelf.  Fabric will soak up the spills on the shelf where they happen so you have a better chance that only 1 shelf will be dirty, instead of the back of the fridge and every shelf below it as well.

Upcycle your old jar lids and use them upside down as coasters for new jars in the fridge and pantry.  These will catch any drips before they get to the shelves. This comes in especially handy in the pantry if you have an ant invasion.  Just put some water in the lid before you place the jar in it and the ants can’t get across the water and into your honey or jam!

The Loo

Keep a little disinfectant concentrate in the bottom of the toilet brush holder to keep it as germ-free and odour free as possible. If you choose Sphagnum Moss or Sanazone Lemon Myrtle, you get the added bonus of an air freshener as well!

If you need to clean the limescale out of the bottom of the toilet bowl, don’t worry about scrubbing or bleach.  Tip about 50ml of descaler into the water and let it sit (the longer the better so overnight at least).  Then flush and you’re done!

It’s amazing what you can put in a dishwasher!

Your dishwasher is much more of helper than you realise.  There are so many things you can throw in the dishwasher for cleaning and sanitising.  It saves a whole lot more water than washing the old fashioned way in the sink.  It uses much hotter water than your hands can stand for improved germ killing power.  And you don’t have to stand there while it’s on.  What’s not to love about that?

Here are just some of the things you can toss into the dishwasher for a clean and freshen up:

• the sponge!
• plastic brushes
• stove knobs
• mop heads

  

• kids plastic toys
• soap and toothbrush holders
• plastic flowers
• light cover fittings
• potatoes and root veggies (don’t use detergent in this cycle)
• plastic or metal gardening tools
• thongs and crocs

For any metal or glass that needs an extra boost, add descaler to the load.  This is a great way to get rid of some rust, calcium and limescale build up in your machine as well as on your stuff.  You can do this with:

• the shower head
• cloudy glasses
• the shower caddy
• metal gardening tools

Shower

If you can’t get the shower head off to get it in the dishwasher, put some water and descaler into a strong bag and tie it over the shower head.  Leave it there for as long as possible (overnight or a day or two if you can).  This will clean up the outside and inside so any little holes blocked by calcium, limescale or rust buildup will clear up as well!

Microwave and Oven

Nuke a glass of water in the microwave for 2 minutes to get everything damp and steamy for an easy clean, then wipe it out with a cloth.

Half fill a deep baking tray with hot water and bake it till the inside of the oven is damp and steamy.  Wipe out with cloth.  For extra dirty ovens or microwaves, spray with multipurpose or oven cleaner once it’s all steamy, then leave for at least 10 minutes before wiping out.

Food Processor/Blender/Thermomix

Clean your blender or food processor quickly using this trick I learned from my Thermomix consultant.  Once you’re finished using it, add drop of dishwashing liquid and half fill it with water.  Then turn it on full blast for 3 seconds.  The quicker you do this after you have finished using it, the better, especially if you have been making dough.  Then whoosh the scrubbing brush around inside to get any extra sticky bits off and rinse.  If you use eco responsible Dishwashing Liquid like me, you can tip this water on your garden instead of down the sink!

Rangehood Filters

Put a couple of inches of hot water into the bath and mix in some dishwasher powder or pre soaker.  Throw in your rangehood filters, jiggle them around a bit and then leave them for a few hours.  You will come back to sparkling filters.  Rinse off, let them dry and put them back in the rangehood!

If your filters aren’t that bad, you could put them through the dishwasher instead, provided they are not too big to fit.

Got any tips?

If you have any cleaning hacks you don’t mind sharing, please leave them in the comments below!