A quarter of Aussies spend more than 3 hours a week on general tidying, such as vacuuming, mopping and dusting. Clean clever and swap Saturday morning chores for guilt-free weekends.
With a quarter (25%) of Aussies spending more than three hours a week on vacuuming, mopping and dusting, this doesn’t even include the time we spend on washing up, doing laundry and ironing!
Our to-do list of chores can sometimes seem overwhelming and never-ending, especially when we try to cram everything into our weekends.
Australians can’t deny that cleaning isn’t exactly our favourite activity, with new research from Fantastic Services Group revealing a quarter (23%) of us admit we’re just too busy to clean. While cost is often the biggest barrier to getting a professional cleaner in, oftentimes Australians may not realise the affordability or true benefits of outsourcing the housework to someone else. When we actually look into the costs, two hours of regular cleaning could come in at less than your Friday night take-away! Cost aside, the less time you spend cleaning the house, the more time you have to spend with your family and friends, doing things that you love.
In our day-to-day juggle of trying to balance work, family, keeping our houses tidy and some semblance of a social life, it is no surprise that we can’t always give 100% in every area. However, what we can do is implement routines, organisational hacks and shortcuts to make our lives easier and our busy schedules more manageable.
Whether you choose to tackle the cleaning yourself or bring in some extra help, Fantastic Services Group franchisee and cleaning expert Sophia Lakhani has compiled her top tips to ‘clean clever’ and take back your weekends.
Stop associating ‘chores’ with the weekend
Where many of us go wrong, is associating ‘housework’ or ‘chores’ only with our weekends, as if there is some universal rule stopping us from doing the vacuuming on a Monday! Learn to clean clever and try taking on one task a day that you would usually leave for your weekends. For example, on Monday you might vacuum and mop the floors, Tuesday you could wipe down the bathrooms, Wednesday could be tidying up the bedrooms and so on. By doing some quick cleaning throughout the week, you’ll find you get to the weekend and don’t actually have that much
left to do…
Keep your cleaning products easily accessible
While it might not be as aesthetically pleasing, keeping your cleaning products in arms reach of where you actually need to use them will help you stay on top of the cleaning without much effort! It can be tempting to keep all of your cleaning products together under the laundry sink, but it doesn’t really come in handy when you’re in the shower and notice that the glass could really use a clean. Try keeping a dish wand (filled with detergent) in the shower for super quick cleaning while your hair mask soaks in or keeping a pack of antibacterial wipes in the vanity to quickly wipe down the bathroom while you brush your teeth. Having your go-to products close by will mean you’re more likely to spot clean when something needs it, rather than making a mental note to get to it later.
Clean up the clutter
To make dusting and wiping down surfaces even faster for you (or your cleaner!), keep on top of the clutter and try to minimise the décor on tabletops, bookshelves and TV units. Not only will it mean less places for dust to settle but it will also mean there are less things to move and clean around.
Keep it regular
Although it might seem contradictory, booking in regular cleaning with a professional will cost you less than infrequent one-off deep cleans in the long run. With regular cleaning, high traffic areas are more easily maintained, meaning each clean will be consistently quicker and therefore, cheaper. Regular cleaning will also reduce the work needed when it comes time for a deep clean and helps to extend the life of surfaces and appliances.
Lock in loyalty programs
Don’t be scared to ask around for professional cleaners that offer loyalty and reward programs for their services. Booking multiple appointments and establishing a relationship with a professional cleaner will reflect in the price of services. If you are investing in a regular cleaner, make sure you are getting the best deals and not missing out on any extra add-ons offered for loyalty.
Schedule in the “I’ll get around to it” jobs
If you engage a regular cleaner, they will no doubt come to learn what you like to be cleaned on the regular. However, switching in some odd-jobs like the windows or oven into the regular cleaning circuit once or twice a month will help to ensure that everything is staying clean, without adding the extra cost of an alternative call-out for these odd jobs.
When it comes to getting the most value out of a professional cleaner, it is crucial to make sure that they are on the same page when it comes to your expectations, desired tasks and length of the clean. It is recommended you sit down with your cleaner and go through a regular schedule to ensure all surfaces are touched regularly.
With the majority of the nation returning to work in the office this year, Fantastic Services Group encourages busy Aussies to clean clever or
outsource the chores altogether to take back their weekends.