7 cleaning methods for those who like simplicity, practicality and efficiency when cleaning

Cleaning is, or at least should be, a routine activity, the result of which greatly influences people’s mood and productivity. And this was even confirmed by a study, which showed that individuals in messy rooms experienced greater stress and fatigue than those who were in clean and organized environments.

We, from awesome.club, we are in favor of simplifying cleaning and making life more comfortable. With that in mind, we found cleaning methods that help restore and maintain order at home in a more efficient and practical way. And, in the bonus, you can also check out how to organize your home in order to have less mess in everyday life. Check out!

Initially, it is necessary to enter all cleaning activities in three circles. And, for that, they must all be written on small cards, which can be stored in a separate box later. In the small circle, the obligatory daily activities are placed; on average, the weekly cleaning obligations; and, in the big one, those that can be performed less frequently (seasonally). It’s best to divide the box of cards into sections. The first corresponds to “Today”. All the cards with the cleaning activities to be carried out during the day must be accommodated in it. Next comes the weekly activities section, then the monthly ones, and lastly the seasonal cleaning obligations. Once the small circle’s daily tasks are done, you can move on to the medium and then the large circle. Every day in the morning or the night before you can organize the cards with the cleaning activities, organizing them in the “Today” section. And, at the end of the day, the cards with the tasks that were completed in the circles must go back to their respective section in the box (with the exception of daily tasks, which return to the “Today” section).

The simple practice of cleaning activities helps to avoid postponing them and also reduces anxiety.

Every day, after morning prayers, Buddhist monks clean for 20 minutes. While some sweep, one group does the dishes, another cleans the windows, and so on. Nothing out of the ordinary, after all, everyone does housework. However, there is an important detail in their practice.

When the allotted time is up, the monks stop what they are doing, even if they haven’t finished cleaning up. Their purpose is not to get rid of all the accumulated dirt or get rid of kitchen clutter. They do the cleaning for the process itself, seeing it as a form of meditation.

The principles of this methodology originated in Toyota factories as a way to improve work, spending, however, the least possible resources on the organization of production.

This method is based on the “5S” principles:

1 “S” — Utility. It is necessary to separate the necessary things from those that we do not need.

2 “S” — Systematic organization or systematization. The organization of things must be systematized, so that it is possible to find them quickly and without having to mess anything up.

3 “S” — Keeping clean. Develop strategies that can help you stay organized and clean in your home on a daily basis.

4 “S” — Standardization. Create cleaning rules to be followed and an incentive system: if someone in the house suggests a new method that facilitates domestic activities, implement it.

5 “S” — Improvement. All these principles should become a habit, so that you can transform your home into a more comfortable place and make your life easier when cleaning.

Would you like to spend a maximum of 20 minutes a day on cleaning? With this method, you can maintain cleanliness and not let clutter build up.

At the entrance to the house, separate a place (it could be a basket or a drawer in the closet) to put all the new things you take home. It shouldn’t be a large space and needs to be organized with some frequency, allocating the objects stored there temporarily in the correct place. Wash dishes immediately. Wash your clothes little by little every day, so you don’t end up using the same towel and socks for a long time. Singing, whistling or listening to music while cleaning helps improve productivity. Set an alarm so you don’t get distracted and end up spending hours cleaning.

That way, you will no longer spend a lot of time or feel uncomfortable cleaning the house.

First, divide your home into zones:

Zone № 1. Hallway, bathroom, master bedroom; Zone № 2. Kitchen, other rooms (for example, children’s or office); Zone № 3. Living and dining room; Zone № 4. Other rooms (laundry room, pantry).

At least half an hour should be reserved for each zone. You can start, for example, on Monday from zone № 1. Then, at your discretion, you can leave Tuesday as a free day, or proceed to cleaning zone № 2, and so on. In total, it takes four days to completely clean the house, and the other three are completely free.

This method is indicated for those who want to clean the whole house at once, instead of dividing the cleaning into daily activities. The main thing in this system is the order in which you move through the rooms. Start at the farthest corner and clean everything clockwise.

First step: pick up the garbage, shake out the blankets and pillows. Second step: while the dust settles on the floor, cleaning products must be applied to the dirty surfaces. Third step: make the bed, vacuum the floor and remove dust from furniture and surfaces. Hard-to-reach areas can be cleaned with a toothbrush or cotton swabs. It is also important that the cloths used for cleaning are of good quality, not having to clean the same place a second time right after.

Do you find cleaning to be exhausting and you start doing one thing after another and just feel more exhausted? So know this method. Start cleaning with the hardest areas while your energy is still fresh. Such places, by the way, are the bathroom and kitchen, and you can later move on to other rooms.

Don’t take your attention away from what you’re doing. Remove, for example, first all the dust and only then dedicate yourself to another activity. Otherwise, tiredness will soon set in and nothing will be completely clean.

Choose to clean from top to bottom and from left to right, as this way you will prevent dust and drops of dirt from falling on the surfaces you have already cleaned.

The author of this approach is a famous interior designer in China named Lu Wei. Recently, she wrote a book about how to organize things more conveniently and avoid losing space to clutter. Here are the main recommendations:

Places for storing things must occupy at least 12% of the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe property. The smaller the house, the larger the space needed for storage. Opt for built-in cabinets instead of traditional onesso they don’t end up stealing all the attention for themselves. 80% of things in the home should be stored out of sight, and only 20% should remain visible. That way, the environment will not look disorganized. Just use an organizer box template: it creates a sense of order. The boxes must be rectangular, stackable, transparent and multifunctional. make the most of the height of your house🇧🇷 Vertical storage allows you to organize a lot more things in a convenient way than when done horizontally. Stick stickers. This way, it is much more difficult to get confused and place objects inside the wrong organizer box. And, of course, it will be much easier to find everything. To save your memories, build “time capsules”: boxes in which all objects of sentimental value related to your memories should be placed during the year.

Fumio Sasaki is an ardent adherent of minimalism. And he advocates a rather radical way of putting things in order: just don’t buy what can’t be bought. Thus, in his view, if an earthquake happens, it is possible to easily leave the house with all the belongings, since everything will fit inside a box.

This philosophy—“keep only what you can carry with you”—also finds adherents in the West. And curiously, according to her, the number 15 is significant: it represents the most large-sized things a person can have🇧🇷 Nothing more than that.

Which of the methods presented in the post did you most identify with? Share with us in the comments section your strategies and tips to make life easier when cleaning.