Details Matter: Cleaning Tips was sponsored by P&G as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.
Let’s face it, life is messy.
Laundry, dishes, toilets, messy kitchen floors, there’s always something to clean up.
With babies and teenagers, there are all kinds of messes around here. We are always doing laundry.
As a food blogger, I make all kinds of messes in the kitchen. I’m always doing dishes.
And between everything else that comes with being a family, there are a lot of strange smells. From strong garlic odor from the recipe I made last night or trash that needs to go out, odors in the kitchen are a huge no-no. Then there’s the dirty diapers, smelly athletic and work uniforms and other laundry. I feel like I am always trying to make my house smell better.
Even if you don’t have a newborn or young children, or you aren’t a food blogger – you’re probably still doing laundry a lot or you might still cook on a daily basis and have your own messes to clean up. Let’s face it, even our spouses can create just as many messes too!
I purchase all my cleaning products at Costco, because everything I need is there and I don’t have to purchase it week after week.
Here are some cleaning tips to make your life a little easier.
Laundry Cleaning Tips
- Know your wash cycle times. This was important for us, so we could get a general idea of how long we needed to run a load before we could throw it in the dryer. We didn’t want wet clothes sitting and mildewing in the washing machine and then having to be washed again, wasting precious time and of course our fabulous smelling Gain Original laundry detergent.
- Sort clothing and as soon as one sorter basket is full, start a load. Don’t do half loads either, it wastes detergent, water and a few more days and I’m sure you’ll have a full load. Keeping up with laundry is the key to never falling behind.
- Use a good laundry detergent, like Gain Original laundry detergent. You want one that has an amazing cleaning ability and leaves clothes smelling fresh. I cannot tell you how much I love the scent from Gain Original, and it lasts and lasts!
Dish Washing Cleaning Tips
- Keep up with the dishes as you go along. It’s easier to clean them if they haven’t been sitting for hours. But if you forget and you do let them sit, Cascade Complete Action Pacs are the perfect solution! These little pacs formulated with the grease-fighting power of Dawn power away 48-hour stuck on food!
- Make an effort to rinse your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. This keeps stuck on food from clogging up your dishwasher and will save you the necessity of rewashing any dishes where dried on food remained.
- If it fits in the dishwasher, can be run through the dishwasher, do it! It will save you so much time in the kitchen. With Cascade Complete you will know your dishes will be clean anyway.
Smell Good/Fresh Cleaning Tips
- One word. Febreze. Well, three words. Febreze Air Effects. I swear by the stuff! More on that in a moment.
- Keep odors from forming from the start. That sounds easier said than done, right? But, if you can remove the offensive item (dirty diaper, raw meat tray, food scraps or trash) as soon as possible, the smells won’t accumulate to begin with. Rinse out food containers before throwing away. Just quickly rinse any food container that could have an offensive odor develop, under running water, then throw it away. This will often remove enough particles and residue that the smell doesn’t ever get to that point, even if its a few days before your trash is full.
- Open a window. Seriously. Allowing fresh air to circulate through your home occasionally can really help to keep your house smelling fresh. If it’s too warm or too cold, flip off your air or heat, find a windy day and open the windows or door for just five to ten minutes and you will notice a difference.
- If all else fails, and an odor is present, grab a can of Febreze Air Effects. It is seriously the bomb. Just a spray and quickly your odor is gone, leaving a wonderful scent behind. And I just love the fresh scents available at my Costco. Our four pack of Febreze Air Effects included two cans of Linen and Sky, a fresh, clean airy scent and two cans of Happy Spring Juicy Petals which is my new favorite – a playful blend of delicate lilies, violets and sweet pea florals with a twist of juicy strawberries and pears. I keep this stuff on hand always. Plus it’s great to get it at Costco, because you have enough cans to leave in different rooms so its available at a moments notice. Nothing like company on it’s way, the doorbell ringing, and you can spray it so fast and open the door to a fresh smelling home.
These are some of my very favorite products to help me stay on top of my cleaning and keep my home looking (and smelling) it’s best!
Do you have any great tips?