5 Simple Cleaning Ideas that Save Time, Money, and the Planet

With so many responsibilities, what are busy parents to do (assuming a personal assistant, house cleaner, and chef is outside your budget)? How are you supposed to unwind and enjoy time with your family? You need some practical cleaning hacks that save money, time, and energy. 

Take Back Your Time with Cleaning Ideas That Make Sense

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, ladies spend roughly one and a half hours cleaning daily (it's about 30 minutes more than men, but that's a story for another day). Do some quick maths (don't worry, we'll do it for you), and that's approximately 10.5 hours a week, 45.5 hours a month, and 546 hours a year!

Imagine what you could do if you could shave off a bunch of those hours. So it's time to embrace a few cleaning hacks to regain your most precious resource, time. Keep these ideas in mind when you approach tidying up your space.

1. Start with Less Stuff

The cost of living is skyrocketing, so lucky for you, our first tip is a money-saving conqueror. When keeping your home tidy, everything is easier when there's less stuff to handle. Think about it. There are fewer things to move around, clean, put back, organise, etc. It's worth the effort upfront to go through your house and pare down all items that aren't adding value to your life. Just watch a few episodes of Space Invaders if you need more convincing.

Once you decide what's leaving, donate items to keep things out of landfills and help others' pocketbooks. The environmental impact of toys is vast, so mobile apps like Sassybae allow people to donate gently-used toys and items to other busy families. Everybody wins. It's all about helping each other while we do our part for the planet.

2. Assemble a Cleaning Trolley

Run down to Ikea or Kmart and grab a trolley for your essential cleaning items. Stock it with cleaning rags, gloves, cleaning products, sponges, and other tools of the trade. When it's time to clean, grab your caddy, and you'll have everything you need at your fingertips, no matter where your daily cleaning tasks take you.

3. Pay Less for Products

Before you fill that clever trolley, be conscious of what you're putting in it. Cleaning can get expensive if you start buying all the latest cleaners and supposedly miracle products. Instead of draining your wallet to tidy up at home, embrace frugal living and use homemade cleaners so you can clean the whole house for less than $3 a month! This move is better for you, your family, and the environment.

This simple guide to cleaning without harsh chemicals from the ABC suggests forgoing harsh commercial cleaners that often contain dangerous chemicals. Products like lemon, white vinegar, baking soda, essential oils and dishwashing liquid pretty much do everything from remove grime from walls and glass, freshen your laundry, clean your fridge and make everything smell delicious.

4. Come Up with a Cleaning Routine

Set aside designated cleaning times, and maximise your efforts with planning. Get organised and devise a game plan to save energy and not waste time backtracking. Using a caddy is one step to making your cleaning routine more streamlined.

Another game changer is knowing what you will do before you start. It's sort of like checking the GPS before you leave the driveway. Once you get a system down, stick to it every time you clean. You'll find the more you do it, the faster you get. For example, Tuesday becomes laundry day, Wednesday is the day you tackle the bathrooms, dust on Fridays, etc. Put together a routine that makes sense for you. Need some extra inspiration? Check out fellow insta mum Chantel Mila's tips and tricks for some more clever, time-saving cleaning hacks and 11 healthy habits to a calm morning routine.

5. Choose the Easier Path

You don't have to bend backwards and spend hours cleaning to finish the job. Work smarter, not harder and longer. Don't bother with a step ladder when you want to clean crown moulding or the tops of door frames. Use a dry microfibre mop instead.

Why waste time and energy scrubbing dried, caked-on food from the inside of your microwave? It's not only gross (was that last week's spaghetti?!) but also unnecessary. Try this microwave-cleaning trick with baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice, which should already be in your caddy if you were paying attention to tip number two.

Is it time to disinfect your sponges? Toss them in with a load of wash instead of wasting extra time cleaning them separately. Sanitise your kids' plastic toys in the dishwasher (but no battery or electric ones). Make things easier on yourself. You deserve it.

6. Choose Greener Living Cleaning

We've already touched on swapping out fancy commercial cleaners for more straightforward ingredients that clean just as effectively. Likewise, there's no need to buy a different fancy "as-seen-on-TV" cleaning tool for each individual task.

For example, use cotton buds and toothpicks to get dirt and grime out of tiny crevices and hard-to-reach places. Repurpose old T-shirts and sheets into cleaning rags, and slip old socks onto your hands for easy dusting and polishing. Not only does this save you money, but it promotes sustainable living.

We’re not saying you'll never buy anything to clean your house because you will need some basic tools like that long handled mop or an Australian eco-friendly product but you probably already have what you need at home in most situations.

Hey, You! You're a Cleaning Superhero!

Do you feel like a savvy superhero? You should! With these smart cleaning hacks, you'll be well on your way to saving the planet while saving your wallet. Plus, spending less time and money on cleaning gives you more energy for the things most important to you. And that is what it's really all about.