Do you love to clean, or do you go out of your way to avoid it? The way we approach cleaning depends on our attitudes, preferences, experience, time, energy, and goals. Most of us tend to fall into one of four categories: super cleaner, speed cleaner, green cleaner, or catch-up cleaner. Knowing what type of cleaner you are will help you choose the best cleaning products, tools, and techniques for you. Since many of us have traits from more than one category, it might be helpful to read the plain and simple advice for each one.
The super cleaner
• You attack dust and dirt with vengeance
• You are adept at germ warfare
• You put cleaning high on your list of priorities
• You take pride in your ability to maintain and present a clean home
• You find that cleaning helps relieve stress and even consider it therapeutic
• You tend toward a more traditional approach to cleaning; for example, you may scrub floors on your hands and knees and/or use tried-and-true cleaning products
• You are always cleaning something
• Your home is considered immaculate
Plain and simple advice
Go easy with harsh cleaning products that can damage surfaces over time. It's always best to start with the least harsh cleaning solution first. Since you spend a lot of time wiping counters and whatnot, be sure to disinfect kitchen sponges and dishcloths after use or you will just spread more germs every time you wipe.
As a housekeeper extraordinaire, you can and should take pride in your work, but if cleaning starts to feel like an obsession, recognize that you may be using it as an excuse to avoid dealing with something else.
The speed cleaner
• You enjoy a clean home, but it's not one of your top priorities
• Cleaning frequently gets postponed for one reason or another
• When you have free time, you don't want to spend it cleaning toilets
• You seek quick and easy solutions to your cleaning challenges
• You may have a tendency to purchase the latest and greatest cleaning products and tools
• You may have a whole cupboard or closet full of products you've tried that may or may not have lived up to their promises
• If you could afford it, you would hire a professional cleaning service. If you have a cleaning service, you wish you could afford to have them come more often
Plain and simple advice
If you want to spend less time cleaning overall, clean more often. Start with a thorough cleaning, and then get into the habit of doing a little cleaning each day. Keep cleaning supplies handy to where you use them or put them in a bucket or caddy that makes it easy to tote to the job.
Consider ready-to-use cleaning products such as disinfectant wipes for quick cleanups in between weekly or biweekly cleanups. Give away or discard cleaning supplies that did not work as well as you had expected or that you dislike for any other reason.
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