There was a time in my life when I loved nothing more than spending my Saturday mornings organizing and scrubbing and steaming our condo with my favorite tunes blasting in the background. I found it so incredibly therapeutic, especially after a long week dealing with tight timelines and office politics at work, and I often did my best thinking during the hours spent deep-cleaning our home.
I wish I could say that my love for cleaning has continued as I’ve aged, but now that I’m a mom, I much prefer to find my therapy buried deep within a bag of sour cream and onion chips.
It’s just a much more practical option, you know?
And while I still appreciate having a clean and organized home, and obsess over germs more than I ever have in my entire life, the reality is that I simply do not have the time I once had to deep-clean every crack and crevice with a fine-toothed comb now that I’m a work-at-home mom of a fiesty (and awesome!) 4-year-old.
The good news is that sleep deprivation has made me much more creative and efficient than I ever thought possible, and today I’m teaming up with the wonderful folks at Lysol® to share seven of my favorite cleaning hacks for busy moms!
1. MICROWAVE SPONGES
Growing up in Asia has made me EXTREMELY cautious when it comes to food preparation and safety. I keep packaged meats and eggs separate from the rest of my groceries when I’m shopping, store them on their own rack in the fridge, scrub my hands, counters, and utensils any time I fear contamination, and my husband is forever giving me a hard time for how much I overcook everything. But one thing I didn’t know until watching a report on the news recently is that kitchen sponges are LOADED with bacteria. I now microwave our wet sponges for 3 minutes twice daily as an added precaution.
2. FRESHEN AND SANITIZE FABRICS WITH LYSOL
Whenever one of us comes down with an illness, I’m pretty good about keeping things as sanitized as possible in hopes it doesn’t spread to anyone else. I always have a bunch of Lysol® Disinfecting Wipes at the ready to wipe down surfaces, and use Lysol® Disinfectant Spray to sanitize garbage cans, toilets, door knobs, TV remotes, etc., but I’m always at a loss when it comes to disinfecting fabrics like upholstered furniture, drapes, shower curtains, backpacks, and purses. It’s not exactly practical to shove these items in the washing machine or dishwasher (!!!), but my germaphobia won’t allow me to just let these things be. So when I found out that Lysol® Disinfectant Spray is now approved for use on fabrics, I went a little bit crazy.
3. MAKE SINKS AND FAUCETS SHINE WITH LEMON
My grandmother used to clean her kitchen sink 3 times a day. I always found this weird, but when she visited me in my first apartment, she explained that a clean kitchen sink is key in fooling guests into thinking your entire kitchen is spotless. Her trick in making her sinks and faucets shine was to rub a lemon overtop of them, rinse thoroughly, and then DRY THE SINK COMPLETELY with a paper towel to avoid water spots and make it sparkle. Works like a charm.
4. DISINFECT TOYS IN THE DISHWASHER
My daughter recently had a really bad case of pink eye, which she nicely passed along to me. When she was well enough to go to school again, I had no idea what to do with all of the toys she had touched when she was sick. The plush toys from her bed were easy – I just threw them into the washing machine and hoped for the best – but the toy cars, LEGO pieces, and bath toys were another story. The old me would’ve blocked off a day to clean everything by hand, but I no longer have that kind of time to spare, so I simply put everything in one of the mesh laundry bags I use for my delicates, threw the bag in our dishwasher, and set it on its highest setting. BOOM!
5. DEODORIZE RUG AND CARPETS WITH BAKING SODA
Whether you have a few area rugs in your living room, or wall-to-wall carpeting in your bedrooms, you are probably well aware of how difficult it can be to get certain smells out once they set in. My trick has always been to vacuum the floors, liberally sprinkle baking soda all over each carpet and rug, let it set for as long as possible (I prefer to do it overnight), and then vacuum once more. It’s a bit time consuming, but it’s much cheaper (and easier!) than using a wet-vac, and makes a huge difference!
6. DUST WITH DRYER SHEETS
When I’m really pressed for time and want to make our place look and smell amazing as quickly as possible, I wrap a couple of dryer sheets around my hands and quickly run my hands over the main surfaces of our home. I find the dryer sheets are fabulous in picking up dust, and they add a light scent to our living space to give the illusion that our home is cleaner than it probably should be.
7. MAKE STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES SHINE WITH VINEGAR
I love my stainless steel appliances, but now that I’m a mom, they are forever covered with fingerprints. This drives my mother absolutely crazy when she visits, and she always makes them look better than new with a little white vinegar and a clean cloth. Her trick is to clean in the direction of the grain, and since she does such a great job, I purposefully leave this task for her visits!
I have been a big fan of Lysol® Disinfectant Spray since becoming a mom because I love that it kills harmful viruses and bacteria while also deodorizing bacteria that cause odors. It’s also excellent at controlling mould and mildew on hard, non-porous surfaces, and now that I can also use it to sanitize my fabrics, it’s my new favorite household cleaning product.
It’s just so easy to use!
If you’ve never had the pleasure of using Lysol® Disinfectant Spray (or just want an excuse to buy MORE of it), CLICK HERE for more information and to download your free Save $2 Coupon (up to 50% off)!
This is a sponsored post. All opinions all my own.
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