Between work, cooking, cleaning, shopping, and babysitting, there is a lot to do and not enough time during the day. If only there was a way to extend the day by a couple of hours. Unfortunately that’s not possible (yet!), But there are a few shortcuts you can take to be more efficient and still end up with some extra time at the end of the day. Here’s a list of our house cleaning shortcuts to help you be more efficient and still have time to spend with your family.

1. Washing dishes is now a breeze

Washing dishes is one of the most time-consuming, if not the most, household chores. We are all guilty of piling our dishes in the sink and not touching them until we need something or it turns into the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Here’s a house cleaning shortcut that will help make washing dishes easier and faster. I like to wash dishes while I cook to stay on top of things. However, one thing that always helps is to fill the sink with warm soapy water and while using the dishes, just drop them into the sink. This will help remove all the grease and extra food from the dishes and then when you go to wash them it’s a breeze.

2. Clean the fan blades in seconds

Typically, you would tie a scarf around your nose and mouth, climb a ladder with a rag in hand, and clean each sheet (top and bottom) as the dust flies everywhere and finally settles on the floor and the furniture. Post-cleaning is perhaps one of the reasons you avoid cleaning your fans entirely! Well, here is one of our fantastic, less messy, time-saving house cleaning shortcuts for cleaning your fans. Take an old and shabby pillowcase and put it on the sheet; place one hand on the blade and the other under it, and with a steady washcloth, slide the pillowcase off to remove all the dust and trap it inside. In a few seconds your fan will be cleaned and you will have significantly reduced the amount of household dust.

3. Don’t mop until you drop

Mopping generally means having to re-submerge the mop in a bucket several times before you can finish an entire room. Using a bucket is quite cumbersome and time consuming because you have to carry it or walk back and forth to get the mop wet. This is what you do; Take a clean, empty plastic bottle and mix a solution of water and floor cleaner in it. Put the lid on and use a 34a poker to poke a hole. Now, you can use this bottle to wet half the room and clean it, before doing the same for the other half. It is best to mop barefoot so that your slippers do not leave traces while the floor dries.

4. Quick and easy cleaning of the gas stove

The top of the gas stove is one of the dirtiest places in the kitchen because it is where food inevitably spills out and is allowed to harden (as the area is too hot to clean right away). Since you’re dealing with stuck grime here, the best and quickest way to clean between the burners is to use heat to loosen it. Take some tea towels and dip them in a hot soapy solution; then sprinkle a decent amount of baking powder over the dirty areas and place the towels on top. Remember, the hotter the towels are, the faster the dirt will loosen. Wait about 3-4 minutes before dragging the towels to the side to collect and remove the dirt. Finish cleaning with a dry towel to help soak up any accumulated water.

5. Dusting has never been faster

Using a cloth to remove dust from furniture is not so bad; But once you’ve tried putting a sock in your hand to clean curios and surfaces, you’ll never use dust cloths or anything else again! This is easily one of our best house cleaning shortcuts because it’s so simple! You can use any old pair of socks to do this; however, cotton ones work best. It helps to have at least two or three socks on hand when you dust, so that you can wear a clean one when the first one gets too dirty. Aside from socks, lint rollers are also great tools for dusting. They are especially useful for cleaning walls and lampshades quickly.