Regular home maintenance is vital to keeping up the value of your property. Whether you are interested in renting your home or performing regular seasonal cleaning, taking a look at some improvements can keep your property at its best.
If you let aspects of your maintenance and care slide, it takes a little while before your property starts to lose value or fall into a state of disrepair that can come with extra costs. Rather than facing significant structural damage, heavily outdated décor, or potential future problems with your home, have a planned cleaning and maintenance schedule for your property.
If you are unsure of where to start with deep cleaning or keeping your home at its best, here are the best 10 cleaning hacks you can use to make your home sparkle:
Develop a Schedule:
An excellent place to start with our 10 cleaning hacks is by developing a plan for keeping your home clean. Many homeowners get overwhelmed with cleaning their homes because they have let things go for too long. Deep cleaning can be very time-consuming, but it is necessary for keeping the value of your home and keeping it safe to live in.
Developing a schedule for significant tasks throughout your property, like steam cleaning furniture, cleaning the oven, or scrubbing down walls, can be crucial to maintaining hygiene in your property. After you have settled on a schedule for deep cleaning and specialty tasks that take extra time, consider finding days when it will be easiest for you to maintain weekly jobs like vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, laundry, and more. By having a set routine for your cleaning, you will be able to keep up with tasks without feeling overwhelmed or having to dedicate an entire weekend to getting your home back to a liveable condition. Your home can sparkle without feeling like you are perpetually cleaning when you break down each task.
Upgrade Your Flooring:
If your home is primarily carpet or you have aging flooring, it can often be more challenging to keep up with your regular cleaning. A flooring store can recommend new flooring types that are easier to clean and more durable than other types of flooring you may have. If you have had the same carpet for years or have an aging hardwood that has lost its seal, upgrading could be the best way to spend less time cleaning and upkeep while also adding new value to your home.
We included this as part of the 10 cleaning hacks because carpet and flooring need to be replaced over time. If you have an older home or property with a carpet that has not been replaced in 20-30 years, cleaning without serious restoration will be difficult. Under padding and carpet, fibers can be cleansed with steam cleaning, but complete replacement with a new carpet material can keep your property safer and improve indoor air quality.
Even flooring options like tile or hardwood will require regular replacement as dirt and grime continues to build up on the property. Removal of these items with a replacement will keep the property safe and ensure you can have an easier time with cleaning.
Consider Your Plumbing:
If you notice discoloration around your pipes or regularly face issues with calcium buildup and water stains, it could be an excellent time to contact a plumber. Plumbing repair specialists may be able to install residential plumbing upgrades like a water softener.
Installing a water softener or other improvements will improve cleaning across your home, make your laundry softer and reduce the number of hard water stains you experience. Water softeners are essential to the 10 cleaning hacks because they can improve cleaning efficiency. When your water contains fewer minerals and contaminants, you can enjoy using less clean and see a streak-free shine when you wipe down items across your home.
Notice unpleasant odors in the basement or bathroom area. A plumber may also be able to recommend improvements like tank cleaning if you are on a septic tank or new plumbing upgrades that reduce odors in your home. A qualified plumber can be one of the largest helps in 10 cleaning hacks.
Make Use of Vinegar:
If there has been plenty of calcium and hard water buildup across your fixtures, your tub, or your faucets, you can reduce the damage quickly with the help of some standard white vinegar. Without a water softener, you will notice more hard water stains throughout your home. Vinegar is one of the best ways to cut through this grime quickly.
Getting a sandwich bag, filling it with vinegar, and using elastic bands to wrap it in place around fixtures with hard water stains is an excellent one of the 10 cleaning hacks. Let the bag with vinegar sit around the area with stains for one hour, and then use a warm and wet cloth to remove the marks. You can repeat the same steps by letting vinegar soak in select spots on your tub or across countertops. Let the area soak for an hour, and you’ll see the stain wipe away, giving you back the original shine the area should have.
Regular Duct Cleaning:
Furnace repair specialists may recommend a considerable improvement as part of the 10 cleaning hacks. Duct cleaning can cut down on dust throughout your home and improve your air quality. If you haven’t cleaned out your ducts in some time, there could be several untold contaminants throughout your ductwork.
A duct cleaner or furnace repair specialist will look through your ducts with regular inspections and then vacuum out any dust and debris. These teams can work around air conditioners and almost any type of HVAC system you have in place. It is possible to clean out your ducts by yourself, but we included professional duct cleaning in the 10 cleaning hacks because you can have the assurance that duct cleaning will not damage your furnace or duct system with their tools.
Most experts recommend taking this on at least once every six months or once every three if you have allergies. Changing out your furnace filter as you complete duct cleaning is also crucial.
Get Creative With Organization:
One of the easiest ways for you to start noticing extra dust and grime is when you have places for it to collect throughout your home. Keeping surfaces clear and floors open is a great way to make it easier to vacuum and dust as required. When you keep items out on countertops or floors cluttered, it gets more challenging to keep up with your regular cleaning tasks, and impossible to do any deep cleaning.
Upgrading your organization by adding in totes, shelving, or unique storage can be one of our best 10 cleaning hacks. As you free up more floor space throughout your home, you can reduce clutter and the chance of dust buildup. It can feel overwhelming to clean your home when you must put items away first. Keep your home more organized and less cluttered by investing in new storage solutions, purging things you don’t need anymore, or establishing a dedicated storage room in your home.
Contact Specialty Drain Cleaners:
Water flow is essential; a drain cleaning service can clear your pipes without damaging them. If you regularly struggle with a slow-draining sink or a slower-draining tub, a rooting company will remove the debris from your pipes and make cleaning easier. Hair, food items, and more can build up in the sink or tub over time, leading to drainage issues.
Items like drain snakes or chemical cleaners may advertise that they can clean your drains out, but professional drain cleaners deserve a spot in 10 cleaning hacks because they will not damage your pipes. Chemical drain cleaners can corrode pipes and seals, and snakes can sometimes get caught in piping systems.
Before these become serious plumbing issues or start to cause odors throughout the home, it is much better to schedule regular janitorial services to keep your pipes clear. Most drain cleaners recommend keeping up on this maintenance with an annual appointment.
Keep Pests Out:
Speaking with a building restoration specialist is a great way to protect your home from various pests. Sealing up areas where animals could access your home through a basement or roof can be crucial to preventing infestations.
Your cleaning could become more complex with a pest infestation such as an animal nest or cockroach problem. Keep up with your cleaning using the 10 cleaning hacks, and make sure that you watch for the signs of invaders.
Sealing up crawlspaces and keeping up with regular inspections can prevent the chance that wildlife could move in or that you could develop a bug infestation like termites. These pests can be more common depending on the climate; if you live in an area where termites are expected or where bats may be typical, it is vital to get regular inspections and fill spaces where they may interlope.
Upgrade Windows for Better Lighting:
If you have older windows, they may cloud up or become difficult to clean over time. If you are having difficulty cleaning your windows, consider upgrading them. Widow upgrades are a big part of the 10 cleaning hacks because they control the look of your interior spaces while protecting your home.
Windows that don’t seal properly let in dust and pollution from outside more easily. Living in an urban environment will likely see dust build up over your windows and screens. Rather than letting vehicle emissions into your property through an aging window design, installing new windows that properly seal out the contaminants from the outside makes more sense.
Opening your windows as you clean is vital to improving your indoor air quality. This can ensure that the dust is thrown out from your carpets or other areas of the home does not collect and can blow out of your windows with natural airflow currents. Although opening the windows can let some dust in, as you stir up dust with vacuuming or dusting, an airflow current will keep more of it out of your home.
Upgrading the quality of your windows will add significant value to your home. The newer windows will be easier to clean, but they can add efficiency to your property and change the look of the property’s exterior. If you struggle with poor lighting, condensation, or drafts around your windows, upgrading is the best move you can make.
Hiring Professional Help:
Janitorial services may be one of the best 10 cleaning hacks that you can consider. If you need help with your property cleaning, you might be surprised how inexpensive it is to hire a professional cleaner. With a bit of vetting, you can find a pro cleaner that works in your area at your budget.
Working with a professional cleaner can also reduce some of your expenses because they will come in with the best equipment and cleaning supplies. Rather than spending hours each week keeping up on your property cleaning, a professional has a team that can come in and works quickly to keep your property looking its best. Hiring professional help is a perfect choice if you are regularly busy working or find it more challenging to keep your property clean. Of the 10 cleaning hacks, this is one option where you may qualify for a discount, such as a senior’s rate or grant to keep your property up.
Conclusion:
Follow these top 10 cleaning hacks, and you will be able to enjoy a cleaner home in no time. By creating a plan, looking at improvements to your home, and maintaining a regular cleaning schedule, you can see a vast improvement in your property.