5 Quick Cleaning Jobs That Make Your Home Feel Instantly New Again – The 'Small Effort Pays Off Disproportionately' Pros Reveal
Refresh and reset your space, even if you're short on time
Now that Christmas is over, attention usually turns from relaxing to resetting, particularly when it comes to your home.
But time is short at this busy time of year, especially if you are hosting. So, how can you reset your home quickly and make it feel instantly new, without wasting time or effort?
5 Quick Cleaning Jobs That Make Your Home Feel Instantly New Again
1. Wipe Down High-Touch Areas
High-touch areas get touched more than any other surfaces in our homes.
One of the quickest ways to instantly make your home feel clean and fresh is by cleaning high-touch surfaces, such as doorknobs and light switches.
Jecko Leon, cleaning expert at Bear Brothers Cleaning, explains, 'Every day, these spots always get touched. Our fingers and hands transfer sweat, oils, and grime that, in succession, will slowly fade the color. Cleaning them will improve the feeling of freshness in just minutes.'
For this, Karina Toner, cleaning professional and operations manager at Spekless, suggests using the Lysol Disinfectant Wipes available at Amazon, adding, 'Cleaning them brightens the space immediately.'
It will also go some way to avoiding the spread of winter germs. Don't forget to ventilate with fresh air regularly, too. Even a few minutes of 'shock ventilating' can achieve adequate air quality indoors.
2. Shine Mirrors and Glass
Guests notice gleaming mirrors right away, so this small effort pays off disproportionately
It's amazing what a difference cleaning mirrors and cleaning windows can make.
'Glass and mirrors are often overlooked, but they’re one of my favorite instant refresh tricks, because there's nothing quite like streak-free windows and mirrors,' says Sara Aparacio, cleaner and home expert at Homeaglow. 'Streak-free glass reflects light beautifully, making rooms appear larger and more open. A quick spray of Windex Original Glass Cleaner, available at Walmart, followed by a wipe with a lint-free cloth, delivers that sparkling finish in seconds.
'Guests notice gleaming mirrors right away, so this small effort pays off disproportionately,' she adds, which is why taking the time to clean glass is one of the things people with clean windows always do, and an easy way to avoid any mirror cleaning mistakes.
3. Vacuum High-Traffic Floors
Your entryway is a particularly high-traffic area, especially in winter, where leaves, mud and other outdoor debris get tracked inside more easily.
Next, turn your attention to vacuuming your high-traffic floors, suggests Karina.
'Visible dirt on floors makes the entire home feel messy,' she explains. 'A quick vacuum instantly lifts the space. Use a lightweight vacuum like the Bissell Featherweight Stick Vacuum available at Amazon, and focus only on visible debris.'
For any hardwood floors, obviously, use a mop to clean the floor without streaks, rather than a vacuum.
'Clean floors not only look better but also give the subconscious impression of order and care,' adds Sara.
At the same time, you may also want to quickly clean the baseboards in these high-traffic areas, too.
'Baseboards with a dust buildup layer on them make them dull and less shiny,' advises Jecko. 'Once cleaned, the room will feel less dated, and the walls will look brighter and neater.'
For this, we recommend using the Baseboard Cleaner Tool, available at Walmart. You can also use a dryer-sheet baseboard hack for a quick fix and zero bending, making it easier to clean with adaptive pacing when suffering pain, illness, or fatigue.
4. Empty the Trash and Replace Liners
Your trash can may be the source of underlying odors.
'Nothing resets a room faster than removing odors and replacing trash bag liners,' says Karina, who recommends using scented liners, such as the Glad OdorShield Trash Bags available at Amazon, to keep things smelling fresh.
Afterward, clean your trash can, adds Jecko. 'Wipe down the outside of your trash cans, from the cap to the body. Use a disinfectant spray [such as the OdoBan Original Eucalyptus Scent Disinfectant available at Walmart] as well to thoroughly remove any germs and viruses that may be present.'
When keeping your home clean with pets, making sure the litter is changed or topped up will make a world of difference to how fresh your home smells.
Punteha van Terheyden, Head of Solved here at Homes & Gardens, and cat mom of two, says, 'It's very easy to go 'nose-blind' to your home's scents and smells. If you have litter trays, step outside for 30 seconds and then come back indoors. Can you smell it? If so, change it. Not doing this quick check means slow-building odors can be missed by residents who live with pets that need litter trays.'
She advises once you've changed it, open doors or windows at opposite ends of the house to create a cross-draft and blast away stagnant or unpleasant odors fast. 'This will help remove any lingering smells and save any embarrassment if you have guests or visitors joining you.'
5. Spot Clean Surfaces
Dirty surfaces make your home look and feel dirty, but take only moments to clean.
Finally, Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid, a Neighborly company, recommends taking the time to spot-clean surfaces in your bathroom and kitchen, both of which are things people with clean homes always do.
'The surfaces in these two rooms can often get cluttered and dusty,' she says. 'A quick clean that will have a big impact is to remove all clutter and debris from your kitchen and bathroom surfaces, then wipe them down with a microfiber cloth [such as the Great Value Microfiber Cleaning Cloth available at Walmart] and your favorite multi-surface cleaner.'
Alternatively, adds Karina, a long-handled duster, such as the OXO Good Grips Microfiber Extendable Duster available at Amazon, works fast for hard-to-reach spots.
You can double your surface cleaning with a pleasant scent by using a DIY cleaning spray mix. Simply add 10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil (we love pure geranium oil from Amazon for its luxury smell) to two cups of water, along with a dab of dish soap. This will cut through grease on all sorts of surfaces, including glass, stainless steel, wood, and velvet, and create a pleasant and gentle smell, too.
What to Shop
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
The bestselling reusable microfiber cloths come in a pack of twelve and are suitable for both machine washing and drying. They're also ultra-absorbent, lint-free, and scratch-free, so they won't damage your surfaces as you clean.
This all-natural cleaning spray harnesses the natural cleaning power of plants to cut through grease and grime with ease, all around the home. It's also cruelty-free, and the bottle is made from one hundred percent recycled plastic.
This mop removes over 99.9 per cent of bacteria without the need for harsh chemicals, with a telescopic handle that adjusts to 51 inches, and a machine-washable microfiber head.
For removing dust from any delicate surfaces, like picture frames, knick-knacks, and other delicate items, and features light and fluffy fibers and a non-slip handle.
Clean and sanitize in one easy step with this antibacterial all-purpose cleaner that's made with citric acid. It's also available in a bamboo or wildflower scent.
This baseboard cleaning tool is suitable for use both wet and dry, with an adjustable handle, a 360° adjustable swivel mop head design, and a silicone wiper strip to scrape away dirt, dust, and debris.
Meet the Experts
Bear Brothers Cleaning is a cleaning service based in Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama, which launched in late 2023. They offer deep cleaning services, maid services, apartment cleaning, move-out cleaning, and more, which is why Jecko is such an expert when it comes to cleaning spaces to make them feel new.
As a cleaning service, the experts at Spekless focus on getting into every nook and cranny when cleaning a home, paying particular attention to those quick tasks that can instantly freshen up a space.
Sara has been a professional cleaner for five years, and is one of Homeaglow's resident cleaning experts.
Marla is the president of Molly Maid. They are the nation's leading residential cleaning brand and have been featured in publications such as Southern Living, Washington Post, and Real Homes.
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