Avoid Scrubbing

I have no upper body strength whatsoever.  My arms hurt after just cleaning 4 of Little One’s bottles- that’s how weak I am.   Maybe it’s all the hours of scraping 3 layers of paint off the wood floors in the first house we bought, or maybe just plain laziness.  Either way, when it’s time to clean the bathroom or kitchen I avoid scrubbing at all costs.

When at all possible, I clean messes right away– especially splatters on bathroom mirrors.  Anything that is still wet will usually come right off with no effort at all.  Mirrors are one thing I don’t have to worry about cleaning in the rush before company comes because they get cleaned while the toothpaste is still wet.

Instead of scrubbing down the kitchen counters, I spray or pour water on any messes, wait a few minutes, then wipe clean.  If something is really messy I may scrape it with one of those little scraping things you get with Pampered Chef stones, but only after letting the water soak into it first.  I disinfect with cleaner after it all looks clean.

To clean my microwave I heat a cup of water with a drop of lemon juice for a couple of minutes.  Just about any messes will wipe right off.

To clean bathtubs I like to clean right after my husband has taken his morning shower.  The bathroom is all steamy and I have to do very little scrubbing if at all. Besides the smell of his bodywash is a nicer smell than the cleaner I use 

I usually leave a bowl of water sitting in the sink for soaking dishes.  Messy cookware serves as a soaking place for other dishes.  Each day Turkey’s oatmeal or grits bowl goes into the water for a soak before going into the dishwasher.  When it’s time to wash the cookware the messes come right off because they were soaking.

I’m not saying that my house stays clean all the time mind you.  Those of you that know me know that it’s messy more often than clean.  I just like to make the chore of cleaning as easy as I possibly can.

For more household tips you can visit my friend Pary Moppins.