We are all looking for ways to make cleaning faster and easier. Believe it or not, sometimes taking certain “shortcuts” actually makes it difficult for you in the long run. You and your family may even have some bad habits that hinder your ability to do the job more efficiently. It’s time to start breaking them so you can get to a cleaner home faster. An easy way to get started: choose one or two bad habits to change each week. You will soon have a cleaner home and more free time to do things you love! Here is a list of 10 bad habits to start with.

01 A mess of paper

There is an incredible amount of paper in our homes. Starting with magazines, newspapers, catalogs and ending with various invoices and receipts, which accumulate regardless of the possibilities for online invoicing and banking. It is advisable not to clutter yourself with paper by designating a place near the entrance for all leaflets, periodicals and paper forms. Sort and dispose of excess at least once a week. Keep important documents such as tax receipts. Take digital photos of special works by children or frame them for display, and remove unnecessary ones. Share magazines with retirement homes, schools or just read articles online.

02 Leaving wet towels in a pile and folded shower curtains

If you want to spend less time washing, cleaning and scrubbing mold from bathroom surfaces, do not leave wet shower curtains and towels piled on the floor. These are some of the most basic examples of bad habits that you can break in time. It is good to leave the whole shower curtain unfolded, so it will dry faster and prevent the growth of mold. By hanging the wet towels to dry, you will be able to use them several more times and thus ease the amount of laundry.

03 Using too much cleaning product

If a small amount of detergent works, then a much larger one will have an even better effect? This statement is not true! Using too much detergent can actually do more harm than good. If the excess detergent is not completely washed away, the residue becomes a dirt magnet. Therefore, you should read the instructions and always use the recommended amount. Remember to waste time and money using the extra product and water to rinse it off.

04 Cleaning with dirty appliances

How can you expect good results after cleaning when using uncleaned appliances? If your washing machine has accumulated bacteria in the detergent compartment, your clothes will smell bad. If the vacuum bag or vacuum cleaner filter is full of dust, it will not do a good job of sucking. Many unpleasant bacteria and pathogenic microorganisms will find a home in a dirty towel or sponge. We, therefore, advise you to take the time to thoroughly clean appliances and auxiliary cleaners after each use by completely emptying the contents or washing in hot water and adding disinfectant. It is necessary to monitor the timeframe for the periodic replacement.

05 Using disinfectant wipes to clean the whole bathroom

Disposable disinfectant wipes are great for quickly wiping the sink or faucet in the bathroom. But this small surface hardly contains enough disinfectant to clean an entire bathroom. By the time you get to the toilet bowl, door handles or shower, the disinfectant properties disappear and you just spread bacteria from one surface to another. For cleaning to be effective, the cloth must contain enough disinfectant so that the surface remains moist for at least four minutes. For complete quality cleaning, use a clean microfiber cloth and a sufficient amount of detergent such as Pro Bathroom.

06 Full sink with dirty dishes

Think about how long it will actually take you to put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher or wash them by hand. Maybe, just a few minutes especially if you use reliable detergents for this purpose such as PKM Universal or Crystal. The dirty sink is the ideal incubator for breeding microbes, which in turn attract insects. For this reason, we advise you to give up the habit of leaving dirty dishes in the sink and wash the dishes immediately after use.

07 Improper storage of cleaning products

Improper storage of cleaning products is a bad habit that takes extra time to prepare for cleaning. One trick to handle cleaning tasks faster is to properly store the products and materials you use for the purpose. To optimize this process, in our opinion, you can approach in two ways. The first option is to distribute the detergents and accessories according to their purpose – kitchen, bathroom, room, etc., leaving the necessary tools in the room. If you do not have so much space, but only one free cabinet, just group on the same principle according to the place of destination.

08 Do not read the instructions

The habit of not reading labels is the biggest enemy in sanitation and disinfection. Have you ever not thoroughly cleaned the tiles in the bathroom with a detergent? And you’ve been wondering why this product doesn’t work properly. Or you may simply not have read the instructions on the label. Keep in mind that most cleaning solutions are not magical, so they need some time to act. Just next time, take 30 seconds to read the instructions for use, not 30 minutes for a hopeless and tiring scrub.

09 Use of inappropriate detergents

Like using an excessive amount of cleaning agent, using an inappropriate detergent or too strong one is just as harmful. Choosing the wrong product can damage the surfaces in your home or create an unhealthy environment for your family and pets. An example of such a case is chlorine bleaching. Although it is a good disinfectant, it is not recommended to use a preparation based on it to remove dirt everywhere, and its vapors can be toxic. Again, we advise you to read the label carefully and always choose high quality products from reliable manufacturers.

10 Failure to perform tasks

Have you heard the following sentence: “Why should I postpone something for tomorrow, when I can postpone it for another day?”. Guided often by this principle, people postpone the tasks of tidying up and hygiene. From our experience, we believe that it is mandatory to delete this mantra from your list of bad cleaning habits. Instead, act on the principle of little, but often. In case you only have 15 minutes to clean, start by removing the mess and placing objects in their proper place. Then continue with a vacuum cleaner and dusting and so on until you have completed all the cleaning steps.

As we advised you at the beginning, say “NO” to bad habits and bet on the right order and cleaning steps. Thus, you will spend much less time on cleaning and more on pleasant activities for you.