Doing household chores is among the least favorite – if not one of the dreaded – activities we need to do as adults. It’s true that there are some people who find it therapeutic to clean the house and do the laundry, but the majority of us human beings still would want better things to do with our time at home (i.e., be sprawled on the couch or stay in bed all day binge-watching Netflix).
Even when you are renting a home for a short-term stay, such as what is offered by DMCI Homes Leasing Services with several condo units all over Manila and Baguio City, household chores are still part and parcel of your daily life. After all, it’s basic courtesy to the condo owner to take good care of the home you’re renting, and this includes protecting the unit’s interiors and furniture and keeping them as spick and span as the day you set foot in the condo for the first time.
Here are a few tips on how household chores can be made easier to help you save on time and effort, so that you’ll still have plenty of time for your video streams.
CLEAN AS YOU GO
Don’t let the dishes pile up when you cook or eat. You can fill up the sink with soapy water and drop the kitchenware there as you use them. This will make dishwashing a lot easier because the grease and other hard-to-remove food particles are softened as they soak in soapy water, so they come off faster when you do the dishes.
Having this habit of always washing dishes as you use them helps in keeping the kitchen clean at all times, and this minimizes the formation of molds and unsightly stains in the kitchen sink and counter. Likewise, don’t forget to always clean the stove area. Wipe all surfaces with a clean washcloth each time you finish cooking.
PROTECT FURNITURE
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If the home you’re renting comes fully furnished, it’s your responsibility to maintain the good quality of every piece of furniture you are, technically, borrowing. Be it the bed, couch, table, or chair, you have to use each furniture with care and make sure you don’t leave any lasting marks that will damage its appearance and functionality.
If you are living with pets, keep them off the furniture as much as possible. Your furry pals can be all cute and awesome, but they can leave fur deposits that accumulate in the most hard-to-reach corners of furniture. Make sure you vacuum clean regularly or use specialized instruments that remove pet hair, such as microfiber cloths and lint remover brushes and rollers.
To keep furniture clean and safe from stains (whether accidental or from daily use), it’s advisable to use washable cushion covers and also table liners that can easily be wiped or replaced as needed.
KEEP FLOORS CLEAN
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Sweeping floors and keeping them dirt-free may be a given when you talk about house cleaning, but there are ways to easily minimize the dirt that enters your home. Whether you have tiled, concrete, hardwood, vinyl, or carpeted floors, the best way to protect them from muddy and germ-infested footprints is to create a No Outdoor Footwear policy in your home. Have indoor slippers available at all entrances and remind everyone, yourself included, to remove shoes and sandals from outside before entering the house.
As an added layer of protection, it’s best to have doormats at all entrances as well, especially when you have visitors coming over and you find it awkward to require them to remove their shoes. And if you do find dirt marks on your floor, make sure you do some spot cleaning when you find the time to prevent permanent stains.
MAXIMIZE LAUNDRY TIME
If you prefer to wash your own clothes at home instead of bringing them to laundry shops, you have the option to do them by batches or in one go every week (or every other week, if your wardrobe is vast enough). Doing the laundry every few days may be less taxing, but you do end up spending a lot more time loading, unloading, folding, and putting away clothes. The best way to do laundry is to do it all at once, at the same schedule you set every week (or every other week). This way, you condition your mind for this regular laundry chore and you also maximize the effort you put in getting your clothes washed, dried, folded, and organized.
CLEANING HACKS
When cleaning the house, we appreciate all the help we can get, and this includes finding shortcuts to removing stains and eliminating odors. Fortunately, there are some common household items that have more function than we give them credit for. Here are some cleaning hacks with common items found in every home:
1. VINEGAR
Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay
Vinegar can do wonders in giving you spotlessly clean glasses and bottles. No matter how much you scrub and wash with soap, there are just some stains on crystal glasses that won’t come off. But vinegar can easily get rid of cloudy water spots and other annoying stains anywhere in your home. Don’t bother dismantling the blinds to clean the ugly dust buildup. Just use an old sock, dip in a bowl of vinegar, wear the sock on your fingers, and then wipe away the stubborn dust stains in between the blinds.
To remove mold stains on your showerhead, fill a plastic bag with vinegar and tie it around the showerhead to soak it overnight. You’ll be surprised at how easily the stains come off when you wipe the showerhead clean in the morning!
2. LEMON
Photo by Lisa Fotios from Pexels
We all know that lemons are packed with Vitamin C, but fighting off the common cold is not the only function of this citrus wonder. A lemon in itself can remove stains and eliminate odors on sinks, kitchen counters, dishes, bathroom tiles, and basically anywhere in your home. It is also effective in cleaning and deodorizing refrigerators and ovens.
One easy microwave oven cleaning hack is to squeeze a lemon into a half cup of water and then give it a spin for about three minutes or until the water comes to a boil. The steam from the lemon water softens the stains inside the microwave oven and absorbs the unpleasant smell from previously heated food. Just wipe the inside of the oven with a paper towel or a washcloth and you’ll be amazed at how fresh your microwave oven looks and smells!
3. DISHWASHING SOAP
Image by Antonio Jose Cespedes from Pixabay
Your favorite dishwashing soap can do much more than wash dishes. Because this soap solution is milder than detergent and other cleaning agents, dishwashing soap is perfect for cleaning delicate surfaces such as kitchen appliances, linoleum and vinyl floors, air conditioner filters, metal blinds, and kitchen cabinets. Dishwashing soap can also be used to clean jewelry and remove stains from clothes and floor carpet. It’s also advisable to use dishwashing soap in cleaning mirrors and window glass. For best results, use newspaper to wipe the glass dry after washing off the dishwashing soap.
Doing household chores need not be too time consuming and tiresome. There are innovative ways to do chores these days, and you’ll find some of them quite amusing. By regularly cleaning the house, especially if you’re just leasing it, you can be proud of yourself for keeping your abode and everything in it in prime condition.
