Cleaning can be a pain in the rear. If you’re a parent, roommate, or family member, you know that cleaning usually involves more than just your messes. Couches get filthy, carpets get hairy, and the sink fills up with dishes faster than you can wash them. We all moan and groan about dusting, vacuuming, and deep cleaning. Tidying is time-consuming, tedious work, and most of us are busy individuals with tight schedules. If cleaning has dropped to the bottom of your to-do list, don’t worry. Cleaning doesn’t have to be so gut-wrenching: here are some tips and tricks to get your house sparkling clean for good.

Hack your cleaning routine with these 5 incredible tips

1. Cleaning Service

First and foremost, consider employing the help of a professional. Professional cleaners are experienced, efficient, and generally worth the money. Not only do you get a clean house, but you also get more time to spend with family and friends.

If you’re worried about the cost, consider this: the average family spends around $50 dollars per week on cleaning supplies and spends around 1 hour a day cleaning. So, $600 dollars and around 365 hours of your year are dedicated to cleaning the house. Professional cleaning services bring their own supplies, work quickly, and do a better job than you could hope to achieve. When compared to the benefit of cleaning services, the cost is justifiable.

Plenty of services are available over the Internet or locally; wherever you live, you can find a company to help you out. For example, Houseproud Cleaning in Sydney, Australia offers flexible cleaners and a variety of services to keep your place spotless. Get online and save yourself the pain and hassle of cleaning.

Consider employing professional cleaners if your schedule is packed

2. Cleaning Schedule

Whether you employ the use of a professional cleaner or not, a great way to keep your home moving efficiently is to create a cleaning schedule. When you have a plan of action, daily tasks become more streamlined and easily traceable.

Instead of vacuuming every day, you can add vacuuming to a bi-weekly list of actions, which saves some wasted time. To create a cleaning schedule, make four lists: daily, bi-weekly, weekly, and monthly. Fill each list with common cleaning tasks. For example, washing dishes and making your bed would fall into daily, while vacuuming and mopping would land on the bi-weekly list. Clean linens and bathrooms weekly, and leave big tasks, like a kitchen deep clean or a carpet clean for the monthly list. Instead of randomly cleaning without a plan, employing the use of a schedule will optimize your routine, saving you lots of time in the future.

3. Use Vinegar and Baking Powder

For most cleaning projects, the two best weapons are already in your pantry. Vinegar and baking powder are great tools for stains, stuck-on grease, and just about any surface you need to scrub. Bathtub covered in soap-scum? Sprinkle some baking soda around the edge of the tub, then slowly pour vinegar on the soda. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then use a sponge to scrub away the loosened grime. Vinegar and baking soda, when combined with boiling water, will clear up a clogged drain quickly and safely, without the use of harmful drain-cleaning solutions. Replace your multitudes of confusing, chemical products with this powerful duo, and see how much time and money you save.

4. Microfiber Slippers

Sweeping can be a big hassle. Crumbs, dust, and hair accumulate on the floor constantly, and bringing out the broom for every speck is a waste of effort. When you’re at home, consider making or purchasing a pair of slippers with microfiber attachments. The microfiber fabric acts a crumb catcher on your feet, so you’re basically walking around on custom broomsticks instead of legs. By doing the things you normally do, like walk around the kitchen, living room, and bathroom, you pick up dust and debris. You can find these slippers online or make a pair yourself by hot-gluing a microfiber cloth to a pair of house shoes.

These cleaning hacks will have you rethink the way you’ve been using cleaning products

5. Vodka

Vodka isn’t just for drinking. This clear alcohol also makes a great cleaning solution, especially for stuck-on stains. If you have a stain in your carpet or clothing, pour vodka onto a clean cloth and blot the stain (don’t rub). Within a few minutes, the high alcohol content should do a great job of removing or lessening a stain. Afterward, you can reward yourself with a shot.

Cleaning doesn’t have to be such a hassle. With the help of some professionals, a cleaning schedule, and a few natural cleaning solutions, your house can be sparkling clean with minimal effort and time.