If social media is anything to go by, there is an abundance of people always on the lookout for ways to improve their home and discover different ‘hacks’ to make their lives more efficient. In this article, we’re sharing our top 7 cleaning tips and home hacks that you may or may not have heard of, but once you start doing them, they will absolutely change your life for the better!

1. Wash your pillow slips twice as much as you do now

Our pillows are used every night, so it is important to ensure pillow slips are washed regularly. You can imagine how much bacteria can build up from our heads being on them for several hours during the night…yuck! Washing pillow slips regularly and even using a pillow protector can assist in keeping bacteria levels low and reduce the risk of parasites such as bed bugs making their way into your home.

2. Purchase an air purifier

An air purifier as a great way to reduce dust, allergens, and harmful airborne chemicals in the home. They work by sanitising the air, in the opposite way to a humidifier. A purifier can cut dust in the air by 50-90%, meaning less dust is falling onto your surfaces. This is also a great investment for those affected by asthma and other respiratory issues such as dust allergies, as the air is being sanitised of dust and harmful substances. It won’t remove everything from the air – but it definitely helps to reduce nasties that could be floating around in the house.

3. Start sorting your laundry

Sorting your laundry by colour is a great way to ensure you don’t accidentally mix colours while washing. The laundry could be sorted into three different baskets: whites, darks, and colours. Washing in this way will ensure a sneaky red item doesn’t slip in with the white clothing, turning everything pink! Make sure you place your dirty laundry close to a window to allow for airflow over the clothes, so they don’t start to smell.

4. Don’t walk on carpet with your shoes on

Walking on the carpet with your shoes on can eventually lead to a trail of dirt built up on the path you take. You may not notice it straight away, but after the 50th time walking the same track on the carpet, dirt will begin to show itself. Make sure that shoes are removed before heading inside and, for convenience, a shoe rack could be placed by entrances, so shoes aren’t left in a mess on the floor and cluttering the space. If you prefer to wear shoes through the house, keep a designated pair for walking through the house only, and change if you’re needing to leave home or go outside.

5. Keep the bathroom sink/counter clean by shaving and brushing your teeth in the shower

This may not sound ideal for some, but it’s a great way to keep your counter free of clutter if you keep both your toothbrush and razor in the shower. There will be far less mess to be cleaned from the bench, as hair from shaving is washed straight down the shower drain. In saying this, it’s important to keep your shower clean, especially any glass panels that tend to build up with soap and scum as hair and other bits and pieces can also build up on them. If you’re interested in finding out how to keep your shower cleaner for longer and protected from gross build-up, check out our range of nanocoat protection products in the GLASSGUARD online store.

6. Always carry something (this is an old waiter trick)

When moving from room to room, pick something up that needs to go in the same direction as you and put it away. By doing this, it will help to keep your home free from clutter and will eventually become a habit.

7. Take five items at a time and return them to their places

By taking a few items at a time and returning them to where they belong, your house will become far less cluttered very quickly. You could also turn it into a little game – try to get all the items you’ve picked up returned before a song ends or do a ‘speed run’ and see how quickly you can return the items. Turning this into a fun game for the kids can encourage them to be clean and keep their home free of clutter when they’re in their own home.

We’re sure that you may have heard of some of these tips, but others might be new to you. Hopefully you’ve learned at least one tip from this post, either way. We’ve got many more cleaning tricks up our sleeve that haven’t been listed here, so keep an eye out for other tips that may be of benefit to you and your home in our future posts!