•  Pass time by listening to music. You might find it easier to clean your home if you put in some music or listen to your iPod. This will make the time go by faster and distract you as you go about your chores. If you like books on audio, these are also a good distraction. In fact, you may want to use this as motivation to clean the house by only allowing yourself to listen to them while you clean.


•  Make a checklist. Knowing exactly what you want to tackle in each room will make it more helpful as you clean your house. Keep the list handy and mark them off as you go. In addition, it's easier to get all of your cleaning done quickly if you stay on task and work on a room at a time, instead of jumping from room to room.


•  Start from the top and work your way down. The best way to clean is to start at the top of the house and work your way down. This way, you won't have to re-vacuum or mop again after debris and dust that falls to the floor. Start with cabinets, refrigerator tops, high pieces of furniture, and counters, and do floors last.


•  Look up cleaning tips. There are all sorts of little tips and tricks that make cleaning easier, such as microwaving a cup of water before cleaning out the microwave or certain mixtures that cut grease better than others. Check out books or look up specific tips online that you are interested in knowing more about.


•  Keep all cleaning supplies together. It is helpful to have a tote or carrying case of all your necessary cleaning supplies, such as window cleaner, dusters, rags, and furniture polish as you go from room to room. An exception to this might be the kitchen, which usually requires special cleaners. Keep these in a cabinet or drawer away from food and locked, if you have children.


•  When cleaning walls (this should be done right before the floors), use a mixture of ½ cup of bleach for every gallon of water. In this case, wipe the walls down working from the bottom up, so you will avoid streaking.


•  Windows will be easier to clean if you use a crumpled up black and white newspaper instead of a rag or paper towel to wipe the window cleaner off. It eliminates streaking, and you also won't have to deal with paper towel particles or fuzz from towels.


•  Set aside certain times. Many people find it easier to keep up with their housecleaning by having a certain schedule they adhere to. This could be cleaning the whole house on a weekend morning, or doing bathrooms and the kitchen one day, bedrooms another, and other areas another day of the week. Find a schedule that is manageable for you.

You will find that staying on top of your housework will be easier if you follow these tips and tricks.