Most people are looking for ways to clean their homes faster and easier. However, those who aren't too great at cleaning their homes will sometimes only create a bigger problem for themselves in the long run. Check out these bad cleaning habits that you should stop right now, and you’ll soon have a cleaner home and the bonus of having more time to enjoy many other things.

Even though a lot of bank transactions are now done online, you can still have a mountain of paper that ends up in every corner of your home. Things like magazines, newspapers, school papers, and projects will always find a way to pile up. 

Don’t let this happen. You should designate a place near the entryway you use most frequently and place a box nearby for all mail, newspapers, and other paper forms. Sort it out at least once a week and take the needed action to either keep the things that you should keep or throw some away in the trash.

If you want to avoid scrubbing mildew from bathroom surfaces, don’t leave your wet towels on the floor for long. This is a simple bad habit to break. Cleaning up as you go will help you spend less time in the laundry room.  

Closing the shower curtain after each use will help it to dry more quickly and discourage the growth of mildew. Another tip is to hang wet towels to dry, in order to use it for a second or third time to lighten your laundry loads.

Using the right amount of cleaning product and following the directed usage will make the most of the product's effectiveness, to allow for some cost savings. When you use too much of a cleaning product or laundry detergent, it potentially can cause more harm than good and it can also be very costly.

If you have overused your cleaning products and cannot rinse it thoroughly, the residue becomes a magnet, trapping dirt and causing mold or mildew. It’s important to read directions and always use the recommended amount of the product or even a little less. Using too many cleaning products will waste time and money on the extra product and the water to rinse it away.

If you use dirty cleaning tools to clean anything, you cannot expect a good result. If your washer has an odor from the detergent residue, your clothes can develop a stinky smell. If your vacuum bag or filter is filled with too much dust, it can no longer suck dirt effectively. It’s crucial to thoroughly clean tools after every use by emptying or washing it with hot water and add disinfectant, when possible.

If you want to do a quick wipe down of a bathroom sink, using disposable disinfectant wipes is a great idea. But using just one disposable wipe hardly contains enough disinfectant to clean an entire bathroom. By the time you reach the toilet bowls, the disinfectant qualities are gone. This is a bad cleaning habit you should stop right now.  

To be more effective at cleaning your bathroom, use multiple wipes with enough disinfectant moisture, so the surface remains wet for at least four minutes. 

Another bad cleaning habit that you should stop right now is regularly leaving dirty dishes in the sink for several hours. Doing this invites bacteria and makes the sink area a breeding ground for hungry cockroaches. When you immediately clean any dish, cup, or spoon after using it, dishes won’t pile up in the sink, and having the space clean can also help you feel more relaxed as you spend time in your kitchen.

You can save some extra time vacuuming if you remove your shoes each time you enter your home. Doing this not only keeps things cleaner, but it also keeps extra bacteria and germs that have stuck to the bottom of your shoes, from contaminating your living areas. Whether you enter through a mudroom or the front door, make it a habit to sit on a bench or chair outside the door for easy shoe removal. It’s also good to keep a shoe tray close by for wet or muddy shoes and having a bin to collect the footwear of every member of the family, is an added bonus.

When you dust before you vacuum, you can save some unnecessary effort. A room should be cleaned first by thoroughly dusting the surfaces before vacuuming so that the dust lands on the floor to be swept or vacuumed away.

If you have developed some of these bad cleaning habits that you should stop right now, changing the way you do things can help you get the cleaning job done more efficiently and in a more timely manner.

Thousand Hills Realty is the premier property management company in Branson, Missouri. Call us today at (417) 337-8081 to help you find a Branson apartment to fit your lifestyle.