13 Mistakes to Avoid When Cleaning

If you're like me, you love having a clean home but don't necessarily love the process of cleaning.  I would ten times rather organize a drawer than clean.  But I like living in clean (as well as an organized!) space, so cleaning is just something I have to do.  But I'm all about making it easier and faster for myself, LOL!  You can watch the video here or keep reading to hear about 13 mistakes to avoid when you clean.  Number 6 has been a game changer for me!

1.  Getting Distracted Before Completing the Task

How many times have we been cleaning, and then while cleaning, we see another spot that needs either cleaned or decluttered?  Don't abandon the task you started on so you can start cleaning something else!

Under my sinks are some of the worst areas in my house.  I've been cleaning a toilet before, and then before I know it, all the stuff under the sink is spread out on my bathroom floor.  I run out of time, and then the sink isn't finished, and the toilet still hasn't been cleaned.  This has literally happened to me!

Here's what I do to combat this:

1. First, tell yourself to finish what you start before moving on.  It will take just a few minutes (or less!) to finish your task before moving to a new one.
2. Keep a notebook or your phone handy so you can make a list of other projects that need done at a later time!  This way you won't actually forget to do anything, and it will help you stay on task.

2.  Cleaning in the Wrong Order

Did you know there's a “right” order to cleaning?  I didn't know for a long time, but professional cleaners ALWAYS clean top to bottom for everything.  Why?  Because things will fall as you clean.  If I have dirty counters and wipe them, even if I'm super careful, inevitably food bits or flour will fall to the floor.  So I want whatever is going to fall to actually be on the floor before I sweep and mop!

This applies to every room and every area.  There is always dust, and dust will always fall, too.  It's best to do the same order every time.  Eventually you'll retrain your brain so you don't even have to think about it!

3.  Not Using the Right Tool

While I don't think you should have tons of different cleaning tools (because it can get excessive!), sometimes there really are things that can help you clean more efficiently.  One of these tools for myself are magic erasers.  If I have something really stuck or very stubborn, the magic eraser is soooo much faster than just a normal cleaning cloth.

Also, it's important to keep your tools in good shape.  Eventually scrub brushes wear out, and they're no longer effective.  Same goes for mop heads or cloths with holes in them.  If you're using worn out tools, you're working harder than you need to.  I'm all about making it quick and efficient!

4.  Waiting Too Long Between Cleanings

I kind of dread cleaning.  But it gets so much worse if I procrastinate and wait too long.  If I clean a toilet weekly, there is so much less built up, and it's faster and easier to take care of it.  If I wait a month, it's just totally gross, LOL!  There may be built up hard water rings inside that take more scrubbing, and there's definitely more dust and gunk on the outside. It takes me longer than if I had just cleaned it weekly for 3 minutes at a time instead of spending twenty minutes to bring it from disgusting to sparkling once a month.

5.  Cleaning too Often

The reverse can also be true.  Sometimes you're not saving yourself any time by cleaning more frequently.  If you dust daily, you're spending the same time each cleaning as if you dusted weekly.

The goal is to strike a balance in frequency.  You want to save yourself work and time.  If you're cleaning one area too often, that time would be better spent in another area that needs more attention.

6.  Trying to Get an A+

This totally changed my mindset.  I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and I want to do an A+ job at everything, LOL!  But the goal in cleaning should really be to do a C level job!

For example, when I clean my stairway, it should take me about three minutes to vacuum the steps, and that's really all that needs done on a regular basis.  But there's this groove in the woodwork, and when I'm vacuuming, I notice that it collects dust.  So I'll get a cloth to get the dust out.  But it's a deep groove, so to really get every speck of dust, you almost need a toothbrush.  So then I do that. It takes soooo long that then I'm exhausted.  Now I dread cleaning my stairs.  So it gets done yearly now, LOL!

When people come over, it would look so much better if just the steps were vacuumed.  When I realized this, I started deciding to do a C job much more often.  So now I say out loud, “My goal is to do a C level job on these stairs.”  Then I vacuum the steps for three minutes.  I look at the stairs.  When I see it was about a C level job, I congratulate myself on meeting my goal!

Some cleaning done frequently at a not-that-great level gets you so much further than perfectionist cleaning once a year when you just can't take the dirt any longer!  If you're a perfectionist like me, you'll be so much happier and more efficient if you lower your standards a bit.

7.  Using Too Many Products

I try to find multipurpose cleaners and tools that will work on most of my rooms and all my surfaces.  My favorite multipurpose cleaner is by Method.  It's safe for all the surfaces I have in my home (read your labels!!!).

I like having tools and supplies that work everywhere so I can have a little cleaning kit that I can carry around all over my home.  Streamlining this is just more efficient, and it saves money and clutter.

8.  Using the Wrong Products or Products You Don't Love

Smell is huge for me.  When I finish cleaning, I want it to smell clean so I can FEEL that it's clean.  Certain smells indicate cleanliness for me, and others don't.  Products with nice smells also make the cleaning job a bit more enjoyable for me.

The wrong cleaner can also mean more work.  You do want something that's effective.  I've noticed a difference in how toilet bowl cleaners work.  So find the brand that works well for you.

I know that many people are very conscious of chemicals in their cleaning products these days.  If this is you, read labels.  I'd also encourage you to be patient with yourself and consider reducing your chemicals more slowly instead of just tossing everything all at once and starting over.  Don't let perfection be the enemy of progress in anything.

9.  Not Having a Plan

There are so many cleaning plans and schedules out there.  You can use any of them, or you can make your own.  The important thing is that you do have a plan for regular cleaning so that important things don't get missed.

Make sure your plan is achievable.  Going from hot mess to perfection is rarely sustainable.  Be realistic about the time you have available and what you will actually do.  If you can't stick to the plan, it isn't really worthwhile.

If you're struggling to figure out a plan, you can check out my Organized Home Manual here.

10.  Overusing Products

This is really likely to happen if kids are helping LOL!  They tend to spray with abandon!  If my kids are helping, I usually give them water in a spray bottle, maybe scented with a little essential oil.  I just want something that is safe for them so they won't get hurt.

But this applies to adults, too.  If we spray too much, it can get really wet and streaky, and then you have to spend more time wiping things up.  It can also get expensive to overuse products.  The goal is to use the minimum effective amount of a cleaner.

11.  Neglecting to Declutter or Tidy First

If you hop right into cleaning without tidying, it takes a lot longer.  You might have to pick up that stack of papers from your counter to wipe under it.  You'll be vacuuming around stuff and kicking it to the side.  It just doesn't work well!  Always spend a little time decluttering and tidying before you start your general cleaning session.

If your home has a ton of clutter (many of us have been there!), then it's not really practical to do a huge declutter before cleaning because it just takes too much time.  In this case, I'd still recommend you do a quick tidy and put away the items that DO have homes.  Then do a quick general clean.

I would still skip deep cleaning tasks until you've deal with the clutter.  If I can't get to my windows easily because there's too much clutter stacked in front of them, wait until you can remove the clutter before tackling any deep cleaning tasks like that.

12.  Using the Same Cloth

You can spread germs if you wipe something like a toilet and then use the same cloth on your sinks.  Always be careful about cross-contamination, and switch out your clothes often for a clean one.

I personally color-code my cloths for different cleaning tasks.  I know if you wash a cloth, it probably gets out all the germs…but it's just not good enough in my mind, LOL!  So I buy these huge packs of microfiber cloths on Amazon.  I use blue ones only for toilets, orange ones only for counters, etc.  This way I know I'm not using a toilet cloth to wipe off my kitchen counter where I eat!

Because they're so inexpensive, I also don't feel bad if they get really grungy.  I can just toss them and replace!

13.  Not Maintaining Your Cleaning Products

It's so important to maintain things so they'll be effective and so they'll last!  This goes for mops, dishwashers, and any other mechanical tool.

I've seen this especially with my vacuums.  I have longer hair, as does my daughter.  I've burned up multiple vacuum motors because I haven't done a great job of cleaning the brush.  If your brush has hairs wound around, it doesn't vacuum effectively, so you'll have to do more work.  It also puts stress on the motor when hairs bind up the rollers.

You really should clean off the brushes after every use.  Weekly, monthly, yearly– it's just not enough!  I've heard that some newer vacuums are supposed to self-clean from hair, and I've also heard that some of these actually work!  If you have one of these, let me know what you think about it in the comments!

Hopefully this helps you think more about your own cleaning habits and how you can be more efficient!

Organization that actually sticks for busy, happy lives