Some people thrive on the list of jobs which includes dusting, ironing and cleaning the bathroom. For many other though, it’s the stuff of nightmares and will do anything to put off scrubbing the oven after a Sunday roast.

Cleaning is a part of life though and it’s about making it as easy as possible so the jobs are finished quickly, the work becomes part of daily life and even finding a few secret ingredients which when used will almost carry out the job for you!

Be organised to save time

Cleaning rooms in a particular way will save time and is the secret of those who work as professional cleaners and Housekeepers.  Carrying out jobs randomly mean moving from room to room and possible undoing the work you’ve always finished.

For the kitchen, put pans and dishes in to soak before you clean anywhere else.  Move in a clockwise direction around the room and leave the cooker top until last. It’s the greasiest part of the kitchen and if you clean it beforehand you’re spreading the grease to other areas. By the time you’ve finished, all the dirt will easily rinse off the pans and dishes you’ve left in the sink.

Clean from top to bottom. In any room, start at the highest point and work towards the floor. That way any dust, cobwebs and crumbs will eventually end up on the floor and you can wipe and sweep or hoover them all at the same time.

A lemon is your best friend

It’s ecologically sound, it smells great and is the perfect disinfectant. The lemon is the magical item to have in the home at all times to clean just about everything with no chemicals needed and only costing pennies to have the home sparkling clean.

Lemons can be used to clean and bring a sparkle back to just about any surface or metal. They are great for using on copper such as pans with a copper base, items made of solid brass or even  bringing discoloured grout in the bathroom back to life.

If you’ve been putting off cleaning the microwave – just use a lemon! Squeeze the juice of a lemon into a half full cup of water and heat until it boils in the microwave. Don’t open the door for 10 minutes and then just remove the cup and you’ll instantly be able to wipe all the food splashes off the inside – however stuck they were.

You can make other products go further too as lemon has a natural de-greasing action. When doing the washing up, don’t add as much washing up liquid to the bowl and replace with a few drops of lemon juice. It really does wash the dishes clean and you can use half a lemon on a stained cooker top instead of a cleaner to remove all the grease from cooking.

Don’t let hotspots appear

Hotspots are areas of the home where clutter always gravitates to and before you know it you’ve a big pile of various items to sort out. Every home will have particular places where this happens – be vigilant and look where they are in your home and when you see bits and pieces slowly gathering which need to be elsewhere, quickly step in and clear the hotspot area. Get others in the family involved by making hotspot areas ‘no-go zones’ with regards to dropping things there as they walk by and offer rewards for helping.

Cleaning doesn’t have to be a chore. It can be fun if you challenge yourself with small rewards for carrying out jobs or you can join in with many online groups who have organised timetables for cleaning certain parts of rooms on different days so it doesn’t have to be as boring as you’re currently finding it. The biggest tip of all? If you walk past a part of a room and it hits you that it’s a small cleaning job – do it straight away. You’ll have made an instant achievement in a couple of minutes, it hasn’t grown into a job which will take up your precious time and you can reward yourself with a cup of tea and a couple of digestives for being so organised