7 household chores you’re probably doing wrong

For some, keeping the house clean and tidy can be a very tedious, boring and repetitive chore. If you are going to do household chores you might as well do them the right way. We have found some common mistakes that even clean people often make and how you can get the most value out of your cleaning time.

Cleaning windows on a hot day

It might seem like a great idea to clean your windows on a beautiful sunny day with extra light to expose all the dirt that’s built up over the months. However, the heat from the sun will dry up the window very quickly, resulting in big streaks along the way. The ideal time for cleaning windows is actually on a cloudy day.

Changing your bed cover the hard way

The feeling of frustration after changing your bed cover is something we have all experienced many times over. Chances are if you are feeling this when changing your doona it’s because you are actually doing it wrong. Try flipping the doona cover inside out first. The next step is to lay the doona on top of the inside-out cover and pin the top two corners of both the doona and cover together using safety pins.

Next, push the doona through the open end of the cover, feeding it through until it’s right side out. Give it a good shake to flatten it out, then reach inside and remove the safety pins.

Overloading the washing machine

It’s a bad habit a lot of us get into. Why? Because no one wants to spend their whole day doing the washing. With that being said, overloading the washing machine will actually cost you both time and money in the end.

Load capacities vary with the size and model of your machine, its important to always leave enough space for your washing to move around. This helps with the soaking and rinsing process, otherwise, you may find yourself being left with dirty laundry and having to do a second wash.

Not emptying your vacuum enough

The vacuum is a hard-working machine that is used in every household. People often avoid emptying their vacuum until they absolutely have to (at the point of explosion or it is no longer sucking). An overload of dust, dirt, hair and other particles can reduce suction power. Instead, empty the machine when it’s about two-thirds full.

Avoiding hard to reach surfaces when cleaning

Everyone avoids cleaning those hard-to-reach places/ surfaces that take a little extra effort to get to. Don’t be lazy though, ceiling fans collect a lot of dust over winter and then come summer, if left unattended, you’ll be fanning dust all over the house. Invest in a handy little step ladder and give all surfaces a wipe-down every once in a while.

Washing your knives in the dishwasher

 The dishwasher – one of the greatest things on this earth! We should just through everything in it and never worry about doing the dishes again! Wrong. Did you know a chef would never put their expensive knives in the dishwasher? Dishwashing detergent contains highly alkaline compounds that can cause sharp edges to become blunt. Take the time to wash your knives in warm soapy water if you want them to remain sharp.

Using chemicals to clean glass shower doors

 Tired of scrubbing the shower door/glass countless times over only for it to be slightly better? Over time, white soap scum remains stubbornly ‘streaky’ on shower glass, despite our best attempts to make it clean and sparkle. People often use common store-bought cleaning products and chemicals; however, we suggest trying white vinegar or dishwashing liquid as an excellent alternative for cleaning glass.