Do you remember being a child and your birthday was a month away? It seemed like a lifetime. It stretched eons into the future as if it would never come around and that toy you so wanted would never be yours. The passing of six months seemed like a huge part of your lifetime – in large part because it was.
As an adult, the idea of a month until your birthday seems like nothing at all. You even get to the stage of not wanting your birthday to come around at all. Six months is a standard period, not an everlasting stretch of time you will never see the end of.
That’s because adults and children perceive time differently. By the time you’re in charge of your own home and family, time flies past at an astonishing rate and makes life more stressful. You feel like you’ve only just taken the Christmas decorations down before it’s time to put them up again – nothing ever slows down. And in the midst of that, you rarely have time to relax.
There has to be a way to grab back a little bit of time… right?
Time, a famous quote by Astrid Alauda once said, is the only thief that we can’t get justice against. Now it’s time to grab a few hours back from time’s firm grip. We spend an astonishing amount of time doing housework per week, and literally no one loves it – it seems a ripe area for a little trimming, surely?
Time Saver #1: Safety pins for socks in the washing machine: Fed up of having to search high and low for a matching pair of socks? Then use a simple safety pin to keep them together when you throw them in the machine. No, it’s not going to buy you enough time for an episode of your latest binge-watch TV show, but it’s something!
Time Saver #2: Quick cleaning wherever possible: It may sound stupid, but one of the fastest ways to save time when cleaning is not to let things get dirty in the first place. Use foil every time you use an oven; choose quartz worktops for their stain-resistant properties. If you’re feeling slothful, go for as much cast iron cookware as you can – it’s actually better if you scrub that less!
Time Saver #3: Keep cleaning products in their used rooms: If you’re like most of the population, you keep your cleaning products in one particular area of your house. That means if you want to do a quick clean of the bedroom, you have to traipse into the kitchen for the polish. Instead, invest in multiple sets of cleaning items and store them in each room, so there’s always something within reach.
Time Saver #4: Iron more than one item at a time: Even if the modern trend of doing away with ironing altogether doesn’t appeal, you can still save time. Thin items of clothing can be pinned together (or just held, if you’re feeling lazy) and ironed at the same time, as the heat transfers. A shiny ironing board cover will magnify the effect.
Now, that’s four starting points: on your marks, get set, go!
What are some of your methods to cut down cleaning time? What is your least favorite chore? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Featured Image By: Pixabay
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