This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Endust for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
When I was a child I sometimes got these bursts of cleaning and fix-it bugs. I would decide that it was time to take a screw driver and tighten every single screw on every single thing in our house, from hinges and doorknobs, to electronics and toys. Other times I would scrub our kitchen floor with a washcloth so hard my fingers ached, hoping to finally remove those little dirt collections in the small indents in our linoleum.
Between these bursts of cleaning and fix-it energy, I didn’t think much about the messes I frequently made, or care that I left my plate on the counter, instead of putting it in the dishwasher. I dropped my coats and backpack wherever, and left clothes and towels on the floor.
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Not much has changed from when I was a little girl.
I still get these bursts of energy to tackle random cleaning and maintenance tasks, while also not caring that flat surfaces get covered with papers, toys, and whatever, or that I stepped over fifteen items on my way to the kitchen, or that I haven’t washed my sheets in a month.
I like to think I’m not the only one out there like this.
I like cleaning, but I’m not a clean freak or OCD about it.
I like cleaning because there’s great satisfaction in seeing the dirt and grime go away as a direct result of my elbow grease and attention.
I like cleaning because I like a clean, organized house. It helps me feel less stressed, frazzled, and overwhelmed.
I like cleaning because it feels great to have a clean home.
But, I don’t really want to clean until my fingers ache every. single. day.
I clean and tidy up everyday, putting items back where they actually belong, and have systems and routines in place for everyday messes, but I have four kids. Four young children who have no qualms about rubbing yogurt on their shirt, the chair, the table, and dropping their bowl on the floor to share the yogurt love with it. They don’t care that they splash water all over the bathroom floor when taking a bath or playing in the sink, or that they just squeezed out a giant glob of toothpaste onto their bath mat. They also think wads of toilet paper should be left unused next to the toilet. And somehow they never seem to mind dropping things wherever and whenever all over my house.
I don’t have all the time in the world to make sure my house is cleaned down to the dirt in the divots in my floor. Or rather, that’s not how I really want to spend my time at home with my kids.
A few years ago I went to a church activity where we were talking about spring cleaning. Naturally this means discussing how to deep clean objects around your home, you know, the ones you’ve been neglecting to clean all year.
Our leader said she purposely sets up certain things in her home to minimize the amount of cleaning she has to do. For example, she has both a door mat and a long runner because we typically track dirt for X distance (she had some stat long since forgotten) when walking into a house. Cleaning two mats is easier than cleaning up dirt all throughout the house or shampooing the carpets.
She made a valid point. It made me think about people who have rules in their homes about no shoes on the carpet, and only allowing food and drinks in the kitchen (that’s a rule we have) in order to limit the spread of messes.
She continued giving various cleaning tips and ideas, sharing smart ways she’s learned to limit her cleaning responsibilities, something everyone is all for.
She began to talk about how she made strategic purchases in order to limit the amount of time she spent cleaning . No, I don’t mean that she stockpiled cleaning supplies (although picking the right cleaning supplies makes a big difference – I’ll be talking about a great one I use below). She actually specifically bought or didn’t buy items based upon how easy they were to clean.
She skipped the pleated lampshades for the smooth drum ones. She opted out of ornate light fixture and bought a simple chandelier. She bypassed the end table with spindly legs to pick up one with straight plain legs.
Her reasoning was simple and based on one simple question: “Do I really want to spend time deep cleaning in all those little grooves and details, or would something else work just as well and save me time?”
Her premise is simple – when buying almost anything, ask yourself this important question, “How easy will this be to clean?”
If you don’t care to have a clean home, or will be paying someone to deep clean and dust for you regularly, you may not really care about all the fine little details on stuff you purchase.
But, if you do like keeping a clean home, despite the children, and don’t want to spend hours cleaning out between pleats, divots, and details, then don’t buy them in the first place – opt for clean, flat lines and surfaces.
If you can’t guess, I am not into fancy home decor. I value simple living, and part of living simply is being smart about the things you buy; buying furniture that is easy to clean and maintain is smart!
(I also don’t buy clothing that is dry clean only or fabrics that will require ironing, like linen. This principle applies to much more than just home furnishings!)
Dust & Clean Fast
Not only should you be asking “How easy is this to clean” but “Do I know how to clean this?”
Some cleaning surfaces and materials present unique challenges in and of themselves! If you don’t know how to care for granite, or real silver, or copper, they can be difficult because you don’t know what you are doing or what to buy.
Finding a product that works great on multiple surfaces and cleans and shines at the same time is an efficient use of your time. That’s why I like using Endust Products.
One of my favorite things about our apartment home is the kitchen cabinets. We are lucky because the previous occupant was a manager and she stained the kitchen cabinets a pretty dark brown. Every other apartment has light, untreated wood for their cabinets. However, the dark gloss means fingerprints, smudges, dirt, and grime show up more.
Cabinets are one of those things I don’t clean often, especially a good deep cleaning. But, it was one of my spring cleaning objectives to wipe them down, as well as my table and chairs, and get my kitchen looking mighty fine.
I picked up some Endust Lemon from H-E-B (you can see a full list here of where to buy) using a coupon to help me easily pick up dust, fingerprints, and smudges from just about anywhere in my home.
The Endust Multi-Surface Dusting Spray is a silicone-free formula that leaves a natural shine without build-up which means I can comfortably use it on wood, cabinets, vinyl (like the back of my sofa), finished smooth leather, stainless steel, car interiors, paneling, window sills, desks, non-fabric blinds, and even floors (as long as I don’t apply it directly to the floor – it would make it way too slippery – you have to spray it on a cloth first, which I recommend doing when any over spray may go on the floor. Trust me on this one!).
The table and chairs we bought four years ago are straight and smooth surfaces with almost no ornate details. It is so easy to wipe down and clean over and over again without much hassle (totally took that lady’s advice to heart!), which is so important when it’s the kitchen table. It is cleaned a few times a day, as are the chairs.
Endust Products save me time because they remove the smudges and shine them at the same time. Because so many things (food/drinks) get dropped on our kitchen/dining room floor, the legs of our chairs and table frequently have little white splash marks on them, which I don’t clean so religiously as I do the rest of them. But, this dusting spray does well to remove them quickly and easily.
I like using their products around my home. My kids loved the Lemon fresh smell as did I too. It’s much better than the sometimes stinky diaper smell we have going on in our apartment.
Now when I get a cleaning bug, I know I can use Endust to help me remove smudges, marks, dirt, and dust from a multitude of items around my home.
Endust Giveaway! {ENDED}
If you want the chance to be one of five winners to receive a $100 gift card and a spring-cleaning prize package consisting of Endust’s family of products, then tweet or post a before & after photo on Facebook of a surface they have dusted while using the #DustOff hashtag.
No purchase is necessary and you do not have to actually use Endust in your photos to enter. Winners will be chosen on May 4th and will be announced on Endust’s social channels. Enter below and good luck!
Becca says
I love that tip. We specifically bought a second-hand dining room table because I knew it would get years of abuse, and I wanted to know it could stand up to the abuse. Our table – which I love – is from the 1930s and came from a private boy’s school. You can actually see the faint imprints of their old school work in some places on the table. I figured if it stood up to 75 years of abuse by a bunch of school kids, it could survive our family. Actually I think buying antiques where practical/possible is a great idea; you know anything that has survived decades of use is sturdy and well-made. Clearly that’s not for everyone; sometimes it doesn’t mesh with your style, sometimes antiques are too expensive and some antique items (like couches and chairs) are just too uncomfortable. But we have some stores near us that sell stuff I like at very good prices, so if I’m in the market for a new piece of furniture (as long as it’s not a couch or a chair) that’s the first place I go. As for couches and chairs – Ours are almost all second-hand. They may not be my favourites but they’re harder to clean than hard furnishings, and I figure if they’re second-hand I can be more relaxed about all those little “accidents” (like, “Mummy, I forgot I wasn’t supposed to eat on the couch!”) that are just an inevitable part of life.
Jenny @ Unremarkable Files says
Last month I finally decided to clean all the little decorative grooves on the sides and legs of our dining room table. It took forever and I hated every second of it. Wish I’d have thought of that when we were buying the table!
Tin says
Me too! I like clean house. It is very satisfying to see a clean and organized home. I love Endust too. I can’t clean without it. Thanks for sharing this article.