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House cleaning is a chore. When house cleaning, Jacksonville, FL residents want to be done and get back to their fun. Housekeeping is not an adventure, but you can learn ten speed-cleaning tricks by emulating strategies used by great explorers. Having the right tools and right mental outlook gets you to your goal. 

                                                                       
Gather Your Tools

1. Lay Supply Caches—Sometimes the long walk to the kitchen or garage for a single cleaning item feels like 10 miles of hard slogging across snow. In each major room, stash quick cleaning supplies in a caddy for everyday use. You’re investing in more storage bins and duplicates of sponges, cloths, and cleaners, but you’ll get back big chunks of time, and your home will sparkle more often. Imagine you’re in the living room; the end table needs dusting. If a dust cloth and furniture polish is in a caddy inside a cabinet in that room, you’re likely to do the job immediately. 
2. We’re in This Together—Those supply bins should each have all the lightweight tools and cleaning supplies you need for that particular room. A living room/dining room bin will have wood polish and a duster, but the bathroom caddy will have powders and germicidal sprays. Strategically leave specialty tools where they are most used. The special long-handled duster for the ceiling fan in the recreation room should stay in the recreation room. If you’re so tired of lugging a vacuum cleaner up and downstairs that you avoid vacuuming, investing in a second machine is well worth the money. You’ll save wear and tear on yourself and on both vacuums (each will be used half as often). 
3. Stow Your Gear—Polar explorers seem quaint to casual observers for carrying tiny brooms on their journeys, until you realize that keeping the snow and ice out of tents (by brushing off clothes and boots with whisk brooms) kept everything in the tent dry. Put away all your supplies, in the room you used them, when you are done. Rotate cleaning cloths and sponges to keep them fresh (cleaning cloths into the clothes washer, sponges through the dishwasher). 
4. Carry Enough Rope—Explorers always carried plenty of climbing rope. In house cleaning, Jacksonville, FL homeowners should use a 50-foot extension cord (exterior grade, very thick) so the vacuum cleaner or carpet steamer only gets plugged in once. You can do an entire floor without having to stop and shift to another outlet. 

Get Mentally Prepared

1. Race for the Pole—Just as explorers of old struggled against all odds to be the first to plant their country’s flag at the South Pole, keep a goal in mind: minimizing the time it takes Jacksonville resident to clean their houses. Avoid being distracted by the television, notebook, laptop, telephone and tablet. The only acceptable distraction action: put on fast-paced music you enjoy, making you move faster. 
2. Begin with the Short Straw—In the golden age of exploration, dire decisions under adverse conditions were made by drawing the short straw. While no one wanted it, at least any unpleasantness was short-lived. When it comes to house cleaning, Jacksonville, FL homeowners naturally put off the nasty work, leading to frustration and dread. So begin your house cleaning with the least desirable room. If you hate cleaning toilets, start in the bathroom and the rest of your chores will seem easier by comparison. 
3. Stick to a Plan—If you set your sights on the South Pole, don’t steam north. Devise a plan for your cleaning, and stick to it. While house cleaning, Jacksonville, FL homeowners may want to enter a room, turn to the left, and work around the room clockwise. Do that in every room, regardless of obstacles. Starting high and moving down to the floor is usually easier, since you aren’t sending grime into cleaned areas. 
4. Keep Dry as Long as You Can—In the race for the poles, getting wet meant frostbite. In house cleaning, getting wet means streaks and smudges. So start all cleaning with dry work (dusting, wiping down surfaces, vacuuming) and end with all the wet work: cleaning windows; damp-mopping linoleum, wood and laminate; and steam-cleaning carpets and drapes. 
5. Enlist a Crew—You may be leader of your house cleaning expedition, but your family needs to chip in to guarantee success. Assign tasks based on ability, prioritize which jobs must meet your standards and which can slide a little, and learn to live with the results. 
6. Jettison— Explorers learned to toss overboard whatever slowed down their journey. Do the same—kill the clutter. Your dancing elephant figurines may be delightful, but moving a pack of pachyderms once a week to dust seven shelves wastes your time. Consider having a single spot for display, and then rotate cherished mementos. 

For more help with speed cleaning your Jacksonville FL home, contact us at First Coast Home Pros.