Show us Your Life - Cleaning Tips!

Today we are participating in Kelly's Korner Show us Your Life - Cleaning Tips.

I despise cleaning. Really, I do. But, I adore a clean house. It feels so good to look around our home and know that it is clean. I'm weird, I love the smell of cleaning supplies. I guess I just associate the bleachie smell with clean - ha! I am still learning how to keep things clean, and the best way to do things, but here is my process now -

1. We have a stainless steel sink. I.HATE.IT. It always streaks and is never, ever all the way clean. So, every Sunday, I soak it to the top with bleach, let it sit an hour, drain, and then I scrub it with a baking soda paste. I am in the process of training hubby to wipe the water out of the sink EVERY TIME he uses it. I have a pretty towel that I sit next to the sink just for this purpose. I know it sounds OCD, but that is the focal point of the kitchen and it makes me feel better when it's clean.

2. I never leave dirty dishes in the sink.

3. I mop all the floors and clean the bathrooms on the weekends. I just don't have time during the week, and it's nice to get it all done on a Saturday morning before we really start our day.

4. I spend about 30 minutes cleaning / picking up each evening. This keeps me ahead of hubby's messes (can you imagine when we have children???!!!) and keeps the house dusted, counters clean, and clutter free!

5. Lately, I have been using a mixture of half hydrogen peroxide and half water to clean just about everything, with the exception of the shower. I even use it to mop the floors. It's safe for our dog, it doesn't have a strong scent (which hubby appreciates), it's less harmful to the environment, and it's SO inexpensive. I really feel like it gets things clean!