I am always on the lookout good cleaning hacks as I love having a clean home, but I hate spending time cleaning!  The less time I spend tidying and cleaning is the more time I can spend sitting reading a good book or catching up on some TV.

I use all of these without thinking about it and love that a lot of them are not new, in fact, most of them go back years.  So let’s start demystifying the art of housekeeping and get started.   I steer clear of chemicals when cleaning as I worry about their effect on my family and would rather use a bit of elbow grease.

Cleaning Hacks for Busy Mums

Clean as a family

Get the kids involved in cleaning.  We do things for the good of the family here and that can mean cleaning.  Both my boys love vacuuming, yes it might not be perfect, but it is passable and the more I encourage them, the more likely they are to clean.

Stop the dirt getting in your home in the first place. 

Become a shoe off house and use Turtle Mats at the front and rear doors.  I swear by Turtle Mats.  It is amazing just how much muck they pick up at the entrance of our home.  They are great when you have muddy boys and a dog and well worth investing in.  We bought our first one eight years ago and have just replaced it and have one at both the front and back door.  They are ace and they go in the washing machine too.

The boys have always removed their shoes at the door and popped on a pair of crocks, but after one of their friends brought in some dog muck on their shoe we started making every child remove their shoes at the door.  This has saved me so much time and energy.

Use the dishwasher for more than just crockery

Oh yes, this is a great timesaver.  Did you know you can wash hairbrushes, toys and crocs in the dishwasher?  I even put our glass lampshades in.  For more inspiration about what you can wash in the dishwasher look for further.

Make sure clothes stay on the Hanger

stop making double work for yourself, by doing it right the first time.  I hate hanging clothes up and then finding them in the bottom of the wardrobe the next time I look.  Well no longer, take a look at this amazing hanging hack.

Swish then drip dry

When you’re finished using your toilet brush, place it under the lid of the seat so that it can drip dry for a little bit. This is an easier and more sanitary way to make sure your toilet brush stays nice and clean.  Oh and whilst we are at it, pop some cleaning fluid in the brush container – oh and make sure you regularly clean or change your brush – yes they can go in the dishwasher!

Use a seam ripper

Two of us here have long hair and the brushes in our vacuum often get clogged, well use a seam ripper to remove that hair fast and easily.

Clean your washing machine

Make sure you clean your washing machine on a regular basis.  How can it keep getting your clothes clean when it is dirty!  I am all for a once a month natural washing machine clean.    The same goes for your dishwasher.

Use a lint roller

My husband wears a suit every day for work, so we have a lint roller at the door to make sure there is no dust etc on this suit, but I also use if for removing dust from fabric lampshades and it is great for picking up crumbs of the sofa too!

Use an old sock to clean blinds

I hate cleaning the horizontal blinds and even more at the moment as there is building work going on nearby and, therefore, more dust.  Using an old sock to clean your blinds is much quicker and works really well.

Dust from the top to bottom

Dust settles on any horizontal surface, so start dusting at the top of your house or room and work down.  Once you get to the skirting boards at the bottom I love this tip fromApartment Therapy of using a used tumble dryer cloth to repel dust.

If time is short then follow my chaos cleaning tips for busy mums and you can get your house in acceptable shape for visitors in under 30 minutes.

What are your cleaning hacks?