W?hen it comes to cleaning there seems to be a belief that all our tools and sprays belong in a container in a particular cupboard and room of the house - that's where they go and that's where they stay.
But there's no rule that says your cleaning supplies need to remain in the laundry or linen cupboard, and moving them to where you need them most could be a complete game-changer, like it has been for me.
After moving into a two-storey townhouse a few years ago, I was dragging my cleaning tools and sprays up the stairs once a week to clean the bathroom. Then I'd need to take them back down again to clean the toilet next to the laundry.
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That was until I realised I could just keep all the things I needed to clean the bathroom in that room and they'd be there whenever I needed them.
So I bought doubles of a couple of things, like disinfectant and dishwashing liquid, to keep in a plastic box with an old toothbrush, scourer, plastic jug, scrubber, toilet cleaner, cloths and gloves.
I also have a small dustpan and half-brush in the bathroom too, to help sweep up hair between vacuuming.?
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This means that when I spill some makeup on the vanity? or I spot hair on the floor I can clean it up straight away, rather than putting it off until the next time I was downstairs and on my way back up (if I remembered to get the supplies, that is).
It also allows me to dust the vanity mor?e often, which means there's much less of a build-up of dust, hair, make-up and soap bits when I do my weekly clean.
Wiping the vanity more often also helps remove drops of water that have fallen around the taps and countertop, reducing the amount of moisture on the surface and preventing mould and mildew from growing.
With the supplies ready to go, I can also do a quick spot-clean of the shower glass if I notice some shampoo or soap scum. This is especially helpful after I've washed my hair, which makes it look as though I haven't cleaned the shower recently even though I have.
?This small tweak to my cleaning storage has been so successful, I'm thinking about keeping a few other bits and pieces upstairs. The main one being some microfibre cloths and surface spray to dust and clean my bedroom and home office more often.
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The other thing I'm keen to get in the habit of is vacuuming upstairs and downstairs on alternate days (or every few days), to help remind myself I plan to take my stick vacuum up or downstairs once I'm done.
But that's a work in progress and if it happens that's great - and a big weekly vacuuming job will no longer be necessary - and if it doesn't that's OK too.
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