The kitchen countertop is one of the most important pieces of furniture in the house. Even if you don’t cook on a daily basis, you still use for checking the mail, sipping a cup of coffee or unpacking the groceries. When you cook, it’s practically impossible not to get the countertop splattered with all sorts of ingredients or crumbs. Therefore, it needs a proper cleaning if you want to prevent bacteria growth and make it look shiny and new all the time.

Depending on your type of countertop, it requires a special care if you intend to maximize its lifespan. Granite is a common choice among many housekeepers because it is easy to maintain and it comes in a variety of colors and patterns, that fits perfectly with any kitchen. If you want to clean your granite countertop you should avoid acidic. Moreover, if you accidentally spill something make sure to wipe it fast using a damp sponge.

Kitchen countertops made of quartz are extremely durable as well as scratch and heat-resistant. Spills can easily be cleaned using a soft rag or a mild detergent. Just stay away from bleach and invest in cutting boards to avoid damaging the surface of the countertop.  

Marble is another great choice for kitchen tabletops due to its luxuriant appearance. Because it looks great in any house, people tend to choose them over other types. There are various marble cleaners available on the market but you can always use a gentle soap and some warm water to remove the debris. However, avoid anything lemon or acid-based soaps.

Given that marble is a natural stone, it has porous areas where you need to be careful not to spill liquids such as red wine, juice, coffee or tea. Also, from time to time you should reseal the countertop when water tends to slip off the top.

If you enjoy a raw and industrial vibe in your kitchen and you’ve placed a concrete countertop for a genuine experience, you need to learn that concrete is prone to stains, especially if you use oils. Plus, avoid placing frozen foods, shopping bags, or other liquids because it is quite difficult to remove stains from this type of material.

Wood is an element that adds plenty of warmth to a room. If you want to place a butcher block inside your kitchen you need to realize that the surface comes in direct contact with the food. Therefore, you must keep the countertop free of bacteria and germs.

After each usage, remove the remaining food or liquids with mild soap and a sponge. Every week, you can apply a natural sanitizer to remove food particles and other bacteria that can cause infec

Nothing can be more frustrating than trying to get rid of stubborn toilet bowl stains when you clean your bathroom. Because hard water can build up in the toilet bowl and make unsightly stains appear, you will experience a hard time trying to clean such spots. Unlike other areas in your bathroom that you can keep dry, like faucets, toilet bowls are constantly in contact with water.

Although there are plenty of options available on the market, not all of them are effective. What’s more important, their strong chemicals can be hazardous to your health, which means that you need to look into other alternatives. These are some ideas for you to try.

Dissolving hard water stains with baking soda and vinegar

These two substances are often used to get rid of tough spots around the house, such as stoves, and cooking appliances, but they are particularly useful in the bathroom as well. The following recipe is easy to apply, and you will be able to dissolve the hard water stains with much more efficiency than before.

First, spray about one cup of vinegar in the toilet bowl. Use a toilet brush to cover the surface well. Let the vinegar there for about one minute, and next pour one cup of baking soda over it. Follow with two cups of vinegar, and let the two substances react.

After about 10 minutes, spread the mixture around the bowl with a toilet brush. Let it sit again, and after a while, scrub what was not dissolved and flush.

Bleach is a power agent you can try

Keep in mind that bleach is quite powerful and it can eliminate fumes that are unhealthy when inhaled. That is why this recommendation requires extra care when manipulating bleach. Because it can go through almost any type of stain, it is highly advised for use when cleaning tough stains.

Use bleach powder instead of liquid bleach, because it will not start eliminating fumes as fast. You just need to drop about one cup in the toilet bowl, spread it around with the help of a brush, and let it action for two hours. Flush, and be mesmerized at how clean the toilet bowl looks like now.

A natural solution: lemon juice

Many people are not particularly crazy about manipulating harsh chemicals. Natural solutions are readily available, and this is something you may try. Lemon juice can be very effective at making stains disappear, because of its acidic nature. This is how you should apply it.

Do not make lemon juice, but cut a lemon in half and rub it on the stained areas. In case you notice that the spots remain, try a mixture of lemon juice and borax. This should sit for a few hours, to dissolve the stubborn stains.

Housekeeping professionals make money by cleaning homes and commercial businesses but can you just imagine the fine-tuning they have to do to ensure they can do the task as efficiently as possible? Unless you are virtually wallowing in a tubful of money, hiring professional cleaners is not a luxury average-income people can afford.

Here are some simple tips on cleaning your home efficiently like the professionals do.

Alter your cleaning strategy

Zone cleaning takes a lot of time, not to mention how it only allows you to finish a few rooms within the day. If you could cut back to just four hours the entire house cleaning instead of finishing just a room or two in the same number of hours, wouldn’t that be swell? Simply wiping things down and then moving on is quicker and more efficient.

Switch from room-to-room cleaning to task cleaning. This involves completing a single chore, such as dusting, throughout the house before moving to the next task. This also gives you a good workout since you will have to do more walking. The fact that you have to keep moving also makes single-task completion faster.

Clean sensibly

Follow a logical order when cleaning. Make sure it really works for you. Starting upstairs is sensible and then clean each room top to bottom. Do not go around the room more than once. Be ambidextrous when cleaning to complete the task faster.

Wear the proper cleaning attire. Limit any distractions when cleaning. Avoid talking on the phone, checking emails, or watching a soap opera, as these will only slow you down. Just play your favorite upbeat music or better yet, have a cleaning buddy to lessen the load.

Use the proper tools

Lugging along too many supplies can wear you down. Aside from microfiber towels, traditional chamois cloth plus effective cleaning agents, you should invest in quality cleaning machines such as a good electric broom, a floor cleaner, a backpack vacuum, and a variety of other machines that help you get things done efficiently.

To revolutionize your cleaning supplies cabinet, try a bit of essential oils that you can boil in water to let the aroma infuse the whole house. Instead of all-purpose cleaner, you could try warm water and regular dishwashing soap. Seriously stubborn grime will have to be handled with specialty products just for that purpose.

Vacuuming regularly foregoes the need to use a carpet cleaner since you can attack 70 percent of the dirt. A damp cloth with warm water will entail that you get down on your hands and knees to clean hardwood floors, but it saves you money on having to buy actual hardwood floor cleaner.

Window and glass cleaning only needs elbow grease plus microfiber cloth and warm water. Stubborn dirt on windows and glass can be handled by mixing 1 part ammonia, 3 parts water, plus a dot of dishwashing soap while costing you a just fraction of commercial cleaners.

Mix a small amount of bleach or a mixture of 1:10 with water instead of pure bleach to keep mold spores and a lot of bacteria species in check.