Working with my clients – walking through their homes during a buyer inspection or as part of a valuation before sale – I get to learn some pretty interesting cleaning hacks.
Every smart homeowner knows it’s a good move to declutter and clean up before either a prospective buyer pays you a visit, or you want to impress an agent to get a strong but realistic price evaluation.
So, it’s always good to learn the tips and tricks that owners have up their sleeve for these moments. I don’t claim to be Marie Kondo, but below are a few of the most impressive secrets that my clients shared with me.
- Be sponge-worthy! Some of my clients cut the corner off one of their sponges so they don’t confuse the one used for nasty jobs like cleaning garbage bins with those deployed for wiping down the kitchen bench. We do that in my family now!
- Join the cotton club – If your garbage can get a little on the smelly side, immerse a ball of cotton wool into an essential oil and then drop it to the bottom of the trash can. It makes such a difference.
- Disappearing act – We’ve all had that feeling that we’ve tidied like crazy but there is still stuff just hanging around. One client showed me a great solution: Get a laundry basket and tip all the flotsam and jetsam into it. Then put the entire basket into a cupboard. Shazam!
- Nerves of steel – I’ve often wondered how folks get their kitchen sinks to sparkle. Mine’s clean but not like that. Then, a client told me to wash and clean the sink, and then sprinkle flour over it for buffing. It’s amazing what a little elbow-grease can do.
- Reclaim your life – A lot of folks feel they do nothing but clean up after others in their household. You hand out chores but still the job never feels like it’s done. Trouble is, you can lose your life backing up after everyone. Here’s the solution: before beginning a clean-up, set a timer to 20 minutes. When it goes off, you’re done – period. It’s a great discipline.