Clean Nothing but the Floor

Photo courtesy Flickr

If you play your cards right and attend to your physical surroundings as you use them, there will be no routine housework in your future, except for floor maintenance.

You’ll still have to wash windows now and then and detail occasional projects, but most of the routine that is called housework can be deleted.

It’s simple: keep horizontal surfaces clear of clutter so that they’re easy to wipe. A fast pass with a towel is all that’s necessary to prevent crud from accumulating on fixtures. Cleaning guru Don Aslett says that dishes develop plaque, like teeth, which is why it’s easier to wash dishes right after a meal. I assume that is true for sinks and counter tops as well.

Rubbing alcohol is a degreaser and disinfectant. It makes short work of cleaning up a stove, sanitizing faucet handles, and disinfecting bathrooms. Test a small area if you’re not certain how it will affect a material. If you saturate a clean wiper with a bit of alcohol, you can start by wiping glass or mirror, move on to chrome, and finish up on porcelain. There’s a small fire hazard with alcohol, so make sure to use it around relatively cool areas.

An unintended consequence of clearing the decks is to double or triple the amount of space you have to work in.