6 Cleaning Tips That Will Change Your Home Forever

You might find it hard to believe when we say that cleaning doesn't have to take hours to accomplish—but, trust us, you can do it in less than a day. The secret lies in doing smaller chores that make the big stuff easy. Practice these habits for a cleaner home: 

IMAGE Coastal Living

Living Room

• Discard day-old newspapers and ancient magazines. Display only the new issues on your coffee table, and keep the others in your bedroom or personal storage.
• Dust regularly. Cindy Harris in her book Cleaning Hints & Tips recommends a damp cloth for wood furniture, glass cleaner for glass tabletops, and an old soft toothbrush for carvings. 

Kitchen

• Wipe your counters after using them. To keep funky food odors at bay, place a box of baking soda or charcoal, to be replaced every three months in your fridge. 

IMAGE Lowe's

Bathroom

• Always flush the toilet. Wipe the toilet seat with a cloth sprayed with an all-purpose cleaner. 
• Wipe fixtures with a cloth sprayed with cleaner. For stainless steel, use warm water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid, then buff with a clean cloth. 

Bedroom

• Change the bedsheets regularly to ward off dust and dust mites. Vacuum the floor area around your bed.

This snippet originally appeared in the January-February 2010 issue of Real Living Magazine. Main photo by Coastal Living.