The mopping mistake that is making your home DIRTIER



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A professional cleaner has revealed how many are actually making their homes dirtier each time they mop the floor. 

The cleaner posted on TikTok to share the one simple mistake most people make when they clean their homes – and explained how the error can spread germs.

The woman, who runs The Big Clean Co TikTok page says going against the grain of the wooden floors is a huge mistake.

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A professional cleaner has revealed how you are making your house dirtier every time you mop the floor


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A professional cleaner has revealed how you are making your house dirtier every time you mop the floor



a close up of a wooden floor: The cleaner posted on TikTok to share the one simple mistake most people make when they clean their homes - and explained how the error can spread germs


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The cleaner posted on TikTok to share the one simple mistake most people make when they clean their homes – and explained how the error can spread germs

‘I don’t want to see anybody going against the grain,’ she said.

‘When you do it that way you get particles stuck in the crevices.’ 

She then demonstrated running her mop along the grain of the wood, and said it makes the floor shine.

The viral video was popular among the woman’s fans – but one said she felt targeted by the revelation.

‘Whenever I watch your videos I feel like you’re telling me off,’ one woman said.

One woman asked the cleaner how to clean laminate floors without ending up with streaks – to which she replied the trick is to ‘dry it’.

Others weren’t convinced.

‘I came across this and thought, ‘oh look, another person who thinks their way is the only way,’ one man said.



graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message: She says you must go with the grain of the wood and stainless steel to clean properly


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She says you must go with the grain of the wood and stainless steel to clean properly

Others admitted they ‘needed to hear’ the advice and wondered why their floors were never perfect. 

Cleaning and organising hacks are trending online this year – following more time spent in the home in 2020.   



a woman posing for a picture: Mother Stephanie Pase has offered her ultimate home organisation guide for 2021


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Mother Stephanie Pase has offered her ultimate home organisation guide for 2021

A super-organised mother-of-two has offered her ultimate home organisation guide for 2021. 

Stephanie Pase, from New South Wales, shared a YouTube video showing how she keeps her daily routine and home in order – all while juggling a family-of-four and a full-time job.

The 30-year-old organisational queen explained exactly how you can contain the clutter in every space of your house, from the wardrobes and kitchen to the bathroom and linen closet.

She said by implementing small habits like putting things back where they belong or decluttering 10 to 15 minutes a day can eventually become part of your routine. 

‘I want to really stress to you guys that being organised isn’t about being perfect, it’s about not feeling like you’re a slave to your own home and your own life – and this is what I’m all about,’ she said.



a woman lying on a bed: The 30-year-old organisational queen explained exactly how you can contain the clutter in every space of your house, from the wardrobes and kitchen to the bathroom and linen closet


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The 30-year-old organisational queen explained exactly how you can contain the clutter in every space of your house, from the wardrobes and kitchen to the bathroom and linen closet

The 20 items you should get rid of now

DVDs/videos

Coat hangers not in use

Broken toys and missing pieces

Mismatched socks

Broken crafts

Broken stationery

Dead batteries

Old makeup/hair accessories

Broken jewellery

Expired spices

Broken appliances

Tech accessories and boxes 

Clothes with holes

Old sheets you don’t use

Old scripts and medications

Old receipts

Old gift vouchers and menus

Shoe boxes

Unused gifts

Clothes that don’t fit

DECLUTTER EVERYTHING

Before you organise your home, Stephanie – who blogs under Just Another Mummy – said you need to declutter everything.

‘When you declutter a space, it always gets worse before it gets better,’ she said.

‘You don’t want to be organising junk in your house that you don’t need and you will learn along the way what you actually need.’ 

Stephanie noted that once your home has been decluttered, you still need a system that works for you so you can keep on top of every room.

‘You’re not going to overhaul your house and then it’s going to stay that way. You’re still going to get messy spaces, the bench is going to get cluttered every day,’ she said. 

‘It’s just something that you need to know that you need to implement these habits every single day and you’re just looking after your future self.’ 

KITCHEN 

‘The kitchen is the heart of the home and I feel that place can become messy really fast and I know a lot of us feel like we’re constantly cleaning the kitchen,’ she said.

To keep on top of the kitchen, Stephanie said the magnet planners on her fridge have been a ‘lifesaver’ for organising their weekly meals and shopping list.



a person standing in front of a refrigerator: To keep on top of the kitchen, Stephanie said the magnet planners on her fridge have been a 'lifesaver' for organising their weekly meals and shopping list


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To keep on top of the kitchen, Stephanie said the magnet planners on her fridge have been a ‘lifesaver’ for organising their weekly meals and shopping list

Stephanie’s top organisational tips

SET A WEEKLY CLEANING SCHEDULE: Steph has tasks she will complete daily, weekly and monthly, and uses the Tidy app, which reminds her how urgent different cleaning tasks are getting

PREP FOOD AHEAD OF TIME: Steph likes to use a Sunday to chop lots of fruit and veg for the week and pre-prepare breakfasts. Then, no matter how busy the weeks get, her eating will always be under control

PLAN MEALS AHEAD OF TIME: Steph likes to plan for up to a week ahead

USE YOUR SLOW COOKER: If she knows she has an especially busy day coming up, Steph said she’ll start dinner first thing in the morning

SCHEDULE A LOAD OF WASHING FOR FIRST THING: If your washing machine has the functionality, then schedule a wash for nine hours after you go to bed and you’ll wake up to a completed wash ready to be hung out

‘Our fridge is basically like our family command centre, it has everything we need to know for the month ahead and it has all our meals planned out,’ she said.

‘Planning is a really good tool for anyone, it helps you save a lot of money, you know exactly what you need from the shops and you’re not going to the shops and just buying random stuff that ends up not being eaten and it goes off.

‘It honestly does help you budget. If we don’t eat these meals in this order, we still have stuff to make it, even if that means we freeze the stuff at the end of the week. If I go to the shops and pork is on sale, I stock up on pork and put it in the freezer.’

She has a monthly planner where she writes down her family’s upcoming medical appointments or events such as a wedding, holiday or her daughters’ swimming lessons.

‘It really does help with communication so you don’t feel like you’re always chasing each other down trying to figure out what’s going on. So I definitely recommend having a family command centre like this,’ she explained.

Alongside her planners, she also has a ‘don’t forget’ list where she writes down any household chores she or her husband Ryan needs to do like do the laundry or clean up the play room.

‘This is my declutter list and like to-do list. So either Ryan and I would try and do one of these things a week or a day depending on how busy we are,’ she said.



an open refrigerator filled with food: Inside her fridge, Stephanie strategically arranges every shelf to avoid food wastage


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Inside her fridge, Stephanie strategically arranges every shelf to avoid food wastage

FRIDGE

Gallery: 20 ways to feel richer (Espresso)

a person wearing sunglasses posing for the camera: Luxury is about more than how much you spent on something, how many things you own or how fancy your house is. It’s about feeling comfortable, relaxed, safe, and contented with your life, no matter where or how you live. Here are 20 small ways I’ve made myself feel richer without spending a lot of cash.

Inside her fridge, Stephanie strategically arranges every shelf to avoid waste, stacking half-eaten snacks and anything nearing its expiry date in a ‘use me first’ shelf to ensure they’re used, not thrown in the bin. 

She stacks sauces, condiments and spreads on a $7 Lazy Susan-inspired turntable from Kmart so she can clearly see what’s left in each bottle.

The mother stores her children’s yoghurts in an $8 glass tray that can be pulled out fully to save her rooting around at the back of the fridge.



The mother stacks half-eaten snacks and anything nearing its expiry date in a 'use me first' shelf (pictured) to ensure they're used, not thrown in the bin


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The mother stacks half-eaten snacks and anything nearing its expiry date in a ‘use me first’ shelf (pictured) to ensure they’re used, not thrown in the bin

She uses the same containers for dairy, raw meat and lunches, which makes everything ‘so much more organised’.

‘Having everything that you need laid out in the fridge in a certain way and having certain systems like this can stop wastage and you don’t end up finding things in the back of the fridge [weeks or months later,’ she explained.

Every Sunday, she sets aside time to prepare all her family’s weekly lunches and dinners – and she also chops up all the fruits and vegetables so she doesn’t need to do them later in the week.

‘These routines will just become a habit for you guys over time,’ she explained.



a bottle of items on a shelf: Stephanie said having a well organised pantry helps her save a fortune on her grocery bills because she can exactly which ingredients runs low or empty


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Stephanie said having a well organised pantry helps her save a fortune on her grocery bills because she can exactly which ingredients runs low or empty

Categories to create for your kitchen pantry

PANTRY

Stephanie said having a well organised pantry helps her save a fortune on her grocery bills because she can exactly which ingredients runs low or empty.

‘Having an organised pantry is going to make your house run smoother and stop food wastage because you always know what you’ve got especially when you’re doing your shopping list,’ she said.

She categorises the food in her pantry, which includes snacks, side dishes, meal kits, sauces, baking essentials, cooking oils and a range of vinegar.

‘Coming up with the categories for your pantry is going to be handy when you’re making your shopping list so you don’t end up repurchasing things you already have,’ she said.

NEW AGE JUNK DRAWER

Instead of leaving things out in plain sight, Stephanie created a ‘junk drawer’ for her family so they can store away loose items like coins, chargers, hair ties, pens and any other knick knacks that they don’t want lying around the home.

‘Junk drawers are useful because it stops your benches in your kitchen from getting messy,’ she explained.



a close up of a shelf: Instead of leaving things out in plain sight, Stephanie created a 'junk drawer' (pictured) for her family so they can store away loose items like coins, chargers, hair ties, pens and any other knick knacks that they don't want lying around the home


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Instead of leaving things out in plain sight, Stephanie created a ‘junk drawer’ (pictured) for her family so they can store away loose items like coins, chargers, hair ties, pens and any other knick knacks that they don’t want lying around the home

To keep it neat and clutter free, she used a $29.99 cutlery tray from Ikea that’s perfect for dividing up her drawer.

‘I recommend going through your junk drawer and making a system for it,’ she said. 

‘So this stuff is basically things I grab every morning like I have some makeup powder that I need, we’ve got phone chargers which I’ve wrapped up and tied off so it’s not as messy. I’ve got lots of pens, coins and stuff like that.

‘I definitely don’t condemn the junk door, I think it’s a great thing to have.’

‘DROP OFF ZONE’ ENTRYWAY

The key to having a well organised home starts at the entrance of your home, Stephanie explained.

‘Another part of the home that tends to get really cluttered and messy and can just be chaotic is the entryway – this is what I call the drop off zone,’ she said.

‘This is an area where you drop your bag, keys, phone, wallet, shoes, kids’ backpacks, school notes, mail, everything goes into this small space. It’s super easy for it to go out of hand and if you can nail your entryway, the rest of the house is going to flow.’



a close up of a box: She uses a $19.99 wall newspaper rack from Ikea to store all the mail and notes


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She uses a $19.99 wall newspaper rack from Ikea to store all the mail and notes



a close up of a refrigerator: Along the wall, there's hooks so the family can hang their hats and a shoe cabinet where all the footwear are stored away neatly


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Along the wall, there’s hooks so the family can hang their hats and a shoe cabinet where all the footwear are stored away neatly

She uses a $19.99 wall newspaper rack from Ikea to store all the mail and notes.

‘I absolutely love it, I use it in the office as well – it’s perfect for kids school notes and just stuff you can throw in there and it doesn’t have to take up your whole kitchen bench,’ she said.

Along the wall, there’s hooks so the family can hang their hats and a shoe cabinet where all the footwear are stored away neatly. 

‘Having a place where you can throw all your things can be amazing to have and make life a lot easier for you guys,’ she said.



To declutter her wardrobe, Stephanie said she does a 'big cull' every six months so she could get rid of any clothing she no longer wears


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To declutter her wardrobe, Stephanie said she does a ‘big cull’ every six months so she could get rid of any clothing she no longer wears

WARDROBES

The three wardrobe culling questions to ask yourself

1. Have you worn it in the last six months? 

2. If I saw this in a store, would I buy it?

3. Is there someone else I know who would get more use out of this than me?

To declutter her wardrobe, Stephanie said she does a ‘big cull’ every six months so she could get rid of any clothing she no longer wears.

‘I find six months is a good time frame because we tend to hold on to things but you probably won’t wear them again,’ she said.

To determine whether or not to keep an item, Stephanie said there’s three questions she always asks herself. 

‘I like to ask myself “have I worn this in the last three to six months?”, “if I saw this in a store, would I buy it?” and “do I know someone that would get more used out of this than me?”,’ she said.

‘With those questions, you can kind of determine if you really need that top and you’ll probably find each time you cull, you’ll keep looking at the same top and that will end up going.’

Once she creates a pile of clothes she no longer wants, she donates them to a charity store or gives them to her family or friends. 



a close up of a box: For her husband's everyday clothes such as casual shorts and work clothing, she categorises them in a $12.99 box (pictured) from Ikea


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For her husband’s everyday clothes such as casual shorts and work clothing, she categorises them in a $12.99 box (pictured) from Ikea

For storage, she puts her accessories like belts, scarves, hats and hair ties into its own box, which she buys from bargain stores for just $2.

‘It just keeps it a lot cleaner,’ she said.

Stephanie uses a $15 four-pack shoe boxes from Ikea, which she says are great for storing away footwear in the wardrobe.

‘You don’t have to break the bank to be organised,’ she said.

For her husband’s casual shorts and work clothing, she neatly stores them in a $12.99 box with lid from Ikea.

‘This is kind of like his wear again tub so these are clothes he usually wears again and then throws them in there. I just find it is a lot neater than having shelves with just clothes thrown on them,’ she said.

‘You really do have to work with your family and what their personality is like which is fine and this just works really well for Ryan and I.’



a person standing posing for the camera: Stephanie categorises everything in her linen closet, ranging from quilt covers and sheets to bath towels and cushion covers


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Stephanie categorises everything in her linen closet, ranging from quilt covers and sheets to bath towels and cushion covers

LINEN CLOSET

Stephanie categorises everything in her linen closet, ranging from quilt covers and sheets to bath towels and cushion covers.

‘We sorted them into categories using tub. Everything has its place and if I ever buy anything that means I get rid of something,’ she said.

She said you should only keep the towels and sheets you actually use. 

‘You don’t need a million towels and a million sheets,’ she said, adding her family only has no more than two to three fitted sheets each. 



Just like the rest of her home, Stephanie categorises her toiletries and places them into tubs


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Just like the rest of her home, Stephanie categorises her toiletries and places them into tubs

BATHROOM

Just like the rest of her home, Stephanie also categorises her toiletries and places them into $4 boxes from Ikea.

‘So the bathroom is where the cabinets get very very messy and you end up buying a lot of shampoo and conditioner that you’ve already got,’ she said.

‘Obviously cull through your cupboards and then get some tubs and just make categories of it.’

Her categories include face, body, masks, hair and tanning.

‘This is just what works for me and it hasn’t gotten messy once,’ she said.

‘It is so much better having everything in a category because you know exactly what you have and what you need. Being organised honestly saves you a lot of money.’

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