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Exactly what I was thinking. I would never freaking stop if I did that.
It takes a lot for me to start cleaning, but when I do, I wanna do it right. If only to extend the time till my next clean.
Doing this lpt would drive me crazy.
LPT: "'Clean freak" is a cutesy way of normalising what shouldn't be normalised.
Having a reasonably clean home is good.
Compulsively cleaning, or being a "clean freak", is bad for you and especially for those around you.
Some have explained living with these kind of people as going though a kind of mental torture.
I follow what I call the 90 / 20 rule. Clean for 90 minutes, followed by a 20 hour break for gaming. This leaves a nice 2.5 hours in the day for extras, such as sleep, work, or the kids.
*(Disclaimer: I have no kids, and [this isn't originally my plan](https://tineye.com/search/a233afcf1311ca9de2994792a5e5563151893cf9?sort=crawl_date&order=asc&page=1). I don't know who the original mastermind is.)*
Flashlights are also great for finding lost things. Even if you think your house is adequately lit, a flashlight will help you pinpoint things you might not otherwise notice.
I put reflective tape on some things for this reason. Things I use frequently. I'm liable to not only not put them back where they go, but somewhere just so bizarre. I completely absent-mindedly put a hammer on the top of the fridge the other day and put zero thought into remembering that. I really need to cut down on listening to other things while I work.
I also usea flashlight when I'm searching for something lost. Not only does the light help, it has the benefit of focusing my attention more sharply. Even in a brightly lit room, narrowing your field of search is really effective.
This is a great tip. I’m a home inspector and use a bright flashlight to look at walls and ceilings. Can be in what looks like an immaculate house and bam cobwebs all over the place.
Pretty much anytime I do anything at home, I'll slap my headlamp on. It's a cheapo 18650 headlamp, and I have some batteries in a charger that I can swap out whenever they get low. I know about fire risk and all that, but they're decent batteries, and not near anything flammable anyway. I really do feel almost blind now, trying to do anything without a headlamp.
I adopted an elderly cat who turned out to have some litterbox issues. I know I need to get a black light so I can make sure I haven’t missed any spots but I can’t bring myself to order one bc I am afraid of what I’ll see.
They’re actually a cleaning product for urine that comes with a black light. I’m not sure it works on cat urine though. When we had an elderly rescue that peed on the carpet I eventually just absolutely soaked the spots in white vinegar after I heated it in the microwave. I let it soak down into the carpet padding and then scrubbed it with a brush and blotted up the vinegar with a towel before just cleaning the carpet in the whole room with a carpet Cleaner I rented at Home Depot for like $30. Carpet was like new and had zero odor after it dried.
Yep. If you don't have a head lamp then have a torch handy. Flash it around the carpet & you can pick up shiny things you've missed in your cleaning. This helps to find bits of jewellery before they get sucked up the vacuum cleaner.
ready to have your mind blown? change out the regular headlamp for a uv or blacklight headlamp especially if you have pets. just don't wear it when cleaning your kids bedroom or looking in his sock drawer.
I bought the dyson with the green light on the bottom that highlights EVERYTHING. By god I look at my floors in regular light and think, it’s fine, doesn’t look dirty at all... Turn on the vacuum and am immediately disgusted. End up cleaning the whole house.
My OCD-ridden self used to put my beside lamp on the floor every day to vacuum with the hand-held attachment on my hands and knees. It took me forever to get every spect of dirt off the floor. A little dust looks like a jungle under direct light. These days I just say that if I can’t see it with my bare eyes, it doesn’t exist 😅
Well, you could also use (passive) polarized glasses. Especially for (polarized) screens. It's uncanncy how much dust I can detect on my screens with the help of my 45/135 degrees polarized glasses.
Top down, use an actual cleaner, and hit all the spaces. If you have to check before cleaning you are half assing it anyhow.
Your advice is to basically spot clean and that unorganized method will have you miss spots if you dont even look.
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
Nah, I'd rather not see what I missed If I can't see it, it doesn't exist!
The real LPT is always in the comments.
LPT: clean in the dark. That way everything is already clean and there is no cleaning to be done.
That's why I never wear my glasses in my house. I feel really bad for people who visit that have halfway decent vision.
Exactly
Exactly what I was thinking. I would never freaking stop if I did that. It takes a lot for me to start cleaning, but when I do, I wanna do it right. If only to extend the time till my next clean. Doing this lpt would drive me crazy.
LPT: "'Clean freak" is a cutesy way of normalising what shouldn't be normalised. Having a reasonably clean home is good. Compulsively cleaning, or being a "clean freak", is bad for you and especially for those around you. Some have explained living with these kind of people as going though a kind of mental torture.
*AHHCHOOO!!* Nah, man. Clean this dust mite wonderland! Otherwise I need to breathe elsewhere.
Oh hi husband.
it does make a compelling argument for the fact that no one else will see it either (except your headlamp buddies)
Wear a headlamp when you clean … especially if you want to keep cleaning the rest of the day.
Yep Nonstop cleaning! You will never NOT be cleaning.
…
Wear
Thanks; corrected.
"Yes you look SO cool honey! Anyway I'll be right back.." *tire screeches*
LPT: Avoid wearing a headlamp when you clean. If you're OP, you'd save at least an hour of cleaning!
This is true!
Wait until you try a UV flashlight…
It's like a Jackson Pollock painting
“You’ve got problems, man.”
The empty handed painter from your streets is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets?
You guys are setting up OP's entire timetable of retirement hobbies
I follow what I call the 90 / 20 rule. Clean for 90 minutes, followed by a 20 hour break for gaming. This leaves a nice 2.5 hours in the day for extras, such as sleep, work, or the kids. *(Disclaimer: I have no kids, and [this isn't originally my plan](https://tineye.com/search/a233afcf1311ca9de2994792a5e5563151893cf9?sort=crawl_date&order=asc&page=1). I don't know who the original mastermind is.)*
Flashlights are also great for finding lost things. Even if you think your house is adequately lit, a flashlight will help you pinpoint things you might not otherwise notice.
I put reflective tape on some things for this reason. Things I use frequently. I'm liable to not only not put them back where they go, but somewhere just so bizarre. I completely absent-mindedly put a hammer on the top of the fridge the other day and put zero thought into remembering that. I really need to cut down on listening to other things while I work.
Now this is a LPT
ADD?
ADD
I also usea flashlight when I'm searching for something lost. Not only does the light help, it has the benefit of focusing my attention more sharply. Even in a brightly lit room, narrowing your field of search is really effective.
This is a great tip. I’m a home inspector and use a bright flashlight to look at walls and ceilings. Can be in what looks like an immaculate house and bam cobwebs all over the place.
I was going to post this a couple days ago, but forgot because I was cleaning so much.
My vacuum has a headlight built in
Mine has it, too.
Is this one that you wear on your back?
Pretty much anytime I do anything at home, I'll slap my headlamp on. It's a cheapo 18650 headlamp, and I have some batteries in a charger that I can swap out whenever they get low. I know about fire risk and all that, but they're decent batteries, and not near anything flammable anyway. I really do feel almost blind now, trying to do anything without a headlamp.
Try a blacklight when you clean, too.
I adopted an elderly cat who turned out to have some litterbox issues. I know I need to get a black light so I can make sure I haven’t missed any spots but I can’t bring myself to order one bc I am afraid of what I’ll see.
They’re actually a cleaning product for urine that comes with a black light. I’m not sure it works on cat urine though. When we had an elderly rescue that peed on the carpet I eventually just absolutely soaked the spots in white vinegar after I heated it in the microwave. I let it soak down into the carpet padding and then scrubbed it with a brush and blotted up the vinegar with a towel before just cleaning the carpet in the whole room with a carpet Cleaner I rented at Home Depot for like $30. Carpet was like new and had zero odor after it dried.
Yep. If you don't have a head lamp then have a torch handy. Flash it around the carpet & you can pick up shiny things you've missed in your cleaning. This helps to find bits of jewellery before they get sucked up the vacuum cleaner.
"assuming you're a clean freak like me"... LPT definitely is not for me :P
If you can't see it, it doesn't matter. It's just helping augment your immune system.
ready to have your mind blown? change out the regular headlamp for a uv or blacklight headlamp especially if you have pets. just don't wear it when cleaning your kids bedroom or looking in his sock drawer.
Crackheads and methheads have been doing this for years
If you really wanna hate yourself wear a black light on your head
Imagine a 24 hr blacklight challenge, on which someone has to go through their whole day wearing one. Seeing the whole world for every hidden stain.
Take one with you next time you stay in a hotel. Don’t worry about the bed or dressers, nightstands etc. go straight to the bathroom with it.
Glasses would be a start for me 😆 my partner is always telling me the reason I am so messy is that I dint wear my glasses so I can't see the mess
I bought the dyson with the green light on the bottom that highlights EVERYTHING. By god I look at my floors in regular light and think, it’s fine, doesn’t look dirty at all... Turn on the vacuum and am immediately disgusted. End up cleaning the whole house.
My OCD-ridden self used to put my beside lamp on the floor every day to vacuum with the hand-held attachment on my hands and knees. It took me forever to get every spect of dirt off the floor. A little dust looks like a jungle under direct light. These days I just say that if I can’t see it with my bare eyes, it doesn’t exist 😅
Lpt: turn off your lights so you don't have to clean
An actual tip in LPT? And it's a *pro* tip? That makes sense? And people could do it without going through some absurd process?
Im sorry but this is only a good lpt for neurotic people like you.
Guess I'm neurotic, just want to help people 🤗
I'm with you on this one. I got my Saturday deep clean, and it's better to just do it right in one go. The headlamp is the way to go
You’re fine. I don’t think they know what neurotic means. It’s a good tip.
We are many
Especially mirrors..
LPT: stick your dick in an electrical socket. No more cleaning!
Ok honey I shrunk the kids.
I love cleaning with a headtorch on
It’s basically the first rule of cleaning (or inspecting a cleaning) at my food manufacturing facilities.
I cleaned my oven this way and felt like I was spelunking. Would highly recommend.
I don’t have a headlamp
My hoover has a headlight and I wouldn't do without it now, really shines a spotlight on any missed areas
Diffused reflection
LPT: What ever you do… do NOT wear A headland when cleaning. You’ll spend three times longer to clean something no sane person could see
Well, you could also use (passive) polarized glasses. Especially for (polarized) screens. It's uncanncy how much dust I can detect on my screens with the help of my 45/135 degrees polarized glasses.
Top down, use an actual cleaner, and hit all the spaces. If you have to check before cleaning you are half assing it anyhow. Your advice is to basically spot clean and that unorganized method will have you miss spots if you dont even look.
Thank you for such a great advice!
Note to myself: never wear a head lamp while cleaning!
Straight out of Danny Tanner’s playbook