Cleaning Challenges: Minimizing the Mess

MISSION, KS--(Marketwire - Aug 8, 2011) - (Family Features) It can be a challenge to keep the house clean, especially for busy families. When the kids are home from school, it means more dirt, mud and sand get tracked in, whether it's from sports practice or backyard fun.

Pets add to the mess, too. In fact, a recent study conducted by the NPD Group revealed more than half of pet owners (51 percent) reported that managing and cleaning up pet hair is their number one cleaning chore.

Pierra Jolly, founder and editor of JollyMom.com, a website devoted to her daily trials and tribulations of raising a three year old and Labrador retriever in Atlanta, can relate. "Certain times of the year I typically double my cleaning efforts, making sure that everything is under control just in case we are babysitting, dog sitting or hosting an unexpected cookout or sleepover," says Jolly. "Unless I stick to my established cleaning schedule, I fall behind."

Keep your sanity with these Jolly Mom tips for minimizing messes.

• Clean One Room a Day to Keeps Messes Away -- Develop a cleaning schedule where each day is devoted to one room in your home (for example, kitchen on Tuesday, bedrooms on Wednesday). Save the rooms that are considered high-traffic areas for later in the week in case of unexpected company.
  
  
• Avoid Pet Hair Emergencies -- The guests are about to arrive and suddenly you realize that your pet has picked an in-opportune time to hop on the couch. Tidy up with the Hoover T-Series WindTunnel Pet. Made with pet lovers in mind, it comes with an Air-Powered Pet Hair Hand Tool. Rubber blades collect hair and powerful suction carries it away. A rinsable filter and high-quality HEPA filter helps absorb odors from your furry friends, all for less than $100. Additionally, consider grooming more frequently to help control shedding.
  
  
• Start at the Top -- When you are cleaning a room, start at the ceiling with the corners and light fixtures, and work your way to the floor. Finish by vacuuming to pick up all the dust and dirt from your efforts.
  
  
• Leave the mess outside -- Make sure the dirt from the outdoors stays where it came from. Avoid tracking in grass, mud and sand by establishing a mud room, a place for the kids to store toys, shoes, towels and sports equipment.
  
  
• Let the Air In -- After giving the carpets a deep cleaning, open the windows. Fresh air will speed up the process of drying carpets, allowing your family to enjoy the cleaned rooms without spoiling the hard work. Plus, instead of investing in an expensive carpet cleaning service, try the Hoover MaxExtract77. Not only does it work wonders on dirty carpets, it pulls up a lot of dirty water so your floors dry fast and you'll be back to living on those deep-cleaned floors quickly.

For more information, cleaning tips and discounts on Hoover products, visit: www.Hoover.com.

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