Who wants to spend their paychecks and weekends cleaning? No one. When it comes time to clean house you'll be happy you have these time saving tips to get it done quickly--plus, using items around the house you'll save a few bucks in the process.
Time saving tips 
- Time is money. Don't spend it on your hands and knees scrubbing tiles. Instead of dedicating an entire day trying to tackle the entire house, get a timer and decide how long you'll to spend in each room, or how long you'll spend with each task (vacuuming, dusting, etc.). If you commit to only 15 minutes per room or task you'll feel less overwhelmed. You'll also be able to focus on the important stuff and still go out and enjoy your day.
- Once a week, drop two denture tablets into your toilet bowl and let them work for about 20 minutes. While you're waiting, give your bathroom sink a quick wipe, the floors a quick sweep and the bathtub a good scrub. After 20 minutes has passed, give the bowl a quick brush and flush. The same ingredient that makes dentures sparkle will leave your toilet gleaming.
- Make a cleaning schedule or a daily chore list for every one in the family to follow. If you designate a few tasks to each person to complete each day, you won't have to deal with mountains of laundry or a week's worth of dirty dishes at the end of the week. This tip also works well if you spend at least five or 10 minutes each day tidying up your room. Put your dirty laundry in the hamper, make your bed, dust off your dresser -- whatever you need to do to prevent a week's worth of clutter.
Money saving tips
Not only do you want to avoid dedicating your weekends to cleaning, you also don't want to dedicate half of your paycheck to buying cleaning products. Here's how to avoid spending all your hard-earned cash to clean your home.
- Avoid concentrated cleaning products. How often do you pass the cleaning aisle and see a label for a new "high-powered, ultra-concentrated" laundry detergent or window cleaner? Chances are you may have a few of these products in your home already. But are you reading the labels and using them correctly? Probably not. Standard strength products are often sufficient for most household cleaning jobs. To clean your floor, you generally only need a few tablespoons per gallon of water. Adding more of a product doesn't make it more effective -- in fact, you're just pouring it down the drain at that point.
- If you want to steer clear of buying cleaning products all together, you could make your own chemical-free cleaning products with some household items. A quick search online for homemade cleaning solutions for any job will generally yield multiple results. Distilled white vinegar and baking soda are commonly used in many of these recipes.
- For a more eco-friendly and less wasteful approach to cleaning wipes, cut up a few hand or kitchen towels and use those when you need to wipe down your kitchen counters or bathroom sink. Just be sure to prevent cross-contamination by leaving the bathroom cleaning rag in the kitchen! After a few days or at the end of each week, toss them into your washing machine on a hot cycle to kill any germs.
TIP: If you're not too keen on reusing towels for cleaning, you can easily make your own cleansing wipes with paper towels, dish soap and water.
Now that you've got the tips and tricks to save you time and money while cleaning, you can enjoy your time off instead of scouring sinks and tubs.