Save yourself time and effort during cleaning and chores by following these experts’ tips.
1 / 10svetikd/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Bed sheets
If you wash your sheets just for the clean smell, go ahead and wash them every week or two, says Maeve Richmond, founder and coach of organizing company Maeve’s Method. But if you don’t mind a more lived-in bed, throwing linens in the wash just once a month should do the trick. Washing too much can wear out the fabric and fade the colors, Richmond says. If you haven’t been sweating much, you might not need to rush your sheets into the laundry. “Winter months are a time when we can swap bed linens out less frequently, mostly because our bodies are cooler, so our linens aren’t absorbing as much sweat,” Richmond says. By the way, this is the easiest way to fold a fitted sheet.
2 / 10Scovad/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Fabric couches
Spraying cleaner straight onto your couch will leave you with a soaked area to clean up. Instead, spray cleaning product onto a clean rag to wipe furniture, which gives you more control. “When you’re over-spraying, you’re spending more time trying to wipe off the chemical,” says Wallace Reid, regional vice president of Merchant Building Maintenance of Los Angeles. Check out these other cleaning mistakes that are making your home dirtier.