While cleaning hacks can really help with the big week-in, week-out jobs, it’s often the little things that drive us to distraction because they seem to be so high effort, low reward. And yet, because they’re little jobs, they’re also the ones that can be easily and quickly addressed with a few, well-chosen shortcuts.

• Little cleaning jobs can be the most annoying.
• Maximise the reward to effort ratio with easy shortcuts.

The old adage ‘little and often’ is thoroughly good advice when it comes to cleaning. It makes the jobs things that you can do as you go along and stop cleaning from becoming completely overwhelming.

For a start, every time you finish with your cleaning cloths, instead of putting them away so that they need cleaning themselves next time you need them, wash and/or disinfect them after every use or every day and let them dry naturally so that they’re always ready to go. And remember, for nearly all cleaning jobs that don’t require germ removal, thanks to their need for nothing more than a drop of water, microfibre cloths really are your friend.

Likewise, always keep cutting boards clean as you go along. You can remove stains by rubbing with lemon juice and leaving to dry then rinse and dry again. Of course, if there’s any risk of germs, play safe by putting them through the dishwasher.

Dust traps are everywhere from in between your kitchen appliances to behind the radiators so use a long handled duster to dislodge and your vacuum cleaner’s crevice attachment to clean up. You could also use a damp sock on your hand to wipe down the slats of a venetian blind (and picture frames or skirting boards). Do these as jobs in their own right rather than when you’re doing a big dust and hoover.

Remember to have a good dirt-capturing mat for when you’re coming in and out so that any dirt you inadvertently traipse in is left on the mat. You can easily give it a regular vacuum or whack it outside with a brush.

Flip the idea of cleaning your wheelie bin to a gardening job rather than a domestic one when you’re getting the hose out anyway. Use the hose and disinfectant then turn it upside down to dry and air out. If you put an old newspaper at the bottom, it will absorb any stray liquids and stop rubbish sticking to the bottom.

If you’re using bleach to clean the bin, or anywhere else, remember to dilute it with cold water as hot might stop the active ingredients from working.

Although there are plenty of drain unblockers available advertised specifically for bathrooms and kitchens, they can be quite expensive. Soda crystals are a thriftier option as you can simply tip half a cup down the plughole and follow with boiling water (wear gloves though).

When it comes to windows, never try and clean them on a sunny day as they’ll just look smeary. Just spray on a solution of 9 parts water to 1 part distilled white vinegar, wipe with a (lint-free) cloth then use a microfibre cloth to buff them until they sparkle.

Flowers in vases are lovely of course, but when it’s time for them to go, they can leave the vase a bit murky. So, put a handful of rice in warm water and swill it around to loosen the grime. Get rid of the dirty rice water then then put a dishwasher or biological detergent capsule or tablet in, top up with hot water, leave overnight and rinse clean.

Although there’s no way round cleaning altogether, many of these little hacks and shortcuts can always be done in a few spare minutes as you go along. But if you really want to avoid it, you can always hire a professional cleaning company to do it for you!