At this time in my life and the year I am really focused on improving my productivity. As I analyze what I do best and if there is any room for improvement, it’s giving me all kinds of ideas of things to share with you. I hope you find it useful and that you will share your best tools with the rest of us in the comments section.
I use them for all kinds of possibly messy jobs including cooking, painting, crafting, home decor projects and yes, cleaning! For cooking and painting I prefer the longer bib aprons. My sister made a beautiful one for me for Christmas a few years ago. For cleaning I like the little $3 aprons you can get from Lowe’s in the tools section. They are canvas and they wash fine. Not that I really care what they look like when I am cleaning in them, June Cleaver I am not. What makes them perfect is that they have two pockets. I put my phone in one and in the other I put all the little, tiny things you find around the house when you are cleaning: safety pins, paper clips, pens, pins, bobby pins, hair ties, screws, nails, coins, earrings and when my daughter was much younger the random Barbie doll shoe. So what do I do with all the bigger items that are not where they belong?
If there is already something in the basket or my apron pocket from another room that belongs in the room I am starting to clean, I put those things away first. The next thing I do when I start through a room is put anything in the basket that does not belong in that room: books, magazines, and anything else too big to fit in the apron pocket. This save so much time because now I am not going from room to room to put away one errant item at a time. Anything ready to be given away, sold, or donated goes in the basket, too. When I finish dusting, vacuuming, polishing, and putting a sparkle on that room, I survey the basket. Is there anything big that I should go ahead and take care of before moving to the next room? I generally go from room to room in order, but some times I let the contents of the basket indicate the next room I should tackle. Then again maybe a break is in order!
I time my cleaning time and use the ring of the timer to remind me to hurry or decide if I need a reward, like a quick break or just to refill my coffee or water. My phone has a timer, but I really like to use just a regular kitchen timer that I can clip onto my apron. My intention is to be intensely focused on the task at hand, but honestly I can get distracted organizing a dresser drawer or the linen closet. I set the timer for the amount of time it should take me to clean a room. There is something mental about knowing I am on a time limit that keeps focused.
When the timer rings, I decide if I need more time in that particular room, or a break. Be sure to check your basket or apron pocket for anything that you can take to the kitchen on the way to get your reward. Use your timer to time your reward breaks, too.
If I do notice something that needs to be organized, repaired, purchased, or anything other than just cleaning it, add it to your to do list list. This is one reason for keeping my phone in my pocket. I note everything in Evernote. I just create a quick note like, replace the ceiling fan light bulbs in rec room. Later, either while I enjoy a quick coffee break (use your timer to limit those too!) or at the end of my cleaning spree I organize my notes in Evernote. Check out my resources page for how I organize those notes using the GTD (Getting Things Done) process.
This is one of my favorite, must have cleaning tools. Okay, so they don’t actually clean or capture anything being cleaned, however, they are another way to keep you from being distracted from the task at hand. Another reason for keeping your phone in your apron to use headphones to listen to podcasts, music, and books. Even if you have little ones you can just use one side of the headphones and keep the other side away from your ear so you can hear what they are doing. Besides learning as I clean, 
7. An actual tool, scissors!
My final unusual cleaning tool is a small pair of scissors which fits great in my apron pocket. It’s great to have them handy to cut threads on a bed spread, open the plastic film on a cleaning product, trim a raveled towel, trimming houseplants, etc. One of my organization strategies is to keep a pair of scissors in almost every major area of the house for all kinds of quick snips and cuts: home office, master closet, laundry room, kitchen, master bath, baby’s room and anywhere else that packages need to be opened, threads trimmed and paper cut.
The dirty truth is we are all busy and the dust and grime grows on its own as if someone were feeding and watering it. If we don’t keep it under control it affects us mentally. Don’t you feel great when the house is sparkling and spotless. It actually gives me more energy to come home from work to a clean home. It also makes it so much easier to entertain friends and family when you don’t have to worry about cleaning up before anyone knocks on the door.
In our busy lives we need all the tricks we can find to be more efficient and productive. I hope sharing my personal cleaning productivity tools helps you. I am wondering do you already use these or some form of these tools in your household cleaning routine? What tools do you use to make best use of your time while conquering the mess and arriving at clean? Share your thoughts and tips in the comments so we can all get things done faster!
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Great article Lauree! I love the apron idea, I’ll go dig one out now!
Thanks! I have aprons in my craft room, by my workbench in the garage, and in the kitchen of course. My sister is making another one for me with my logo so I can wear it at craft shows. I can’t wait! I keep a couple small ones around for when I have kids over helping in the kitchen or doing crafts.
I love the apron idea! I am investing in one of those for cleaning.
The little, canvas ones that Lowes has are great if you just need pockets and don’t want to wear a apron with a bib. My sister is making a full one with my logo embroidered on it for me to wear at craft shows. I can’t wait! It’s nice to have creative family members.