Keeping a tidy home does not always mean having to spend long hours cleaning from top to bottom. In reality, all it takes is simply adopting some good housekeeping habits to help you keep your home in good shape effortlessly. Over time, I realised that keeping my home clean doesn't have to take up a lot of time and effort but simply working smarter to keep the mess at bay. I have put together five of my best daily cleaning habits that have helped me keep my house looking fresh and clean with minimal effort, of course!
Freshen up your bedroom first thing every morning
While many people might see this as the least essential task in cleaning, something as simple as making the bed does in keeping a space neat and tidy. Making your bed first thing in the morning make the room look and feel cleaner. It also helps you start the day productively, which is likely to be carried out throughout the day.
Clean as you go
We have all heard this one before, even though we often forget just how important it is. Putting things away immediately after using them or cleaning up even the tiniest messes can be the difference between a tidy home and an unkempt one. Adopting this habit will make your life just a little easier while allowing you to use your time purposefully. For example, when walking from room to room, tidy up while you move along. Pick up the kids' toys and put them back in the toy box when they've forgotten to do so. Wash your plate immediately after eating, or even grab a cloth and your favourite cleaning spray to wipe down your surfaces as you move along. Next time you're in the kitchen waiting for the water in the kettle to boil, grab your cloth and your trusted cleaning product to get a quick clean. For a quick spray on and wipe off clean, try the Handy Andy Kitchen Spray. It is fast-acting and highly effective on daily kitchen dirt, leaving your surfaces hygienically clean in just 10 seconds.
Don't forget your floors
Floors are the one surface in your home that experience the most traffic, which means they can get quite messy quicker than any other surface in your home. When your floors are clean, it makes your entire house look even more pristine, which is why floors are definitely worth the investment. The cleaning products you use on your floors also matter, so make sure that you invest in quality products that get the job done efficiently. A product like the Handy Andy floor and All-Purpose cleaner is an excellent example of a product worth purchasing for your home. Not only does it clean stubborn dirt on floors and other surfaces around the house while killing 99.9% of germs, but it also leaves a streak-free shine and not to mention the long-lasting fresh fragrance.
One room at a time
The thought of having to clean various spaces at the same time can often leave you feeling overwhelmed even before you get started. To avoid that daunting feeling you get when it comes to cleaning, try tackling one room at a time. By now, everyone (except for your little ones) in your home should be responsible for cleaning/freshening up their bedrooms in the mornings, leaving the central cleaning for common areas in your home such as the lounge, dining room, kitchen and bathroom. Dedicate specific days to cleaning certain areas and use a multiple purpose cleaner so that you don't have to go through the hassle of interchanging products based on the room you are focusing on. The country's most trusted multi-purpose cleaner, the Handy Andy cream gets rid of grease and stubborn dirt with ease making it the perfect tool to help you tackle the dirt around various surfaces around your home. Everyone loves a product that gets the job done right in a fraction of the time?
Have a spot for everything
People who are skilled in keeping their homes tidy tend to have a place for everything. Having a place for everything entails organising and, at times, chucking out the things you might no longer need. Keeping your home tidy daily becomes much easier when you already have it all organised. Put things back in their designated spots immediately after using them, hang up your clothes if they are clean after taking them off or simply throw them into the laundry basket if you feel they need a wash. To take it a step further, try strategically placing storage baskets or containers around the house. Doing this will allow you to chuck those miscellaneous items you find and don't have the time to store away immediately.
Now there you have it, five daily habits for a clean and tidy home. Hopefully, these tips will motivate you to begin making these minor changes for a spotless home. Remember that adjusting to new habits may take time, so don't be too hard on yourself when you find yourself feeling overwhelmed from trying out these tips. Try out what seems manageable for you, and over time you will instinctively adhere to these tips and maybe develop some of your own.
This past week, South Africa's favourite health and wellness brand, Faithful To Nature took us through a beauty journey for their Clean Beauty Week. Built around the celebration of ethical, sustainable and clean beauty products, Faithful To Nature presented a curated collection of products as well as tips and insights on how to enhance your skincare regime. One of the highlights of the week, was an awesome live featuring Sibongile Mafu, Robyn Smithand Atlantic Dermatology as they explored the ingredients that make up the perfect morning, evening and weekly skincare routines.
As an activist brand, The Body Shop’s mission is to fight for a fairer and more beautiful world. To create a positive change in the world, we must start by creating a positive change within. In that way, The Body Shop calls for people around the world to rise with self-love, especially in a society that promotes self-doubt and insecurity. We believe that self-love goes beyond feeling good about yourself.
Self-love is about appreciating yourself, it’s about self-acceptance and giving yourself permission to grow into who you really are.
A first-of-its-kind global self-love* report by The Body Shop International found that South Africa scored seven points higher than the global average, ranking 5th out of 21 participating countries with a score of 60 out of 100. However, South African women scored three points lower (58) than South African men (61). The report identifies a self-love crisis for women around the world, with 1 in 2 women feeling more self-doubt than self-love, and 60 percent wishing they had more respect for themselves.
The Body Shop Global Self Love Index was commissioned to inform a long-term commitment from The Body Shop to always use its voice to build self-esteem. As a result, The Body Shop is launching a global movement called the “Self-Love Uprising”, with the aim to spread one million acts of self-love in one year, to create more love and positive change in the world.
South Korea, Saudi Arabia and France rank lowest for self-love, whereas Denmark, Australia, and the United States rank the highest. Designed by The Body Shop and leading market research firm Ipsos, the study ran between November and December 2020 with over 22,000 people in 21 different countries.
Further key findings of The Self Love Index in South Africa include:
There is a connection between social media usage and self-love scores, however in South Africa it is the inverse of the relationship seen in other countries. In South Africa, the greater the use of social media, the higher the self-love score is likely to be. Those who use social media for more than two hours a day have a Self-Love Index score of 60 out of 100, compared to a score of 58 among those who use social media 1-2 hours a day.
Men have a greater sense of self-love (61) than women (58).
Self-love increases with age, with those aged 65 years and over having the highest score (64). Those aged 35-44 years distort the trend with 35% of them in the lowest 25% of the Self-Love scores.
People who are single have lower self-love.
Those living in the Eastern region of South Africa have a slightly higher self-love score than other areas of the country.
People from minority groups are more likely to have a low self-love score, with an index of 58 compared to 62 among those not in minority groups, though the difference is not as great as seen in many other countries; 38% of those who are gay, lesbian or bisexual are in the lowest 25% of self-love scores.
Economic status impacts self-love, with 40% of those who are unemployed and 36% of those who are not financially comfortable being in the lowest 25% of self-love scores.
Where do you fall on the spectrum of self love? It's definitely something to reflect on.
AWARD WINNING UK CELEBRITY HAIRDRESSER ANDREW BARTON LAUNCHES HAIRCARE BRAND IN SOUTH AFRICA.
It's not everyday that a celebrity hairdresser whose client list includes Kate Moss and Kylie Minogue develops a haircare range at a fraction of the price of professional haircare products.
A new year is upon us and, if you're like me, you're in full spring cleaning mode to start the year on a good (And fresh) note.
Last year Uber and Uber Eats hosted their inaugural Tech For Safety summit, and this year they're back again on 22 October, hosting their second annual summit with a focus on technology-driven innovative solutions. In true 2020 spirit, the summit is being held virtually which means anyone can join in! But wait, what's in it for us?
When we think of "treat yourself" what comes to mind is face masks, champagne and massages but I for one believe wash-day should be a whole pamper session too. If you have curly hair you're probably already accustomed to wash-day being a whole occasion that you have to schedule out in your diary. But instead of it being something you dread (Washing my hair takes at least 3-4 hours out of my day) make it something to look forward to.
Head & Shoulders is one of those OG brands that take me back to childhood, and this time they've come up with a new premium and feminine range, Head & Shoulders Supreme infused with Argan oil. Without compromising their anti-dandruff technology, Supreme is more conditioning and nourishing than ever thanks to the added Argan oil and micro hair nourishers.
Face maskcheck - New Uber Technology that helps confirm drivers are wearing a face mask
This push notification, along with a few others, came up on my phone over the last few days from my Uber app. And just in time too, now that alcohol is back on sale I need a girls night with some cocktails and that means I need Uber to the rescue.
As featured on the prestigious lifestyle TV series Top Billing, Antbear Eco lodge truly lives up to its expectations!
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To start off and to inspire you to hopefully ignite a sense of optimism in you, I'm going to highlight some of the people and brands stepping up and playing their part for the better of humanity :)
Luckily right before lockdown, Nimue sent me their new Smart Rehydration range, which admittedly at the time I didn't really think I needed because my skin felt pretty hydrated. Fast forward 3 months, it's become such a staple. Even more so now that I know how absolutely essential hyaluronic acid is - think of it as collagen's first cousin (And with the attention collagen has been getting lately, it's crazy that hyaluronic acid hasn't been getting much attention at all)
1. CHANNEL THE ROMANTIC ITALIAN WITH A PIZZA NIGHT
2. AIN'T NO CHEAT DAY - KEEP IT HEALTHY
3. HOT AND SPICY - I'M TALKING ABOUT THE FOOD
4. TAKE ME SOMEWHERE UNIQUE AND EXOTIC
I'm sure you've come across this quote somewhere, and I can't think of it being more relevant than it is right now. Where's the local is lekker spirit?
In South Africa supporting local is even more important because these businesses give our economy a much needed push and employ locals so that they have more cash money to support themselves and their families.
This year I wanted to prioritise supporting small to medium businesses.
