Fifteen minutes a day.
That's all you need to keep your house clean, said a professional house cleaner.
But it's best to have a plan of action, insisted Phyllis Cooper who has been cleaning houses since 2000.
"I consider laundry part of the house cleaning, so I start that first," she said. "Then, I will do my wet work, followed by my dry work."
Once the washer is loaded, Cooper's preference is to start in the kitchen.
"I like to cook and bake, so it's important to me to have a kitchen that sparkles," she said. "It also puts you in a good mood because it smells fresher once you're done and need to move on to the next task."
The bathroom, probably at the bottom of most people's list, is the next task for Cooper.
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"One area that folks overlook is the pipe behind the stool," she pointed out. "That should be dusted and cleaned."
It's then on to the dry jobs in the other rooms, although there is some "wet" involved, Cooper said.
"You want to wipe some items down with a wet cloth," she pointed out. "Then, dust, follow by vacuuming or sweeping or mopping. You always want to dust first because you'll be spreading stuff onto the floors anyway."
Be picky about any cleaner you use, Cooper cautioned.
"Brite is good for a kitchen floor. I've found Dawn dish soap on a wet rag works well for just about anything," she recommended. "You don't want to use polish that has oil in it. That can make things feel greasy to the touch."
Paper towels are good for mirrors and windows but Cooper recommended a wet cloth for most cleaning.
"Watch how much liquid you get on your rag," she warned. "You don't want to waterlog anything."
One of Cooper's favorite products is Zap, a water-based cleaning product.
"Target used to carry it, but doesn't any more and I'm having a hard time finding it," she said. "It works well on almost anything, especially bathtubs."
Having close to a decade in the business, Cooper said there's a mistake folks will make in their own house cleaning.
"People overlook the corners," she said. "You have to get down on your hands and knees to get those. A broom or mop simply will not do it."
With helper Cindy Baker, Cooper estimated it would take them a couple of hours to clean a house.
"I especially love doing this for senior citizens," she said. "I'd rather help them out than do anything else."
Sioux City resident Joan Kelly has her house cleaned by Cooper.
"I have an artificial knee so I can't get down to clean," Kelly explained. "And I love to have Phyllis come in because she'll take me to the store as well. She's just a pleasure to have around."
TIP FROM THE PRO
Just spending a bit of time each day will keep your house clean, said cleaner Phyllis Cooper.
"Don't forget to move stuff around while you're cleaning," she suggested. "And you may want to use Saturday for jobs
