What type of cleaner are you?

The super cleaner
• You attack dust and dirt with vengeance
• You are adept at germ warfare
• You put cleaning high on your list of priorities
• You take pride in your ability to maintain and present a clean home
• You find that cleaning helps relieve stress and even consider it therapeutic
• You tend toward a more traditional approach to cleaning; for example, you may scrub floors on your hands and knees and/or use tried-and-true cleaning products
• You are always cleaning something
• Your home is considered immaculate

Plain and simple advice
Go easy with harsh cleaning products that can damage surfaces over time. It's always best to start with the least harsh cleaning solution first. Since you spend a lot of time wiping counters and whatnot, be sure to disinfect kitchen sponges and dishcloths after use or you will just spread more germs every time you wipe.

As a housekeeper extraordinaire, you can and should take pride in your work, but if cleaning starts to feel like an obsession, recognize that you may be using it as an excuse to avoid dealing with something else.

The speed cleaner
• You enjoy a clean home, but it's not one of your top priorities
• Cleaning frequently gets postponed for one reason or another
• When you have free time, you don't want to spend it cleaning toilets
• You seek quick and easy solutions to your cleaning challenges
• You may have a tendency to purchase the latest and greatest cleaning products and tools
• You may have a whole cupboard or closet full of products you've tried that may or may not have lived up to their promises
• If you could afford it, you would hire a professional cleaning service. If you have a cleaning service, you wish you could afford to have them come more often

Plain and simple advice
If you want to spend less time cleaning overall, clean more often. Start with a thorough cleaning, and then get into the habit of doing a little cleaning each day. Keep cleaning supplies handy to where you use them or put them in a bucket or caddy that makes it easy to tote to the job.

Consider ready-to-use cleaning products such as disinfectant wipes for quick cleanups in between weekly or biweekly cleanups. Give away or discard cleaning supplies that did not work as well as you had expected or that you dislike for any other reason.

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Plain and simple advice
There are some excellent commercial cleaners that contain natural ingredients on the market. But there are also products in your kitchen that will do the job just as well. White vinegar and water, for example, can be used to clean kitchen counters and floors. Baking soda is the perfect nonabrasive cleaner for the kitchen and bath.

The catch-up cleaner
• You have a fairly high tolerance for dust and dirt
• You put off cleaning until it becomes something that you absolutely must do
• By the time you decide you need to clean, it's a monumental job that requires huge amounts of time and effort
• You tend to accumulate clutter, which makes the task of cleaning seem even more overwhelming
• You may have discovered that the only way you can keep your home clean is to hire the services of a professional cleaner. But even then, your home quickly falls into disarray between cleanings

Plain and simple advice
It's a lot easier to keep up than catch up. Consider hiring help to get your house clean, or arrange a work trade with family members or friends -- their cleaning help in exchange for your cooking or babysitting, for example. Once your home is clean, get in the habit of everyday cleaning. Set a timer for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night. Spend 10 minutes on everyday cleanup in your kitchen and bath and 10 minutes on one bigger chore, such as vacuuming. Offer yourself a daily reward for your efforts.

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Excerpted from Cleaning Plain & Simple by Donna Smallin. Copyright 2005 by Donna Smallin. Excerpted by permission of Storey Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.