I've always said that my best cleaning tool is prevention!
Here are a few ways that I prevent and/or cut down on messes:
1. Everything that goes into the microwave, except for coffee/tea/water, gets covered using a glass lid or paper plate.
2. Use the right size of cooking pots & pans to prevent boilovers on the stove.
3. Always stay in the kitchen while cooking.
4. Place small white hand towels in the fruit & produce crisper drawers in the fridge. Captures onion skins, debris, and the spoilage of a forgotten veggie. Remove when needed, shake, wash with bleach laundry, replace in drawers.
5. Place small white hand towels on top shelf of fridge to soak up beverage spills, leaks, or rings. Wash with bleach load as needed.
6. Keep all containers in fridge covered. Liquids will not spill; other foods will not smell.
7. Place beverages for children in reusable plastic containers that have lids. Keep these on a low shelf in fridge for easy no-spill access.
8. Use baking soda (yellow box) and bubble bath for baths. This prevents buildup of bathtub ring. I buy any body wash that happens to be on sale or at the $ store.
9. Never place food directly on the counter unless it's in a container. Keeps counter clean, but more importantly sanitary for safety.
10. Always use a spoon rest while cooking: an empty can from the food being prepared, any mug or saucer, or a purchased spoon rest. I keep the small pieces left at the end of the roll of aluminum foil in a drawer to use for this purpose. I also cut squares of wax paper and keep in a drawer for the same purpose.
11. Something small to cut, but don't want to get out a big cutting board? Use a paper plate. No counter or board to wash. Sounds like I use a lot of paper plates, but I don't or I use the plate for something at that time.
12. Sandwiches or snacks for the children? Insist that eating takes place only in the kitchen and at the table. Open paper napkins all the way. Place sandwiches and snacks on napkin. When finished, napkin gets "balled up", wipes child's face, and get tossed. No plate to wash and no crumbs on floor or table to be cleaned up.
13. Use pretty plastic trash cans in all rooms, especially the bedrooms and bathrooms. They are handy in bedrooms to use for a sudden vomiting episode. Keeps the bedding and floor from being soiled. That mess can be emptied directly into the toilet. Trash container can be washed or sprayed clean, dried w/paper towel, and returned to the room. Some people line small trash cans with plastic grocery bags. Of course they would be necessary if the trash container is not plastic.
14. Empty kitchen trash every night as part of the supper cleanup. Keeps smells and critters away.
15. Hold liquids over the sink when pouring into another container such as a cup, glass, jar, etc. If there happens to be a spill, it's in the sink and can easily be washed down the drain.
16. To pour solids (sugar, salt, cereal, etc.), always do it over the kitchen counter. Dry spills can be gathered and used.
17. Cover pet's favorite spot to sit or sleep with a towel the same color as the piece of furniture. No pet hair or body soil to ever clean up again. Took me one huge cleaning project of removing white cat hair from a blue sofa and burgundy recliner to learn that I never,
ever wanted to do that again!
18. Reduce number of items displayed on tables, night stands, dressers, and chests of drawers to reduce the amount of dusting required. Also cuts time when dusting those surfaces.
19. Before cooking a meal, prep a sink or dishpan with hot sudsy water. Place items to be washed in as you are preparing the food. After food has been lifted to the table, place hot sudsy water in the pots and pans. This prevents food from hardening and will cut down on your labor when it's time to do dishes - even if you are then placing them in the dishwasher.
20. Wash one wall of the shower every day while showering. I divide the long wall in 2 parts and do one each of 2 days. Washing shower walls = 4 days. Day #5 - use towel to dry off all the shower walls and tub. A little bit each day (baby steps) prevents buildup of soap scum and back-breaking labor needed to clean it. I simply put the soap I used to shower on the washcloth and wash the wall with that. Then use the hand-held shower head to rinse all the shower walls, the plastic shower curtain liner, and the tub. I'm the only one in the house who has ever done this, even when DSon or DNephew lived here for long periods of time. The tile in the shower looks nearly as new as it did when installed 36 years ago. I discovered this method while looking for the "perfect" cleaner. When I noticed the old scum was disappearing , I stopped looking and continued with my very own "perfect" solution!
21. Use the vent fan in the bathroom to remove moisture after every shower. Prevents mold and mildew from growing.
And.......those are just the preventive measures........barely lifting a finger. Look how much work and mess would be saved if a person just used preventive measures!