When you’re managing a business – and running a family – taking the time to focus on every aspect of running a smooth, stress-free life can be a challenge.

When it comes to housework, equality has made a huge difference to the workload expected of women around the home but, as many of us would agree, there is still a lot more work to do and, the fact remains that the majority of women – even those who work full-time on their business and are responsible for the lion’s share of the child-rearing duties – a large percentage of women still report doing more housework than their male partners.

To make things easier around the home, we’ve found some cool life hacks to reduce the time you spend keeping things in order.

Clean the microwave

Cut a couple of lemons in half and place them in a glass dish with a small amount of water.

Zap for a couple of minutes, or until the water boils.

Leave the dish sitting in the microwave, with the door still closed to allow the steam to build up inside.

Any built-up gunk should now wipe away with little effort.

If you run an office kitchen where employees are constantly exploding that leftover spaghetti for lunch, you can now clean up (or get them to!) with ease.

No more greasy fingerprints

If your children leave greasy fingerprints on the walls, cover the stains with white chalk, wait for several minutes and then simply wipe away with a damp cloth.

Remove dog hair from your rugs and carpets 

Furry friends are fun, but they can shed hair. Try a rubber squeegee (the type you use to clean windows and glass) and run it over the rug or carpet. Alternatively, if you wear a rubber dishwashing glove, you can get the same result.

Quick clothes drying

Forgot to dry your child’s school uniform in time for school photo day?

Put one clean dry towel in with the wet clothes before you turn the dryer on. Leave it in there for 15 minutes, then remove the towel. The dry towel will help speed up the drying time by absorbing the excess moisture of all the wet clothes.

Clean the blender

Smoothies are a fantastic way to start the day – with a brilliant nutritional boost for you or your children as you’re rushing out the door. But coming home to that caked-on smoothie juice stuck to the inside of your blender can sour the experience. To clean it fast, simply fill it with warm water and a drop or two of dishwashing liquid, then turn it on (remember the lid!) and blend for a few seconds. Dump the water. Rinse and wipe with a clean dish cloth and leave it to dry on your dish rack – presto!

Clean a burnt pan

Fill the offending pan with water and add a cup of white vinegar. Simmer. Remove it from the stove and add 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Then empty the pan and scrub.

Sanitise your sponges 

Grotty dish sponge? Sanitise it safely and quickly by zapping it in the microwave for two minutes. It kills 99% of germs for cleaner, healthier cleaning.

Keep your sheets in your pillowcases 

Looking for the matching sheet sets? Keep each sheet set folded neatly in the corresponding pillowcase. Next time it’s bed-changing day, finding those sheet sets for each bed will be easy.

Saved yourself some time? Use it to spend time with your family – or on your business. Either way, it’s better than wasted time taking too long to do some basic household tasks.