Easy hacks for cleaning sand from your home

• Baby powder

  • It’s not just for babies, seriously! If you sprinkle it on your feet and hands, it will help to remove any residual sand before you load up in your car.

• Try using mesh

  • An open mesh bag at the beach is a great idea. Your bag and belongings can collect sand on the beach, but using a bag that allows sand to fall through will help you leave as much of the sand on the beach as possible.

• Grab a chair

  • If your belongings allow, sit on a chair instead of a towel. You can dip your chair in the water before you leave the beach. This will help to rid them of any excess sand. Life experience teaches us that wet towels collect sand and are pretty darn heavy too. Just keep your towels to dry yourself off and stay warm.

• Wear thongs (or flip flops…)

  • Whatever you call them, wear open-toed shoes to the beach. Closed-in shoes can become filled with sand because they won’t allow sand to freely fall out while you walk.

• Take a plunge

  • Take a dip in the ocean before you head home. It will help to loosen and remove sand from your bathers. If you spot some swell near your things on the beach, swim back to shore in calmer water just behind a big wave. Swells are likely to stir up loose sand, so catching a wave back in will just increase add the grit back in again!

• Do a final rinse

  • We’ve all done that final walk rather gingerly through the sand. Once you’ve made it off the beach, do a final rinse under the beachside shower. Don’t forget your feet! That will leave you all set for a sand-free walk to the car. It’s also a good idea to rinse out your kids’ toys and buckets before you pack them up. The less sand you bring back, the easier your load.

• Intercept the sand

  • Oh sand, you wiley creature! If you have the room, keep a few plastic chairs just outside your front door. If you have little ones, instruct them to sit down and rinse their feet just before they come inside.

• Trap it

  • Have you got a bristly mat at the front and back of your house? Use this to catch sand on your feet before it gets through the door.

• Suck it up!

  • It’s reasonable to expect you’ll spend some time sweeping sand back outside. But it’s not a bad idea to heel a hand-held rechargeable vacuum nearby. It’ll help to suck the sand off furniture and out of corners as soon as you spot it lurking!

Originally published on rent.com.au