No one likes to spend forever and a day cleaning. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford to have someone else come in and do it for us and well, not all spouses and kids are great at doing their share. With everyone’s lives getting busier and busier these days, there has to be some short cuts to overall cleaning, especially when it comes to doing the deep cleaning part. Here are some tips to help you do just that!
10 Speed Cleaning Tips
1. Move in a circle around the rooms. Make a pact to not come back to finish something. This will only slow you down. Do things thoroughly the first time. This includes dishes. This should be done the night before, if need be.
2. To avoid spending precious time (and elbow grease!) scrubbing stuck on food in the kitchen, mix simple white vinegar and equal parts dish soap together. Gently shake. Spray on your stuck on food areas and allow to sit while you work on the counter, appliances, and the rest of the dishes. When you make you come back, the mess should wipe right up!
3. Get yourself a tub, preferably with a handle that you can set all of your cleaning supplies in. Wearing an apron also helps so you can place sponges, old toothbrushes and wipes in your pocket. Doing this allows you to not waste time going to and from your cleaning supply storage area and instead, allows you to carry everything you need with you.
4. One of the best tips for speed cleaning is to clean as you go throughout your day so when it comes times to do some deeper cleaning, it isn’t much at all. This is as simple as whipping up spills as they happen while cooking, putting items back as soon as you are done with them and sweeping after meals or other times when messes are bound to be made.
5. Have a daily timed decluttering session. Set a timer for 10 – 15 minutes and have everyone pick up as much clutter as they can in that time. It is amazing how much can be picked up in 10 minutes! Doing this sometime before dinner will greatly reduce the amount of cleaning that has to be done before bed time.
6. Have labeled bins for each room in your house, including children’s bedrooms. Set the out in a neutral area in your home and as you go through each room, place items that belong somewhere else in the appropriate container. When you are done cleaning and straightening up, place each bin in the appropriate room. This will keep you from making several trips to each room to put things away as well as allow other family members, especially younger children, put their items away in an organized manner.
7. Before you vacuum any room, go around the entire house and pick cords off the floor, move furniture and pick up miscellaneous items up. This way, when you go to vacuum, you won’t be having to pause to do this and the job will go much faster and more efficient.
8. Another way to keep carpets well maintained and need less shampooing is to place rugs in high traffic areas. Doing so will prevent your carpet underneath from getting soiled by dirty shoes and not require as much in maintenance. Just make sure to vacuum under them as well.
9. Make a cleaning schedule for daily tasks. If you maintain it, you will end up doing a lot less scrubbing and deep cleaning as things will stay well maintained and need it less often. This will also keep you from feeling that rush to do a bunch of cleaning when you know company is arriving as your place will be pretty clean to begin with and only require some light touchups.
10. Lastly, deal with papers and mail as soon as it comes. One of the quickest ways to clutter your home is to have mail and papers strewn and tucked everywhere.
How do you speed clean and leave more time for fun? I would love to hear your tips!
JOYCE says
Mail and papers used to be a major clutter problem for me, then I started sorting immediately and any useful or important mail is put it in an attractive container/box until I am ready to deal with it. For the rest, I bought a shredder for anything that has my name, address or for anything sensitive, I deal with it immediately by shredding it. As for regular paper and ads I have a blue recycle waste can and put those items in there for recycling. It’s amazing what a difference this makes and it becomes a habit very quickly.
Jayne Ragheb says
I find a glass of wine and some music makes it a lot easier to clean. Lol really, then it’s not a chore.
Jennifer says
Thanks for sharing! Another tip I have found crucial to quick-cleaning is a “stair” basket for those with 2 or 3 story houses. Having a basket on the stairs keeps things that are meant to be upstairs from staying in piles downstairs. Every time you make a trip upstairs, take something out of the basket as you go!
Cheryl says
After reading all these cleaning tips and how to make your own cleaning supplies I feel like I should leave work, go home and start cleaning. Thanks for all the useful tips, can’t wait for the weekend to put them to good use.
Luanne says
These are great tips! One thing that really helps me is to use a timer. When I’m really in a time crunch, I’ll set it for 15 minutes at a time; if I want to do a more detailed cleaning, it gets set for an hour. That either gives me permission to quit after 15 minutes or tells me I need to move on after an hour. It’s easy for me to get too involved with what I’m doing (maybe obsessed with detail?) when I don’t use a timer and other things that need done get put off.
Alea Milham says
A timer is a great idea!
Hilary says
Loved these tips. Hoping to share them on my social media soon!
Bobbi says
Love these kind of tips. Always looking to save time! Love learning new ways! Thanks for sharing!!
Angela Gilmore says
These are great ideas and we really need them at our house. There is so much to do that we are constantly overwhelmed and things just get worse and worse. I’m printing this out to keep with my cleaning schedule! Stopping by from #SITSBlogging.
Albion says
I love these tips. I’m working hard on getting my act and house together and these will help a lot. Dealing with mail and papers immediately–yeah, that’s a big one for me! Thanks!! #SITSBlogging
Alyssa says
Thank you! It’s extremely helpful for someone who takes way too long cleaning.
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anne @ wit wisdom and food says
I love some of those tips! I hate cleaning and have had to set a timer on some tasks and it has been so much easier when I realize it doesn’t take as much time as I think it does. I am going to put some of your tips to work for me. #SITSBlogging
Aisha Holley says
I do speed cleaning but my kids can also do speed mess. haha! I like the timed decluttering. Usually, I try to make a game out of picking up toys who can pick up the fastest. It’s working for now! #SITSBlogging
Gailyc says
Great tips! I try to use them all fairly regularly…now if I could jut convince my husband and children to do them, as well. 🙂 I’ve printed out the list and hung it on my fridge. Maybe that will inspire him. New visitor from #SITSblogging. Thanks for sharing these tips!
Drea says
Miscellaneous papers are probably the reason I have so much clutter to begin with. Things look so neat around here until I go to inspect the drawers in the living area. These are such great tips. I’m going to bookmark this post and revisit until all of these things become routine! Thanks so much for sharing, Christine!
Kim says
I am so guilty of not doing #10, and it is my nemesis. #5 is an awesome tip since I have multiple family members living in my home, this could really make a huge impact, I love it!
Amy Ruiz says
I really do need to start using a cleaning schedule. Mostly to make me feel better that I’m not forgetting to do something and then get surprised when I finally realize I’ve been skipping over something. #SITSBlogging
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
I could have used these tips yesterday. Cleaning is therapeutic for me and boy, did I clean. Nice to discover your blog!
Alison says
Thanks for these tips! I will have to try a few, especially the carrying a tub and all my cleaning supplies. I cannot tell you how many times I run down the stairs to the kitchen to grab something when I’m trying to clean the bathroom upstairs!