I don’t know about you buy cleaning the house isn’t exactly on my top 10 list of fun things to do. There are a few tasks I don’t really mind (laundry, dusting) and some I’d rather pay other people to do (any kind of yard work, cleaning the litter boxes, scrubbing the bathrooms).
Most of the time, I just want to get the housework done as quickly as possible. There are ways to clean your house more efficiently. It just requires focus, a few little tricks and hard work. Here are my tips for How to Clean Your House Quickly:
How to Clean Your House Quickly:
Start from the Top
It doesn’t matter what room you are cleaning, start at the top and work your way down so that the dust and dirt from the higher surfaces doesn’t get on already cleaned items. Start with dusting corners, light fixtures and ceiling fans and then move on to furniture. As a final step, sweep and wash the floors.
Give Yourself a Time Limit
Set a time limit for yourself for each room and start with decluttering and cleaning the most important things. It’s easier to stick to it if you can see the end in sight. And I find, that it keeps me moving much faster if I just set that timer and get in there cleaning as hard as I can for that time period. No distractions. No multi-tasking.
Bedrooms – Strip the bed and remake with clean linens. Dust all furniture and clear the clutter. It is a good idea to bring a garbage bag into each room with you. This way you can quickly discard the trash that has accumulated. I also take an old laundry basket with me to gather up items that belong in another room. Remember to wipe down the mirrors, light switches, and door knobs. Clean the floors (mine are hardwood so I sweep and mop).
Bathrooms – If you have multiple bathrooms in the home, clean them all one after another. Clear the counters and then spray the tub, toilet and other surfaces with cleaner. Allow the cleaner to sit while you move on to the rest of the bathrooms. The cleaner will actually do some of the work for you! I don’t recommend this with mirrors though – the glass cleaner will start running and it will be harder to get a streak-free finish. Once all bathrooms surfaces have been scrubbed and rinsed, move on to the floors.
Living Room – Clear out all the clutter and start in one corner of the room working around to make sure you get all the surfaces dusted and cleaned top to bottom. Once that is finished, vacuum all your furniture and then move on to the floors. Remember to bring that laundry basket with you from room to room so you can drop off any items that belong there and pick up any that don’t.
Kitchen – First, you need to fill your sink with hot soapy water and load all the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. If your stove has removable burner parts, be sure to wash those too. (I always add them to the dishwasher unless they have any baked on bits). Aluminum foil liners under the burners can help reduce the mess there. Wipe down the cabinets, working top to bottom. Clear all the counters and then wipe them and all the appliances down with a soapy sponge. Give the floors a quick sweep and wash them.
Stay Focused
Take your cleaning one room at a time. It is too easy to get distracted and move from room to room without actually finishing anything. Choose a specific room and stick with it until it’s been cleaned from top to bottom. This will ensure that you are quicker and more efficient with your house cleaning tasks.
PRO TIP: Keep all of your cleaning supplies together in some sort of container that’s easy to carry around. You can divide them into “bathroom cleaning supplies”, “kitchen cleaning supplies” and so on and if possible, keep them in or very close to the room in which you’ll be using them. It can really slow things down if you have to hunt around for what you need before you can even get started cleaning!
What tips do you have for completing your cleaning tasks faster and more effectively?
More great ideas for keeping your house clean and organized:
Seasonal tasks to keep you organized
How to Spring Clean Your Patio
Jason says
Hey! Thank you for great tips!
Actually I use them already. I think it’s important to startp from the top as otherwise you would have clean lower surfaces twice.
I also give myself a time limit. Actually I plan cleaning two days so I wouldn’t get tired quickly and could deep clean the house.
Cindy Huggins says
I love your ” PRO TIP “. I will try this today! Thanks!
Arif says
Hey Cyn, these are all great tips especially the PRO TIP. It can really make the process a whole lot quicker. Thanks a lot for posting!
I think some sort of safety precautions are necessary. For example, turning off the switches for electrical devices such as light fixtures, chandeliers, and ceiling fans, etc. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Also giving the pets a safe place to stay while one is in the process of cleaning is a great idea, just so that they don’t distract us.
Kamal says
Hi Cyn, I completely agree with you on the tip on setting a time limit for oneself when cleaning. It always makes me move faster when I know that time is moving. Thank you for the great post.
Filip says
Hi Cyn! I completely agree with you on this; house cleaning isn’t really my favorite task at home, but yeah, it needs to get done anyway. Setting a time limit is a great tip, thanks so much for the advice!