Not everyone is a neat freak. Some people just pick up their mess and hide it in a closet before guests arrive. While that is a temporarily fix, you’ll be much better off speed cleaning your home. The key is to have a simple routine you can complete in a short amount of time. Here are some tips for speed cleaning your entire place in 30 minutes.
Put your supplies in a cleaning caddy
When you’re short on time, you want to be able to grab and go. So store all your essentials in a lightweight but durable cleaning caddy. It needs to be something easy to carry because it’s going to be traveling from room to room with you. Fill your caddy with rubber gloves, an all-purpose cleaner, microfiber cloths and anything else that will make the job easier.
Set your timer for 30 minutes
People work more efficiently when they have a time limit. Set a timer for 30 minutes and see how much you can get done before it goes off. Remember, speed cleaning isn’t about getting your home completely spotless. Nobody’s going to follow behind you with a white glove checking for dust. The goal is to make your home look tidy, so you won’t be embarrassed if you have unexpected guests. Save the scrubbing and heavy duty cleaning for another time.
Pick up the junk from the floor
Grab a plastic bag and laundry basket, then do a quick walk through of your home. Collect anything that’s laying on the floor, sofa, stairs, etc. Junk goes in the bag and items that are out of place go in the laundry basket. When you’re done, toss out the trash and put the items in your basket where they belong.
Wipe down your kitchen and bathroom surfaces
No one wants to eat from a dirty kitchen. Take a moment to wipe down the counters, stove and your most used appliances. Depending on how much time you have consider quickly cleaning out your fridge. Don’t bother taking everything out, just throw away expired items and leftovers that have been sitting there for a while.
Cleaning is a lot easier and goes much faster when everyone does their fair share. With that being said, make it a house rule that everyone cleans the tub or shower after they use it. If you have a glass shower, we suggest buying an inexpensive squeegee. With a few quick swipes, you can remove excess water to prevent soap scum and hard water stains. Once that’s clean, you can wipe down your mirrors, counters and toilet. Put in some fresh towels and you’re done.
Empty the trash
If any of your garbage bins need emptying, go ahead and do that. To save time in the future, keep a few extra bags at the bottom so you don’t have to go out of your way to grab new ones.
Sweep or vacuum the floors
The final step of having a tidy home is to clean the floors. So, sweep or vacuum your high traffic areas. If you want to keep your floors cleaner longer, enforce a no shoes in the house rule.
Make cleaning a part of your daily routine
The best way to stay on top of messes is to make cleaning a part of your daily routine. The more often you clean, the less time it will take. So, create a list of chores to do each day. Get in the habit of making your bed when you wake up, cleaning the kitchen while you cook and washing your dishes after you eat. These simple tasks will only take a few minutes out of your day.
