A good, thorough house cleaning can take hours, or even all day! While no one enjoys cleaning for that long, the real problem is that we often just don’t have the time.
With work or school, hobbies, activities, and other commitments, adequate time to devote to house cleaning can be hard to come by. Family members are not usually too quick to pitch in and probably don’t have the time either.
We’ve compiled our best speed cleaning tips for the times when your home could really benefit from some tidying up. Whether a friend plans to stop by on short notice, or you just want to improve your quality life, try these tips to straighten up.
Speed Cleaning and Tidying Tips For the Same Day
1. Make a Cleaning Playlist
Choose a few of your favorite, fast-paced songs and straighten up the entire time. Pick three song for approximately ten minutes of cleaning time. Grab an empty basket and gather everything that doesn’t belong in the kitchen or living room. The music will help keep you motivated and before you know it, the rooms will look much better! Be sure to pick everything up off the floor while your playlist is on, so you won’t have to stop and do so while vacuuming.
2. Just Do It
There are certain tasks that you might dread ( Emptying the dishwasher? Taking out the trash?), but don’t put it off. Complaining or procrastinating will only waste the limited amount of time you have. You’ll have to do eventually anyway, so you might as well do it the first time you think of it rather than put it off. Make it a goal to move through each room quickly and efficiently before moving onto the next, an avoid putting off tasks.
3. Enlist the Help of Family Members
However, if there are any family members willing and able to help, the previous tip my not be necessary. Swap the chores that you hate the most. For example, if you hate vacuuming and they hate filling the dishwasher, vow to do each other’s hated tasks. We all know two can clean twice as fast as one.
4. Gather Cleaning Supplies
Find a tub or bucket with a handle that you can keep all your cleaning supplies in. This way, you can save time walking back and forth to your cleaning storage space because you will have everything with you.
5. Mix a Cleaning Solution
To save extra time and strength scrubbing things clean, mix white vinegar and dish soap in a spray bottle and shake it up. Spray the solution onto any places with stuck on food, such as the counter, appliances, and dishes. Let it sit for a few minutes, come back and it should wipe right off!
6. Place Rugs in High Traffic Areas
Finding throw rugs for high traffic areas will help keep the carpet underneath from becoming dirty from shoes or crumbs. You won’t need to vacuum or shampoo that area as much because it will be easily maintained by the covering rug. When company arrives, remove the rug and voila! You have a clean carpet in no time.
Alternatively, you can use the throw rug to cover part of a dirty carpet if you are really pressed for time.
Advanced Preparation for Speed Cleaning and Tidying
7. Clean Up Messes as They Happen
Do a little each day to straighten up and clean up messes as they happen. You may even want to make a cleaning schedule and give each household member a chore to do each day. Wipe up spills while cooking, put items back when you are finished, and sweep up immediately after meal times. Also, make it a point to clear paper clutter in a timely manner so it does not pile up.
When you find out you need to have a presentable house in a short amount of time, you won’t really have much left to do. Your house will be better maintained and fairly clean at all times.
8. Buy and Label Containers By Room
To help you remember to
straighten up each night, you can buy designated bins or baskets for each room in your house and label them as such. Include children’s bedrooms, master bedroom, basement, study, ect. Set them out in a common area and place any misplaced items in the appropriate container.
This way, you can save on multiple trips the every room by simply bringing the container to that room when it is full, or company arrives. It will also motivate family members and young children to help straighten up more often.
If the clutter seems to be more than you can keep up with, it may be a good idea to keep more stuff in your self storage unit. Tidying up all day won’t really help much if you simply have more stuff than you have space for.
What are your best speed cleaning tips? Share in the comments below!