Introduction
Sometimes cleaning the whole house seems like a long and tiresome activity. Still, you can clean your house thoroughly in an hour or two if you have enough time. You don’t need many hours to keep your place spotless. Just having a proper plan, priorities, and cleaning habits can help you to achieve success fast.
First of all, clear your space by removing clutter and putting things back to their place. A tidy room will be much easier to clean since there won’t be many objects lying on the surfaces. It would also help to collect all the necessary supplies for cleaning in one basket or box, which will save your time.
When you start to clean, try to follow a certain plan. Don’t switch rapidly from one thing to another but move systematically instead. Start to clean the most often visited rooms first: the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms. It is also better to clean from the top to bottom to save your time since dust will fall to lower places anyway.
The main idea of quick cleaning is to do only the most necessary activities. Quick cleaning doesn’t mean neglecting the main hygiene rules. Focus on cleaning the spots with visible dirt, touched surfaces, spills, garbage, etc. Do deep cleaning later, for example, organizing or cleaning the parts of the house that you use rarely.
In this article, we will talk about how you can clean your house quickly and efficiently. How to clear the clutter, what areas should be cleaned first, time-saving techniques, and many more tips.
Create a Cleaning Routine
The single best technique that you can apply to reduce cleaning time is the elimination of haphazard cleaning and formation of a cleaning routine. Cleaning in an unstructured fashion will result in the loss of precious energy as you spend it wandering around from room to room, doing the same thing over again or getting diverted to other small things. Having a routine takes away all the mental exhaustion you have to go through to decide what you are going to do next by turning your maintenance task into a smooth, automatic process. The most efficient system for a fast-paced life is having your chores split up in a structured daily, weekly, and monthly checklist. Your daily routine should not take more than ten minutes and should only include impactful habits such as cleaning the countertops in your kitchen, making the bed, and doing your quick nightly cleaning of the floors you walk on the most often. Weekly routines should fit into one efficient power hour in which you perform deep cleaning tasks such as vacuuming carpeted floors, cleaning your bathroom fixtures and dusting major surfaces. In order to work at maximum speed during these hours you should always remember the golden rule of professionals: clean from top to bottom and from left to right. This way, the dust that falls will land on uncleaned places so you will not have to wipe off the same surface twice.
Developing a simple cleaning routine will significantly speed up all cleaning processes. There is no need to allow your home to become too dirty and spend a lot of time cleaning it up at once. Instead of it, divide household chores into smaller pieces and do them regularly.
Firstly, you should make a list of all cleaning tasks performed in your house. Divide them into daily, weekly, and monthly ones. Examples of daily chores include bed-making, dishes-washing, kitchen countertops cleaning, arranging belongings, and tidying up. Weekly tasks can be such as vacuuming/mopping floors, bathroom cleaning, changing sheets, and dusting furniture. Monthly ones can be window cleaning, organizing storage places, etc.
While developing your cleaning routine, think about your schedule. Decide on the time when you usually have some free minutes and accomplish the most urgent tasks. It is not necessary to clean up your whole home every day. Even 10-20 minutes of cleaning per day will be enough to keep everything in order.
Moreover, you can assign certain days of the week to certain tasks. So, one day you clean up your bathroom, then you concentrate on floors or another day you organize your kitchen. In case if you live with other people, it would be great to share appropriate chores.
Also, you should keep all cleaning supplies organized and put them in an easy-to-access place. It will save you time and give you a chance to start doing the work without any preparations.
The key element of the cleaning routine is its regularity. An easy routine is better than an elaborate one because it can be performed regularly. Thus, you will be able to keep your home clean and organized spending much less time.
Start With Clutter
The cleanup of clutter is one of the quickest ways to clean your house. Since the clothes, papers, toys, dishes and many other things are scattered throughout the room, the room appears untidy despite of its clean surface. Therefore, the removal of the clutter will allow you to continue the cleaning process more effectively.
It is necessary to start the cleaning process with the room that needs it most and with the spot that is most visible for your guests. First, you need to walk around the room and pick up everything lying there. Throw the clothes in the laundry basket, put the books on their places, dishes to the kitchen and place everything else on its right place. If you see some things that belong to the other room, put them in the small basket and sort out later.
It is better not to spend much time on organizing the drawers and cupboards when you are making quick cleaning. You just need to put all the things that do not spoil the view during this cleaning. If you find some items that are not needed, you can put them aside for the next decluttering.
You can use baskets, boxes, shelves, and drawers to keep the often used things. The cleaner the table, countertop and floor are – the faster you will be able to dust, wipe, sweep and vacuum these spots.
One more useful trick will be to develop the habit of putting things back right after using them. It takes only several seconds, but helps not to create the clutter during the day.
So, after the clutter is cleaned up and sorted properly, the further cleaning process goes quickly. It is easier to vacuum the floor because it is already clear, it is easier to wipe the clean surfaces and it is easier to organize the room.
Clean Room by Room
One of the most common mistakes that make you lose energy and slow down your work is moving between various areas of your apartment. If you start to wipe the kitchen counter, vacuum the carpet in the living room, and collect your clothes in the bedroom at once, you simply lose your concentration. Your precious time goes just for walking between rooms and you lose the feeling of satisfaction of completing something. In order to reach the maximum speed while cleaning, you have to follow the strict rule of working room by room. Go to one particular room, equip yourself with all the necessary means of cleaning and do not leave this room until it is totally cleaned. This approach will help you to concentrate on one particular zone and you will clean it fast and effectively. In each room, work in the following way – start dusting your ceiling fans and shelves because dust will fall down to the floor and clean everything in a circle from left to right. After you change a room totally, you will get the feeling of accomplishment that will push you to continue working in a fast pace.
Kitchen
The cleanup of clutter is one of the quickest ways to clean your house. Since the clothes, papers, toys, dishes and many other things are scattered throughout the room, the room appears untidy despite of its clean surface. Therefore, the removal of the clutter will allow you to continue the cleaning process more effectively.
It is necessary to start the cleaning process with the room that needs it most and with the spot that is most visible for your guests. First, you need to walk around the room and pick up everything lying there. Throw the clothes in the laundry basket, put the books on their places, dishes to the kitchen and place everything else on its right place. If you see some things that belong to the other room, put them in the small basket and sort out later.
It is better not to spend much time on organizing the drawers and cupboards when you are making quick cleaning. You just need to put all the things that do not spoil the view during this cleaning. If you find some items that are not needed, you can put them aside for the next decluttering.
You can use baskets, boxes, shelves, and drawers to keep the often used things. The cleaner the table, countertop and floor are – the faster you will be able to dust, wipe, sweep and vacuum these spots.
One more useful trick will be to develop the habit of putting things back right after using them. It takes only several seconds, but helps not to create the clutter during the day.
So, after the clutter is cleaned up and sorted properly, the further cleaning process goes quickly. It is easier to vacuum the floor because it is already clear, it is easier to wipe the clean surfaces and it is easier to organize the room.
Bathroom
Another room that gets messy in no time but where you can still easily create a nice impression by doing some basic work is the bathroom. It is not necessary to clean everything and everywhere; rather, you should just give your attention to such things as the toilet, sink, mirror, floor and other surfaces that matter.
First of all, remove all clutter that may be present on the countertop, sink and floor. Put away all of your products where they belong and take dirty towels or bath mats to the laundry. Clear the trash can if there is anything inside. Getting rid of clutter will make the remaining cleaning tasks much easier to perform.
Clean the toilet with a proper toilet cleaner following the manufacturer’s recommendations. While the toilet cleaner is acting, wipe the sink, faucet, countertop and other surfaces that are frequently used in the bathroom with a proper bathroom cleaner. Get rid of toothpaste, soap marks, water marks and other dirt spots.
Clean the mirror using a proper glass cleaner or any clean microfiber cloth. In a few seconds, it will help you to improve the appearance of the room significantly.
Once you have wiped all important surfaces, sweep or vacuum the floor to get rid of hair and other debris that can be found there. Quickly mop the floor with a particular attention to the areas near the toilet and sink. Do not use too much water, especially if there is moisture sensitive flooring.
Proper ventilation can also refresh the room’s atmosphere. Turn on an exhaust fan or open the proper window while cleaning and after that.
For a quick bathroom clean, pay your attention to such tasks as removing clutter, cleaning the toilet and sink, wiping the mirror, emptying the trash can and cleaning the floor.
Floors
In turn, all floors must be the very last step of your speed cleaning process, as all dust, hair, and other particles which you will clean from your upper surfaces will naturally accumulate on your floor anyway. Trying to clean your floor before finishing your job is one of the most typical time-consuming mistakes as later you will have to repeat the whole procedure due to dust accumulation. In order to do your job as fast as possible, you should use suitable equipment and grab all dirt immediately. If your floors consist of large areas with carpeting or rug, it is recommended to use vacuum cleaner and clean the surface in brisk overlapping straight lines, concentrating only on traffic areas and not moving any furniture. If your floors are hardwood, laminate or tile, forget about the broom – brooms simply lift the particles up into the air and let them settle again on your cleaned tables. Instead, take microfiber dust mop and gather all loose particles into one spot quickly or simply take a damp spray mop with a washable pad in order to get quick clean streak-free cleaning. Start from the most distant corner of your room and finish near the door in order not to soil the cleaned floor.
Floor cleaning is one of the crucial activities that allow quickly giving your house a tidy look. As it is evident, the floors are subject to collecting dust, dirt, hair, food remnants and other impurities in a course of the day, mainly in the areas where lots of people walk around, like halls, kitchen, living room and so on. Instead of wasting time cleaning all the little areas, it is better to start with the most popular ones.
Prior to starting the cleaning process, remove any shoes, toys, clothes, bags and other obstacles from the floor. It helps to move freely and makes you less likely to interrupt yourself each time you are going to vacuum or sweep the floor. Begin from the far side of the room and proceed towards the door so as not to go through the areas already cleaned.
In case of carpets and rugs, vacuum dust, hair, dirt and other impurities using the vacuum cleaner paying more attention to the high traffic areas and spots that are visible. For the floors that are hard to sweep or vacuum, first vacuum them or sweep to get rid of loose impurities, then mop them according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the flooring material.
It is not necessary to mop the whole house during one quick cleaning session. In case there is not enough time, you should focus on those areas of the floor which require cleaning due to being visible, dirty or experiencing a lot of foot traffic. The kitchen and bathroom floorings should be cleaned more frequently because they are exposed to food remnants, moisture and other impurities.
Do not use too much water on wooden or any other floors sensitive to moisture. Always use the cleaning agent proper for the type of flooring.
As soon as the floors will be cleaned, the room will look tidier. By eliminating all obstacles and concentrating on the high traffic areas, you will efficiently clean your floors.
Weekly Routine
The cleaning routine every week allows you to keep your place clean without the necessity to have lengthy and energy-intensive cleaning. While some small duties are related to the regular cleaning of the space from the dirt, the weekly routine will give you enough time to pay special attention to the spaces which need more attention. Moreover, having a set schedule allows you to remember about all necessary cleaning actions and not let dirt build up in your house.
First of all, choose a couple of days per week during which you will perform your cleaning routine. Start with vacuuming or sweeping your floors around the house and especially pay attention to the places with high traffic. Also, mop your hard floors if needed and clean carpets and rugs depending on the rules of care.
You should also thoroughly clean bathrooms once a week. Clean the toilet, sink, shower, or bathtub, mirrors, and floor. Replace old towels and wash bath mats following the rules of care. In the kitchen, you should clean countertops, stove, sink, and other surfaces that you use. Check your fridge for the expired products and wipe spills.
Weekly cleaning also includes replacing bed sheets and washing of the most often used fabric items of the house. Also, empty garbage bins, clean them if needed and check places for the appearance of unpleasant smell or dirt.
If the cleaning of all things seems to be too complicated, you can distribute the tasks among different days. For instance, you can perform cleaning in bathrooms one day, floors, and bedrooms another, and kitchen at the end of the week. If there are other people who live with you, you can distribute suitable tasks among them.
The weekly routine is not about perfection but consistency. You do not have to perform all possible cleaning activities each week. Perform the cleaning of the places where dirt accumulates quickly, and perform the deep cleaning separately if needed.
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Conclusion
The notion of speed cleaning does not relate to skipping steps or residing in dirty spots but represents the development of a highly effective system that will help protect your precious time, leaving your home in an impeccable condition. Moving away from disorderly tasks and applying the tips mentioned above, such as developing a regular weekly schedule, sorting out surface dirt first, going room by room, and dealing with floors at the very end, will allow reaching a desired outcome in a minimal amount of time. This highly effective strategy demonstrates that keeping a clean, hygienic and cozy place does not necessarily mean spending all the weekend on it or tiring out yourself in a result of hard work. The ability to leave all soaking activities to your cleaning products and proper tools will make the process of cleaning much faster and easier than you think. Integrating these time-saving practices into your routine will provide you with a lot more free time and less stress.
