5 Ways To Clean Your House Faster
When it comes to cleaning my house, I usually bounce between two schools-of-thought… One being, “I want my house to be clean and perfect, and I can’t let myself relax until I get it there!” And the other being, “The chores can wait! Spending time with people and taking care of myself is so much more important.” While both thoughts are little extreme, I can’t help but lean towards the latter philosophy. While I love a clean house, I don’t have time for everything, and cleaning seems like it should be lower priority than people. So yes, the chores can wait.
But… they can’t wait forever... right? Because you also want your house to be livable, and hopefully even pleasant. So how can you minimize the amount of time and effort spent on cleaning? You can find a million different hacks, tips, and tricks on the internet, but my these are my favorite guiding principles for an efficient approach to cleaning.
Let Go of Perfection
First and foremost: Just because you don’t have enough time or energy to complete all of the cleaning you want to get done doesn’t mean you can’t get something done. Consider setting a timer and limiting your cleaning to a set amount of time. (Many times this will even make me work faster since I know I’m racing against the clock!) And if you don’t finish it all, that’s totally okay. As I love to say… Something is better than nothing!
Focus On The Biggest Impact
If you only have a few minutes to clean, consider tackling the area that is used the most. This will have the most impact on your family’s experience in your house. Some areas, like the kitchen or family living area, need to be cleaned more often than others. A general rule of thumb is that the frequency of use should correspond to the frequency of cleaning.
For example, just because the task on the schedule says “vacuum upstairs” doesn’t necessarily mean that every single upstairs room needs to be vacuumed. Maybe you can skip the guest room every other time. But maybe the main hallway or bedroom needs a quick vacuum a little bit more frequently that what the schedule says.
Although I love a good routine, in the end, I find it’s better to be flexible and responsive to the messes you see around the house than it is to stick to a specific cleaning schedule.
Clean From Top To Bottom
Whether spraying, dusting, wiping crumbs, etc., be sure to clean from top to bottom. Otherwise you may end up repeating yourself! (I find this tip especially applicable in the kitchen and dining areas… Countertops or tables first, then chairs, then floors.)
Let The Products Do The Work
There are many cleaning products that will work more of their magic if you let them sit on a surface for some time rather than wiping them away right after spraying them. Try to spray your products and then let them sit while you do another task. Then come back and wipe them up.
(I have to credit Clean Mama, where I first learned this tip. Her method for Speed-Cleaning Your Bathroom encourages batching the bathrooms so that the disinfectant spray has some time to sit on each surface. I love it!)
Consult the Experts
This may seem obvious, but don’t forget that you can search how to clean anything online. If you have a specific cleaning conundrum, it’s usually so much faster to start your work by Googling a specific solution. For example, with laundry stains, if you search the exact type of stain you’re dealing with, you will often find homemade solutions that will work better than a general stain remover. Remember: work smarter, not harder.
For more about how to make the most of your time, check out my post on How To Be Productive When You Have No Time.
Now, here’s to wishing you all a life filled with less time spent cleaning and more time for what really matters! 🙂 And please share your favorite cleaning or general time-saving hacks in the comments below.
