Speed Cleaning

DO YOU HAVE TIME TO SPEED CLEAN YOUR HOUSE?

House cleaning  has never been one of my favorite pastimes. I like a clean house, but I don’t have a great deal of time to make that happens. I have learned by spending 15-30 minutes a day, you can speed clean one room without becoming overwhelmed.

I like to share cleaning shortcuts that have helped me. Most of my suggestions, I have tried myself. Others I learned from family and friends.

Most of us know to start cleaning from the ceilings down to our windows and complete our cleaning with our floors.

I like to make my cleaning as enjoyable as possible.  Before I start, I like to make sure Pandora is downloaded either on my iPad or iPhone. I select my favorite streaming station, then I’m ready to start.

Gather Your Tools

I like to keep my cleaning tools and cleaning supplies in a caddy or container.

I have three small plastic caddies in three convenient locations of my home.

In each bathroom, I have one caddy, and I have one caddy in my family room. Each caddy is fill with the tools and products that work well for me. My preference is a 12×12 terry cloth, all-purpose liquid cleaner, scrub brush, scotch Brite hand & nail brush, and an old toothbrush and a razor.

Set a Timer

I started with 15 minutes, but I realize the most realistic timeframe is 30 minutes, so I wouldn’t feel rushed.

Start With a Garbage Bag

Start by collecting anything that can be tossed into a garbage bag. If you’re dealing with a clean house, you probably won’t need a lot of trash bags, but it never hurts to take a few along, so you are not constantly running back and forth for bags.

Do a Quick Dust

You can successfully dust with a damp terry cloth, provided there is not a heavy build-up.  If there is a heavy build-up, I like to use my cordless handheld Black and Decker vacuum.

Wipe Surfaces 

Spray down any hard surfaces (counter tops, glass tops, side tables…etc.) and wipe clean with a clean terry cloth.

Bathroom

The first thing I like to do is spray lime-away liquid toil bowl cleaner inside my  toilet bowl and let it sit without flushing (I  leave the room for ten minutes with the widow open to allow the smell to leave) before I start cleaning.  I like to remove all dirty clothes, towels, and any items I have on my bathroom countertop.   Spray all-purpose cleaner in the tub and shower, bathroom tile, vanity and wipe clean with a terry cloth. Make sure to include faucets and sink basins. Spray mirror with glass cleaner and wipe clean. Once you finish with the mirror, scrub inside the toilet bowl and flush.

Sweep or vacuum the floors. Mop the floor with floor cleaner.

 Floors                                                                                                                                                 

Most of my floors are laminated; therefore, I only have to vacuum dirt and clean up any spills as soon as they happen.

Extra Tips: Learn to Multi-task        

Listed below are a few extra tips you may already do or may want to try daily.

• Fixing dinner is a great time to take five minutes to put one load of clothes in the washer.
• When you are watching a great movie, clean out one of your home office file folders or organize old photographs.
• Dust a room or fold one basket of clean clothes while you talk on the phone.

Even though cleaning is not my favorite pastime, speed cleaning and Pandora can make it a little more enjoy and less stressful.