Cleaning your home is generally an unenjoyable task that is never quite done, but that doesn’t mean it has to be time-consuming and laborious. And if keeping a clean and tidy space was on your list of New Year resolutions, we’ll have you mastering the art of speed cleaning before the year is out!
Rather than a deep spring clean which will see you on hands and knees with a toothbrush scrubbing the grout, speed cleaning is about keeping your home consistently clean and tidy without sacrificing huge amounts of time.
Here’s eight tips to nail your speed cleaning routine.
Declutter and tidy
The first step is the easiest. To begin a round of speed cleaning, start by making your way around the house and pick up loose toys, laundry and other things that are out of place. This will immediately begin to visually declutter your living space.
Tip: Use an empty hamper or laundry basket to collect miscellaneous clutter. Then, towards the end of your speed cleaning session, you can take five minutes to reallocate what you’ve picked up.
Set a timer
The entire goal of speed cleaning is to tidy and clean in a short amount of time. An easy way to stay on track is to compartmentalise each room and allocate a block of time to clean it. For example, you might set aside 10-15 minutes for the bathroom and only five minutes for the living room.
Setting a timer for each space of the house ensures your speed cleaning doesn’t turn into an all-day activity.
Work with a caddy
Another tip to cut down time when cleaning is to work with a cleaning caddy or bucket. Rather than wasting time going back and forth between the room you’re cleaning and your supply closet, gather all your supplies and tools in something that can easily move with you room to room.
Create a logical workflow
The best way to approach speed cleaning is to create a logical workflow. Are you speed cleaning because you’re expecting company? Then start at the entryway to your home and work from there.
Alternatively, start in high traffic areas and move to the more private spaces of the house like bedrooms and bathrooms.
Stick to a routine
Like anything, your speed cleaning regime will get better with practice. Whether you only have 10 minutes or a half hour, the best way to make speed cleaning ultra-efficient is to create a routine and do it the same way each time.
Be proactive
The best way to speed clean is to reduce the amount of actual cleaning you have to do. For example, cleaning the shower can be one of the most laborious cleaning tasks. Try wiping down the shower each time you use it so that when it comes to actually cleaning it, you won’t be faced with days of soap and grime buildup.
Limit distractions
Whilst it may be tempting to put the television on and catch up on your favourite show or doom scroll through TikTok while you clean – for the sake of speed cleaning, you must remove all distractions.
Though using your phone or watching television can make those deep cleaning days less boring, when you’re cleaning on time constraints it’s best to stick to the task at hand.
Mop and vacuum last
In the name of efficiency, save vacuuming and mopping until last so you can do the entire house in one go. Because you’re cleaning quickly, all you really need to do is run your mop and vacuum over your floors and do a more thorough job later in the week.
