House cleaning is rarely anyone’s favourite task. This is especially true the busier we are. Adults working multiple jobs or with busy social lives are no more interested in cleaning than stay-at-home moms of toddlers. Also, just because someone is kidless doesn’t mean their homes are any cleaner. Don’t fret! There is a solution. Sometimes your home needs a deep cleaning, but often you can resort to a bit of speed cleaning. A speed clean is beneficial if you have company coming over, and busy mums often find it hard to keep on top of the cleaning.
Get Organised First
Speed cleaning is much easier if the home is already mostly organised. It’s easier to toss things into the correct bins, rooms, and drawers if you already have a great home organisation system. Don’t worry about modelling your system after anyone else’s, but your system should make sense to you. Plastic bins can be purchased cheaply at Dollar Tree, Dollar General, or Family Dollar. Likewise, small fabric bins can be used for a more sophisticated look. If you don’t mind a little DIY, you can also decorate shoeboxes or reuse gift bags. Whatever your style, a well-organised space takes minutes to clean rather than having to find places to put everything. Keep a bin for orphaned items you need to take care of for fast pick-up, but don’t forget to take care of those items later.
Focus on High Traffic Areas
Whilst your whole house is important, focus on getting the high-traffic areas cleaned first if you are especially strapped for time. For example, if you are expecting a company, you might just focus on the common areas where the company will be or cleaning the entryway. You can leave your bedroom and bathroom for later, but the guest bath, kitchen, and living areas should be the top priority.
Get a Robot to Help
Rather than sweeping and vacuuming while speed cleaning, clean other parts of the room and leave the vacuuming to the robots. Robot vacuum cleaners are fairly inexpensive these days, and Black Friday deals make them as cheap or cheaper than traditional vacuums. Of course, you can still vacuum manually whenever you need to, but this lets you do other things while the vacuum takes care of the floors. With so many robot vacuums on the market today, it can be confusing to choose the right one. However, there’s no need to worry; most trusted websites include a “see our top picks” section, where you can compare models based on features, performance, and customer reviews. These curated lists make it easier to evaluate options and select a vacuum that best fits your needs and budget.
Swiffer Wet
Swiffer or other wet-sweeper brands are fantastic for short-term use. You may want to use a traditional mop for deeper cleaning, but to get the majority of the dust and grime up in a pinch, a wet sweeper mop or one designed for hardwood floors can do the trick.
Dusters
For a quick clean-up, you can also use dusters to remove most of the dust from furniture and electronics. When you have more time, you can use furniture polish and other household cleansers, but a little feather dusting to take care of most of the dust works from time to time.
Keep Tools Handy
When you put tools away, place them in a caddy that is easily accessible during cleaning. You don’t want to stop every few minutes to look for a tool or supplies. Instead, you want to be able to put your hands on things quickly. You might even have a separate speed cleaning caddy with dusters, cleaning cloths, and sweeper cloths ready to go.
Don’t Forget Wipes
Even on stainless steel, you can use wipes designed for those surfaces. You can clean and disinfect in one step. During the COVID-19 pandemic, cleaning with these wipes can reduce the transmission of this and many other viruses. Of course, nothing is 100% effective, but disinfecting surfaces is the best way to minimise the risk of spread.
Basket for Each Room
One quick way to get items from room to room is to put them in a basket. This can especially help with speed cleaning if you put everyone’s things in their basket. Then you can drop it in their rooms and let them deal with it. Be sure that each room has a basket or container.
Swap Dingy Towels for Fresh
One way to make the bathroom seem much cleaner is to take down the dirty hand towel, wipe down the sink and counter, and put up a clean towel. It takes about a minute’s worth of work, but the bathroom will feel much cleaner. If the toilet needs a quick once-over, a quick scrub with a disposable toilet brush can do the trick. Yes, you will want to deep-clean under the rim of the bowl once in a while, but for now, you can just wipe the seats with a damp cloth.
Final Thoughts
If you find yourself regularly needing a big speed-cleaning session, these time-saving cleaning tips can also help you reduce the amount of time you spend keeping on top of the house in the first place.
Speed cleaning will not result in deep cleaning. However, there is nothing wrong with quickly cleaning now and then. You should take the time to deep clean once in a while to remove stuck-on dirt, grime, and germs. Given public health concerns, a quick daily wipe with cleaning wipes or disinfectants can save your life. You don’t have to deep clean every day.