by Elizabeth Rossbach

Everyone enjoys a clean-living space, but we don’t always have the time to give our homes the deep cleaning they deserve. Cleaning can be a time-consuming hassle, especially if, as most people do, you’ve let little things build up here and there until it feels like it will take weeks to get the house back to being clean. Though cleaning is a process that will inevitably take time, here are some tips and tricks that can help speed up the process.

  1. Schedule a set time to clean. Carve out a time during the week devoted solely to cleaning. It will take you less time if you just buckle down and clean all at once rather than doing a little here and there. This way your house gets a thorough uninterrupted cleaning all in one day and the rest of your week is free.
  2. Prepare before you vacuum. Inevitably, you will have to move furniture in order to vacuum a room completely. Do this before you start vacuuming. This will save you time spent pausing, turning off the vacuum and continuously moving furniture around. Another suggestion for preparing a room for vacuuming is to dust before you vacuum. This prevents the vacuum from stirring up dust or simply pushing excess dust around the room.
  3. Do your best to clean things as you go, such as clutter and dirty dishes and wipe down counters and stove top as you cook rather than leaving it for later. In doing this you’ll keep your home tidy so when it’s time to clean surfaces they will already be clear rather than having to declutter them and then wipe them down. Keeping clutter in check and cleaning the kitchen as you cook will help prevent cleaning from becoming overwhelming and drastically cut down the time it takes to fully clean a space.
  4. Shut out distractions. You’ve carved this time in your busy schedule for cleaning, so make it about cleaning. Put your phone on silent, turn it off or leave it in another room while you’re cleaning. Continuously stopping to answer texts or phone calls significantly adds to the time it takes to finish cleaning your home.
  5. Plug your vacuum as close to the center of your house as possible. This seems like an obvious one, but it is important and can save you quite a bit of time. Plug your vacuum into a spot that is optimal for your house and allows you to reach as many spaces as possible before having to return to plug in elsewhere.
  6. Space out your cleaning. If you are overwhelmed by the amount of cleaning and time it takes to thoroughly clean your entire home just focus on cleaning one room each week. This will help make cleaning less of a painstaking task and allow you to really devote your attention to each room in your home, and before you know it your entire home will be clean.
  7. Avoid recleaning by cleaning top to bottom. Because dust settles downward it is more efficient to clean a room from top to bottom. If you clean the floors first, they will likely be covered in dust all over again by the time you’ve cleaned the rest of the room, and then you’ll have to clean the floors a second time.
  8. Wipe down or rinse your shower after each use. Wiping your shower down after each use will help prevent the buildup of grime that you’ll have to scrub off later.
  9. Carry a bucket with cleaning supplies. Put all your cleaning supplies in one easy to carry item. This can be a bucket or an apron or something else that can hold all the things that you’ll need for that cleaning session. Gathering these supplies beforehand and being able to easily move them from room to room will greatly cut down on your cleaning time.