Keep your sanity with these quick tips on how to clean your house fast! Nobody likes to be spending all of their time cleaning the house, there are so many other things to enjoy!
Okay, maybe some of us enjoy cleaning a little, there is always that sense of satisfaction isn’t there? But sooner or later it gets in the way of something else we’d rather be doing.
If you’re looking to keep a little sanity and some order in your home but need some fast cleaning tips to do that… I’ve got you. Ditch the guilt and try some of these tips so that you can get on with life.
Once you’ve got these tips, you should check out how to implement the Zone Cleaning method to make cleaning even quicker!
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Table of Contents
HOW TO CLEAN YOUR HOUSE FAST: Strategy & Prep
I’m a planner, I love to plan. However, it took me so long to include an actual strategy in my cleaning plans. Does that make sense? It got me through but still fairly inefficient planning.
Before we get into the fast cleaning tips, we need to strategize so that you make the most of your cleaning time. Once you have your strategy in place then you can reuse it over and over again. Create consistency and routine so you know what you’re doing every time.
Identify What Needs to be Cleaned
If you like, you can take your time to make a list of things/areas that need to be cleaned. But if you want to know how to clean your house fast then you’re probably short on time!
I often make notes on my phone throughout the day/week. Otherwise just having a priority list in your head can be enough. Prioritising the tasks that need to be done on a list will help you smash it out without distractions!
Keep in mind the typical high-impact zones like the living room, kitchen, and bathrooms. These areas are where a quick clean will make the biggest visual difference.
Keep Cleaning Supplies Close
Don’t use your brain power any more than you have to! One of my favourite and easiest tips for how to clean your house fast is to simply have cleaning supplies anywhere and everywhere they need to be.
Keep cleaning wipes under the bathroom sink for a quick benchtop swish; tuck some window cleaner in a drawer next to that mirror that always gets fingerprints on it.
It may mean having 4 bottles of window cleaner stashed throughout the house. Or 6 packets of quick cleaning wipes but it makes life much easier! (using cleaning wipes is one of my favourite quick cleaning hacks too!)
The simplest thing I ever did years ago was create a cleaning basket. It’s actually a shopping basket with a handle that has all of my general cleaning supplies. I then carry the basket around the house with me as I clean.
Tidy Any Rubbish
This fast cleaning tip should be a quick one. I know the kids tend to leave rubbish lying around the house (they never seem to notice when they drop it, of course). Or often pieces of rubbish such as receipts, old school forms etc can accumulate on surfaces.
Put it all in a bag or container so you can breeze through the house quickly. This should really only take a few minutes in the average-sized home.
Declutter Items Out of Place
I like to grab a washing basket and just pick up items out of place and put them in the basket. I will usually deal with the basket later or advise the kids that if they don’t put anything that’s theirs away then it will find it’s way to the bin. Somehow that one still works!
If you have a little more time, you can collect items into different baskets according to the room. This will make it easier to sort through them.
The idea of a quick declutter is that you’re not running between rooms to put things away, just put them into a basket and carry on.
Begin Cleaning at the Top
Nobody wants ceiling fan dust falling onto their clean floors! I know it can be hard to resist the easy win of clean floors but start your cleaning from the top of the room. Then work your way down.
You can also work from one side of the room to the other. This will discourage you from racing back and forth or missing things that need to be cleaned.
17 FAST CLEANING TIPS FOR YOUR HOUSE
Alright, let’s get into some real quick tips and ideas on how to clean your house fast. These are super fast hacks and are not necessarily designed to give you the ‘perfect clean’. They’re suggestions to help when you’re in a time crunch.
If you do manage to complete these fast cleaning tips regularly you may find that you won’t be far from a really good clean. It will be more about maintaining your home.
How to Clean Faster #1: One-Minute Declutter
Set a timer for one minute and race around the house putting things away. You’d be surprised how much you can accomplish in 60 seconds!
If you have more than one minute to space then do that. I’ll sometimes allocate one minute per room and use it in conjunction with sorting baskets.
How to Clean Faster #2: Basket Ownership
I touched on this above. I just love the simplicity of using containers, bins or baskets to tidy. This was a big one I used when I became a first-time mum and it saved me many times!
You can allocate a basket to each person or specific rooms. I used to pile up the allocated baskets and then when I left to go to that room I would put whatever was in the basket away.
The rule was that I had to deal with everything in there and find a home for it all. The more often you do this, the quicker it is to put a couple of things back in their place.
How to Clean Faster #3: Shoe Station
I created a shoe station out of necessity – my kids were leaving their shoes everywhere and when it came time to rush out the door (I’m always late!) we could never find them.
Everybody has a basket by the front door. It was surprisingly easy to train the kids to come straight home and put their shoes into the basket as it’s the first thing they see.
How to Clean Faster #4: Endless Cables
Aside from the family devices, when did so many toys require charging cables?! From remote control cars to night lights and sound machines we’re just bursting at the seams with cables.
My boys love their music so we also have speakers, karaoke machines (they always seem to get broken) and iPods. They’re moving into having various other devices of their own too.
Creating a charging station has really helped us. It also makes sure that there are no devices left in bedrooms. I like using power boards with USB and USB-C ports.
Our current situation is a little too simple now and I think in our next house I’ll need to try something else. I’m thinking of maybe a rolling trolly in combination with clear acrylic storage containers.
How to Clean Faster #5: Sock Dusting
I really hate cleaning blinds, I call them dust collectors. I have found a trick that helps though. Slip an old sock over your hand to clean them.
It seems to make cleaning them a bit easier and quicker. I find I also get more dust off this way! You might also like to use your sock duster for other areas too.
How to Clean Faster #6: Lint Roller Magic
I have been using lint rollers for years to clean dust from my white lampshades (they look like new every time!) and the cat hair from the couch and cushions.
You can also use lint rollers on clothes when a tissue or paper goes through the wash. Try it on your curtains, car interior, pool table and stuffed teddies. It cleans dust, hair and crumbs away so easily from fabric items.
How to Clean Faster #7: Ceiling Fan Hack
When cleaning your ceiling fan blades, avoid dust spilling by placing a wet pillowcase over them. As you drag the case over, the dust will be caught inside and not fall to the floor.
How to Clean Faster #8: Microwave Hack
Let your microwave do the work when it comes to cleaning the inside. Place two tablespoons of vinegar or half a lemon into a bowl of water.
Put into the microwave on high for 3 minutes or until the water is boiling. Leave to bowl to sit for about 5 minutes so that the steam can loosen anything else. Simply wipe clean with a cloth.
How to Clean Faster #9: Sparkling Blender
Quickly clean your blender by placing 2-3 cups of hot soapy water in it. Run your blender for a minute or so and then rinse it out.
How to Clean Faster #10: Food From Pans & Trays
To clean baked-on food from pans and trays, fill them with hot water and salt. Allow them to sit for a few hours then bring pots to the boil or place trays in the oven. Once they’ve cooled, wipe down with a scourer.
How to Clean Faster #11: Fridge Hack
This will require you to remove everything from the fridge. If you have another fridge to place food in then that would be ideal. Otherwise, just wait until a cool day when you don’t have too much that can spoil.
Pull out the shelves and drawers then spray with a water and distilled vinegar solution. Let the solution sit while you wash the shelves and drawers. Once you have done that, wipe down the inside of the fridge with a damp cloth.
This vinegar solution will remove messes and residue plus it will neutralise odours.
How to Clean Faster #12: Shower Scrub
Leave a scrubbing brush in the shower. When you’re in the shower next, take a minute to scrub the tiles, grout and glass.
This is a great one to get the whole family doing. My Mum used to make my step-dad clean the glass with a squeegee after turning the water off from every shower.
How to Clean Faster #13: In Your Slippers
Okay, they have to be a special type of slippers! Have you seen and used mop slippers to clean your floor? I have to admit that I’ve not tried this fast cleaning tip but I’m going to put it on my list of things to try.
Don’t expect these slippers to replace a proper floor clean however from what I’ve read they actually can help. One way to use them is before mopping to loosen and lift dirt whilst you move around. My guess is that you would still need to vacuum or sweep before mopping.
I’ve also heard people enjoy using them to maintain their freshly cleaned floors. I’d love to know if these have worked for you, let me know in the comments below!
How to Clean Faster #14: Cleaning Wipes
Cleaning wipes have been a godsend in my house! Depending on what you’re cleaning, they’re not always super efficient at a thorough clean.
However, they are very easy to keep around the house in cupboards and drawers when you need them quickly.
I use regular antibacterial wipes, window-cleaning wipes and floor-cleaning wipes for spot cleans. You can get bathroom wipes too but I just use the general-purpose antibacterial ones myself.
The one downside to using too many wipes is that you’re creating a lot of waste so just keep that in mind.
How to Clean Faster #15: Store Seasonal Items
I generally store clothes and blankets seasonally. But you may have seasonal decor items that you can swap out and store also.
If you have room, store them right out of sight. Sometimes you just ‘feel’ better not seeing these items overcrowding your home, cabinets and wardrobes. I get really annoyed at that winter blanket falling on me everytime I open the cupboard!
When it comes to clothes, I figure if you don’t have them as an option to wear, then you won’t need to wash them. This is particularly true for children who don’t understand that 12 outfits per day is unacceptable.
How to Clean Faster #16: While You Wait
What tasks can you multitask while you’re waiting for something else? Having the cleaning products close at hand for these quick tasks will help. Some ideas include:
- Folding washing during Ad breaks or whilst watching television
- Ironing whilst watching television
- Clean kitchen counters whilst your coffee brews/kettle boils
- Pack/unpack the dishwasher during brief cooking breaks
- Scrub the shower (or part of it) during your shower
- Clean the sink whilst you wash your hands or brush your teeth
- Any cleaning task whilst listening to a podcast
How to Clean Faster #17: Cleaning Zones
Blitz your home with the cleaning zone method. You divide your home into manageable zones like bedrooms, bathrooms, and the living room.
Instead of cleaning the whole home or bits and pieces of it, dedicate 15-20 minutes of solid cleaning in just one zone every day.
Bonus Tip: It’s Not All On You Mama!
I’m always saying… be sure to get everyone involved. The family needs to help each other out and pitch in. This can of course be difficult for the kids. The approach you take will depend on their age.
For older kids you can use incentives such as money, gaming time or any activity they enjoy. I also like to make it clear to my kids as they get older that there are chores we do for love.
These ‘love chores’ are tasks that everybody (but especially the parents) does in the home for each other.
I tell my kids that nobody pays me to cook them dinner every night yet I still do it for them. In return, there are some chores that we all do for the family. We do this out of love for each other, to help each other and not simply because of a reward.
Moving on from that… there’s always making a game of things. This is a great way to spend some fun time with younger kids, whilst getting things done. I would love to write a post on this topic alone as there are so many things you could do (drop a comment below if you’d like to see that!).
You could create a scavenger hunt where you can leave treats. Or tell the kids they have to collect items and put away items that are out of place e.g. x3 books; x2 matching socks; x5 dolls etc.
How about downloading my free printable family cleaning bingo game?
Don’t forget racing. Supervised of course. See who is the quickest at putting away their washing or filling their ‘declutter basket’. Then, of course, there’s a good old dance party!
Final Thoughts
I hope you got some great tips for how to clean your house fast. Remember to celebrate your victories, no matter how small, and let go of the pressure to have a super clean space. Focus on making progress, not achieving perfection.
I would love to know any tips you use to get through the cleaning quicker. Drop a comment below and share it with everyone!
Other resources you may like:
FREEBIE: Family Cleaning Bingo Game
FREEBIE: Laundry Care & Symbols Guide Wall Art Print
ARTICLE: 6 Easy Home Decorating Tips to Use in Every Room
ARTICLE: How to Organize Kids Toys: Everything You Need to Know
SHOP: Children’s Reward Charts & Schedules
