5 Quick Tips to Speed Clean Your Home

If you like an orderly home but not like the idea of having to spend your whole day cleaning, then you’ll definitely love these quick tips to speed clean your home today.

Let’s face it, cleaning can be a drudge, especially if you’re looking at hours of wiping, sweeping and vacuuming.

Even so, cleaning is a must. We all have to do it, as it is a necessary party of life. But you don’t have to like cleaning or even buy into the lies and myths from those not in the know.

But what if I told you that you could clean your house in half the time it normally takes you to do the task, would you be interested? I thought so.

The truth is you can have a spic-and-span house in no time at all, if you follow these five speed cleaning tips:

1. Keep Your Cleaning Tools Handy

A lot of time is spent by folks gathering supplies for cleaning. So this first tip is also the most important: keep your cleaning items handy in a caddy.

To put together your own cleaning caddy, here’s what you’ll need:

• spay bottles
• microfiber cleaning cloths
• household scrub brush
• Platex Latex Gloves
• window cleaner
• Feather or Swiffer Duster
• paper towels
• general all-purpose cleaner
• Soft Scrub
• antibacterial wipes
• furniture polish
• tall garbage bags

RELATED: Homemade Window Cleaner

2. Use Your Dishwasher

In order to maximize your time and speed clean your home, you’ll need to think outside the box. Use your dishwasher. Use it not only for glassware and dishes, but also for other household items.

Here is a short list of some of the things that can be cleaned safely and quickly in your dishwasher:

• range fan screen
• hair brushes
• plastic kid’s toys
• plastic dog toys
• sponges
• refrigerator shelves and drawers
• silicon oven mitts
• kitchen brushes
• grill racks
• glass light fixtures
• shower caddy
• canning jars
• dust pan

CLEANING TIP: Don’t forget that your dishwasher needs a good cleaning, too. To do this, add dishwasher soap as if you were cleaning a load of dishes and set it on the highest heat and scrub setting. Let your unit go through the full cycle. When finished, scrub off any particles, including grime and foodstuff that might have gathered on the door and sides. It’s that easy!

3. Vacuum and Sweep Often

The third trick to cleaning your home lickety-split is to vacuum and sweep often. This tip is also meant to keep your house looking great over the long haul.

In truth, most, if not all, of our floor surfaces take a beating, regardless whether it is wood, carpet, tile or laminate. The main culprit is from dirt brought in from outside.

So taking a couple of minutes each day to vacuum and sweep even the most traveled areas of your home will help keep your abode nice and neat.

Start at the entry ways and work your way in. Don’t worry about daily cleaning those low traffic areas unless they look dirty. They don’t need as much attention as those that are in the direct line of busy feet.

To keep your home clean, have your family leave their shoes at the door. That way, they won’t track in so much dirt and your floor cleaning will become lickety split.

CLEANING TIP: Replace your vacuum bag or empty canister regularly. Doing so will allow your vacuum to suck up the dirt at maximum capacity and won’t spew out excess dust and dirt.

RELATED: How to Clean Stainless Steel

4. Quick Clean Before You Sleep

Before you go to bed do this:

• Make sure all dishes have been washed from the night’s dinner and have been put away.
• Wipe down all of the counter surfaces, as well as the stovetop.
• Pick up toys or other misplaced items and put them away.
• Fluff your sofa pillows.
• Replace dirty towels from bathrooms and kitchen.
• Put dishwasher on if load is ready to be cleaned.
• Do a quick sweep of any bare floors that need it.

CLEANING TIP: Use a centrally located soft canvas storage toy box. That way, you can quickly and easily pick up any misplaced toys as you pass by.

RELATED: The Secret To Perfect Pillow Arrangements

5. Enlist the Help of Your Family

You’ll find that you’ll clean lightening fast if you enlist the help of your family. Many hands make quick work of those tasks we think are drudgery.

And, since each member contributes in some way or other to the messes in your home, wouldn’t it be nice if they took responsibility and helped in the task of picking up their stuff?

You’ll find that what seemed to be totally out of your reach can be achievable with your family’s help.

RELATED: Dishwasher Maintenance

Put Cleaning on Your Calendar

Finally, if you truly want to keep abreast of your cleaning tasks, schedule your cleaning on your daily calendar. Not only will it keep you accountable, but it will also keep the need to be clean front and center. HANDY TOOL: Clean it Up! Planner.

For more ideas to help you with cleaning your home, check out Wisconsin Homemaker’s Cleaning Section.